Daily Global Hydrogen Cyanide Measurements from Aura Satellite

MLS/Aura Level 3 data provides daily binned hydrogen cyanide (HCN) mixing ratios derived from the 190 GHz radiometer. Spatial coverage is near-global from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at a 4°x5° resolution, with a vertical range from 21.5 to 0.1 hPa. The data is produced by the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) team and archived at NASA's GES DISC.

Use Cases

• Analyze lat-lon map vs pressure group data to track global HCN plumes from large-scale biomass burning events.
• Use the lat vs pressure zonal mean group to study the vertical and meridional distribution of HCN in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.
• Leverage the equivalent latitude vs potential temperature zonal mean group to investigate HCN behavior relative to the polar vortex dynamics.
• Employ the vortex average vs potential temperature group to quantify HCN concentrations within polar vortices for chemical isolation studies.
• Apply statistical fields (average, min, max, std dev, rms) within each group to assess daily variability and uncertainty in HCN measurements.

Strengths

• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data is binned on multiple vertical grids including pressure and potential temperature for flexible analysis.
• Each data group includes statistical measures (average, min, max, std dev, rms) for uncertainty assessment.

Limitations

• Vertical resolution varies between 8 and 12 km, which may be coarse for fine-scale atmospheric layer analysis.
• The recommended useful vertical range is limited to 21.5 to 0.1 hPa, excluding higher and lower altitudes.
• Spatial resolution of 4 degrees latitude by 5 degrees longitude may not resolve local or regional-scale features.

Provenance

Source

NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC).

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 190 GHz radiometer on the EOS Aura satellite's Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS).

Geography

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