MLS/Aura Daily Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) Mixing Ratios on Zonal Grids

Near-global (-82 to +82 degrees latitude) daily binned measurements of hydrogen chloride (HCl) mixing ratios in the stratosphere from the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite. The data version is 4.2, with profiles spaced 1.5 degrees along the orbit track and a useful vertical range from 100 to 0.316 hPa. Files are archived in netCDF4 format by NASA and contain one year of data per file, including zonal means and vortex averages.

Use Cases

• Modeling stratospheric chlorine chemistry based on HCl mixing ratio profiles.
• Analyzing polar vortex dynamics based on equivalent latitude vs potential temperature grids.
• Studying global HCl distribution and trends based on lat vs pressure zonal means.
• Assessing data variability and uncertainty based on provided standard deviation and RMS fields.

Strengths

• Data version 4.2 indicates a mature, processed product.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Vertical resolution between 3 and 6 km within the 100 to 0.316 hPa range.
• Each netCDF4 file contains a full year of data with multiple statistical summaries (average, min, max, std dev, rms).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Each file contains one year of data; specific years are not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:33:28.199879; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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