Daily Binned Sulfur Dioxide Mixing Ratios from Aura MLS Satellite

Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument data provides daily binned sulfur dioxide (SO2) mixing ratios on assorted vertical grids. Spatial coverage is near-global from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at 4 by 5-degree resolution. The dataset is produced by NASA's EOS Aura mission and archived at the GES DISC.

Use Cases

• Analyze lat-lon map vs pressure group data to track global SO2 plumes from volcanic eruptions.
• Use lat vs pressure zonal mean data to study seasonal and inter-annual variability in stratospheric SO2.
• Compare average, min, max, and std dev fields within the equivalent lat vs theta group to assess measurement uncertainty.
• Employ vortex average vs theta data for polar atmospheric chemistry studies, particularly in ozone-related processes.

Strengths

• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data provided on multiple vertical grids (pressure and theta) with about 3 km vertical resolution.
• Each data group includes statistical fields: average, min, max, standard deviation, and rms.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and temporal coverage are not provided.
• Useful vertical range is limited to 215 to 10 hPa, excluding near-surface measurements.
• Spatial resolution of 4 degrees latitude by 5 degrees longitude is coarse for regional-scale analysis.

Provenance

Source

NASA EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument, processed by the MLS science team.

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 240 GHz radiometer, binned daily on various vertical grids.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

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