OCO-2: Satellite-Based Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Prior Estimates

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission provides Level 2 data products estimating atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. The dataset incorporates prior information based on monthly flask records, global meteorology, and age-of-air data. It is derived from three high-resolution spectrometers on the LEOStar-2 spacecraft measuring reflected sunlight at specific near-infrared wavelengths.

Use Cases

• Analyzing regional and global trends in atmospheric CO2 concentrations based on satellite measurements.
• Validating and improving terrestrial biosphere and ocean carbon flux models using prior estimates.
• Assimilating space-based CO2 observations into atmospheric transport models for inverse studies.
• Investigating seasonal and interannual variability in the carbon cycle using the time-series data.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated NASA mission designed for high-precision, space-based CO2 measurements.
• The dataset represents the current, authoritative version (11.2r), superseding all older releases.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA EarthData and Data.gov signals its importance and official status.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Exact row count, file size, and detailed provenance (author, organization) are inconsistently reported or missing.
• Documentation is referenced but its completeness and accessibility for the specific prior product are unclear.

Provenance

Source

NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC)

Collection Method

Measurements from the OCO-2 satellite's three high-resolution spectrometers, processed with prior information from flask records and meteorology.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-04-09 23:21:41.106786

Geography

Global