Monthly Satellite Measurements of Atmospheric Nitrous Oxide on Vertical Grids

MLS/Aura satellite data provides monthly binned nitrous oxide (N2O) mixing ratios on assorted vertical grids. The dataset offers near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at a 4° by 5° resolution. It is produced by NASA's EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument and processed by the GES DISC.

Use Cases

• Analyze lat-lon map vs pressure group data to map global N2O distribution and variability across pressure levels.
• Use lat vs pressure zonal mean data to study hemispheric and seasonal gradients in nitrous oxide concentration.
• Investigate vortex average vs potential temperature data for polar chemistry studies, particularly in the stratosphere.
• Apply the statistical fields (average, min, max, std dev, rms) within each data group to quantify measurement uncertainty and natural variability.
• Correlate equivalent latitude vs potential temperature zonal mean data with other atmospheric tracers to diagnose stratospheric transport.

Strengths

• Data provides near-global coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Vertical resolution is between 4 and 6 km across the recommended range from 68.1 to 0.464 hPa.
• Each data file contains six distinct group objects with multiple statistical measures (average, min, max, std dev, rms).

Limitations

• The specific number of rows, files, or total observations is unknown.
• Instrument change occurred on August 6, 2013, from the 640 GHz to the 190 GHz radiometer, potentially introducing measurement biases.
• Temporal coverage and dataset freshness are unspecified.

Provenance

Source

NASA EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument, processed and archived by the GES DISC.

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the MLS 640 GHz and later 190 GHz radiometers, binned monthly on various vertical grids.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Near-global, from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at 4° latitude by 5° longitude spatial resolution.