ML3DZOH: Daily Binned Hydroxyl Mixing Ratios from Aura Satellite, 2004-2014

MLS/Aura Level 3 Daily Binned Hydroxyl (OH) Mixing Ratio data provides near-global atmospheric measurements from August 2, 2004, to December 12, 2009, with additional 30-day collection periods in 2011-2014. The data is produced by NASA's EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument and binned into zonal and vertical grids at 4-degree latitude increments. Files are archived in netCDF4 format, containing yearly data with groups for zonal means and vortex averages across different orbit and day/night profiles.

Use Cases

• Modeling hydroxyl radical distributions in the atmosphere based on zonal mean data.
• Analyzing seasonal or long-term trends in atmospheric chemistry based on the 2004-2014 time series.
• Comparing daytime versus nighttime OH profiles based on solar zenith angle (SZA) groupings.
• Studying stratospheric and mesospheric processes based on the vertical range from 31.6 to 0.00316 hPa.

Strengths

• Continuous data coverage from August 2004 to December 2009, providing a multi-year baseline.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at 4-degree increments.
• Data is structured into specific groups (e.g., ascending/descending orbit, day/night) for targeted analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Primary continuous measurement period ended in 2009; post-2009 data consists of limited 30-day snapshots.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical modeling.

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 2, 2004 to December 12, 2009, with additional 30-day periods in August/September of 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 00:04:00.958037; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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