ML3MBOH: Monthly Binned Hydroxyl (OH) Mixing Ratios from Aura Satellite

Near-global hydroxyl (OH) mixing ratio data from the NASA Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument, binned monthly on various vertical grids. The dataset provides continuous coverage from August 2005 to December 2009, with intermittent data collected for about 30 days each in August/September of 2011-2014. Data files are archived in netCDF4 format and include profile and column grid objects with geolocation fields and metadata.

Use Cases

• Modeling atmospheric hydroxyl radical concentrations based on near-global satellite measurements.
• Analyzing long-term trends in atmospheric chemistry based on data spanning from 2005 to 2014.
• Studying vertical distribution of hydroxyl radicals based on data binned on various vertical grids.
• Validating climate and atmospheric chemistry models based on spatially resolved satellite data.

Strengths

• Continuous temporal coverage from August 2005 to December 2009.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data files are 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.
• Primary continuous data collection ended in 2009; subsequent data is intermittent.

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).

Time Range

August 2005 to December 2009 (continuous), with intermittent data in August/September of 2011-2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 00:02:22.177188; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Near-global (-82 to +82 degrees latitude).