ML2OH: Aura Satellite Hydroxyl Mixing Ratio Profiles, 2004-2014

MLS/Aura Level 2 Hydroxyl (OH) Mixing Ratio V005 (ML2OH) is a NASA satellite-derived dataset for atmospheric hydroxyl. Data coverage is continuous from August 2004 to December 2009, with additional 30-day collection periods in August/September of 2011-2014. The data provides near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude, with profiles spaced roughly 165 km along the orbit track.

Use Cases

• Modeling atmospheric oxidative capacity based on hydroxyl mixing ratio profiles.
• Analyzing long-term trends in hydroxyl concentrations based on the 2004-2014 time series.
• Studying the spatial distribution of hydroxyl radicals based on near-global latitude coverage.
• Validating chemical transport models using satellite-derived hydroxyl data.

Strengths

• Continuous data from August 2004 to December 2009, providing a multi-year baseline.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data is stored in a structured HDF-EOS5 format with defined swath objects and metadata.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Primary data collection ended in 2009, with only brief 30-day periods in subsequent years.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the THz radiometer on the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite.

Time Range

August 8, 2004 to December 12, 2009 (continuous), plus ~30 days in August/September of 2011, 2012, —2013, and 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:06:19.463051; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Near-global, from -82 degrees to +82 degrees latitude.