MAPS SRL2: Global Tropospheric Carbon Monoxide Measurements from Space Shuttle

MAPS SRL-2 measured the global distribution of carbon monoxide in the middle troposphere during the 1994 Northern Hemisphere summer. The NASA experiment used gas filter radiometry from the Space Shuttle to detect CO at altitudes of 7-8 km, focusing on emissions from biomass burning. These measurements help scientists understand seasonal changes in CO sources, transport, and chemistry related to human activities and climate change.

Use Cases

• Modeling global carbon monoxide transport based on tropospheric mixing ratio measurements.
• Analyzing seasonal biomass burning emissions based on data from South American, African, and Australian regions.
• Studying atmospheric chemistry changes based on CO measurements from a dedicated Space Shuttle mission.
• Correcting for cloud interference in satellite data based on simultaneous N2O measurements mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data originates from a dedicated NASA Space Shuttle mission (SRL-2) in 1994.
• Measurements focus on a specific altitude range (7-8 km) in the middle troposphere.
• Includes a correction mechanism for systematic errors using simultaneous N2O measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is from a single mission in 1994; temporal coverage is limited.
• Row count and spatial resolution details (beyond '5 degree by 5 degree') are unknown.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Gas filter radiometry measurements from the MAPS instrument aboard the Space Shuttle.

Time Range

1994 (Northern Hemisphere summer)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:44:55.713793; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Near-global, with noted focus on the Southern Hemisphere and tropical troposphere.