MOP03T_109: Daily Gridded Carbon Monoxide Satellite Retrievals

Global satellite data provides daily gridded means of carbon monoxide (CO) profiles and total columns in the troposphere. The dataset is derived from thermal infrared radiances measured by the MOPITT instrument aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft, launched on December 18, 1999. It includes averaging kernels for each retrieval but is an unvalidated beta product subject to recalibration.

Use Cases

• Tracking global pollution transport patterns based on daily gridded CO total column retrievals.
• Assimilating satellite observations into atmospheric chemistry models using the provided averaging kernels.
• Analyzing long-term trends in tropospheric carbon monoxide concentrations from the ongoing data collection.
• Validating regional air quality model outputs against satellite-derived CO profile data.

Strengths

• Provides a long-term, continuous record from a satellite instrument launched in 1999.
• Includes averaging kernels, which are essential for proper use of the retrievals in scientific analysis.
• Represents a cross-platform dataset hosted by authoritative sources like NASA.

Limitations

• Dataset is explicitly labeled as an 'unvalidated beta product subject to recalibration', indicating provisional data quality.
• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and exact file size are unavailable across all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2026-04-09 vs. 2025-02-01), raising questions about version control.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with instrument funded by the Canadian Space Agency.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the MOPITT instrument on the Terra spacecraft.

Time Range

Data collection is ongoing from at least the instrument's launch on December 18, 1999.

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: 2026-04-09 (datagov) and 2025-02-01 (nasa_earthdata).

Geography

Global coverage from a sun-synchronous polar orbit.