ML3DZOH: Daily Binned Hydroxyl Mixing Ratio from Aura Satellite, 2005-2014

MLS/Aura Level 3 Daily Binned Hydroxyl (OH) Mixing Ratio on Zonal and Similar Grids V005 (ML3DZOH) is a NASA dataset from the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument. It provides near-global hydroxyl measurements from August 2005 to December 2009, with additional 30-day collection periods in 2011-2014. The data is binned daily on zonal and vertical grids, covering latitudes from -82 to +82 degrees at 4-degree increments and a vertical range from 31.6 to 0.00316 hPa.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in hydroxyl concentration based on the continuous data from 2005 to 2009.
• Studying the vertical distribution of hydroxyl radicals based on the pressure and potential temperature grids.
• Comparing atmospheric conditions between ascending and descending orbits based on the subdivided profile groups.
• Investigating diurnal variations in hydroxyl based on the daytime (SZA < 90) and nighttime (SZA > 110) profile groups.
• Mapping the zonal mean distribution of hydroxyl across latitudes from -82 to +82 degrees.

Strengths

• Continuous daily data coverage from August 2, 2005 to December 12, 2009.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data includes statistical aggregates (average, min, max, std dev, rms) for each profile group.
• 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.
• Primary data collection ended in 2009, with only brief 30-day periods in subsequent years.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

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 2005 to December 2009 (continuous), with 30-day periods in August/September of 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:33:10.611163; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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