ML3DZHCN: Daily Binned Hydrogen Cyanide Mixing Ratios from Aura Satellite

MLS/Aura Level 3 daily binned data for hydrogen cyanide (HCN) mixing ratios derived from the 190 GHz radiometer. The data version is 5.1, with near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at 4-degree zonal increments. Data files contain one year of information and are archived in netCDF4 format by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global zonal mean distributions of hydrogen cyanide based on the lat vs pressure zonal mean data group.
• Studying atmospheric transport and vortex dynamics using the equivalent latitude vs potential temperature zonal mean data.
• Investigating vertical profiles and variability of HCN within the recommended 21.5 to 0.1 hPa range.
• Tracking seasonal or annual changes in HCN concentrations using the one-year data files.

Strengths

• Data provides near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Vertical resolution is between 8 and 12 km within the useful range of 21.5 to 0.1 hPa.
• Each file contains four distinct group objects (e.g., lat vs pressure, vortex average) with statistical measures like average, min, max, std dev, and rms.
• Archived in netCDF4 format, which is compatible with HDF5 readers and tools.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Each file contains one year of data.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 00:04:49.458460; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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