Satellite-Derived Carbon Monoxide Profiles from MOPITT Instrument

MOPITT Derived Carbon Monoxide V009 provides geo-located CO profiles and total column amounts retrieved using joint thermal and near-infrared channels. The data includes ancillary surface and cloud properties, with an estimated error for each retrieval. The instrument was built by Canadian companies for NASA's Terra spacecraft, launched in 1999.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of total_column_CO amounts to identify regional pollution hotspots.
• Validate atmospheric chemistry models using retrieved_CO_profile data at specific geo-locations.
• Study correlations between surface_properties and cloud_conditions with local CO concentrations.
• Assess retrieval_accuracy by analyzing the accompanying estimated_error for each measurement.
• Track long-term trends in tropospheric pollution using the time-series of CO retrievals.

Strengths

• Data incorporates joint retrieval from thermal and near-infrared channels for improved accuracy.
• Each retrieval includes an estimated_error, providing direct uncertainty quantification.
• Product includes ancillary data on surface properties and cloud conditions.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column count, and spatial resolution are unknown.
• Data may have gaps or reduced accuracy in regions with persistent cloud cover.
• The retrieval method's performance depends on atmospheric conditions not fully captured.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata from the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument.

Collection Method

Remote sensing retrieval from radiances measured by the MOPITT instrument on the Terra satellite.

Time Range

Coverage begins after the instrument's launch on December 18, 1999.

Freshness

Last updated in February 2025, indicating ongoing data processing.

Geography

Global coverage from a sun-synchronous polar orbit.