MLS/Aura Daily Binned Chlorine Monoxide (ClO) Mixing Ratios, 2004 to Present

August 2004 to present near-global measurements of chlorine monoxide (ClO) mixing ratios from the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder satellite. The data is binned daily on various vertical grids, with a spatial resolution of 4 degrees latitude by 5 degrees longitude and a vertical range between 147 and 1.0 hPa. This product, version 4.2, is archived by NASA's GES DISC in netCDF4 format.

Use Cases

• Modeling stratospheric ozone depletion based on chlorine monoxide mixing ratios.
• Analyzing polar vortex dynamics using the 'equivalent latitude' vs 'potential temperature' zonal mean groups.
• Studying diurnal variations in ClO using daytime (SZA < 90) and nighttime (SZA > 110) profile subgroups.
• Investigating longitudinal and latitudinal ClO distributions from the lat-lon map vs pressure group data.

Strengths

• Continuous data coverage from August 2, 2004 to the present.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data is structured into six distinct group objects (e.g., lat-lon map vs pressure) with statistical fields (average, min, max, std dev, rms).
• Archived in the netCDF4 format, which is compatible with HDF5 readers and tools.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The recommended useful vertical range is limited to between 147 and 1.0 hPa.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 640 GHz radiometer on the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite.

Time Range

August 2, 2004 to current

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:34:00.653040; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Near-global (-82 to +82 degrees latitude)