OCO-2: Space-Based Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Retrievals

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission provides the first space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide designed to characterize the processes controlling its buildup. Its instrument uses three high-resolution spectrometers to measure reflected sunlight at specific near-infrared wavelengths for CO2 and molecular oxygen. The dataset includes diagnostic fields such as aerosol optical depth, albedo, fluorescence, and XCO2 uncertainties for retrieval analysis.

Use Cases

• Quantifying regional carbon fluxes based on column-averaged dry-air mole fraction of CO2 (XCO2) retrievals.
• Assessing retrieval quality and bias correction using diagnostic fields like the averaging kernel and XCO2 uncertainties.
• Studying surface-atmosphere interactions by analyzing coincident data on surface type, albedo, and solar-induced fluorescence.
• Investigating aerosol interference on CO2 measurements using included aerosol optical depth and absorption coefficients.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated NASA mission (OCO-2) designed for high-precision, resolution, and coverage of atmospheric CO2.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its importance and curated status.
• The dataset includes algorithm diagnostic information, supporting transparency and validation of the retrieval process.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.
• Descriptions are duplicated across platforms, offering no additional granular detail on data structure or access.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Measurements from the OCO-2 satellite's LEOStar-2 spacecraft, which carries a single instrument with three high-resolution spectrometers.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04 09 23:33:47.424690 according to two platforms.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite observations.