OCO-2: Global Satellite-Based Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Measurements

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission provides global, space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The dataset contains Level 2 geolocated retrievals of the column-averaged CO2 dry air mole fraction (XCO2), derived from three high-resolution spectrometers measuring reflected sunlight. This version represents retrospective processing (V11r), where calibration uses the full data timeseries for expected higher quality.

Use Cases

• Tracking regional and global carbon fluxes based on column-averaged XCO2 retrievals.
• Validating and improving terrestrial and atmospheric carbon cycle models using precise, space-based CO2 measurements.
• Analyzing seasonal and interannual variability in atmospheric CO2 concentrations from the global coverage.
• Assimilating satellite-derived CO2 data into atmospheric transport models to estimate surface sources and sinks.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated NASA mission (OCO-2) designed for high-precision, space-based CO2 measurements.
• Retrospective processing (V11r) uses the full data timeseries for calibration, leading to expected higher quality.
• Dataset is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA EarthData, Data.gov), indicating its importance and curation.

Limitations

• Column names and detailed schema are not provided in the available metadata, limiting immediate understanding of data structure.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2026-04 09 and 2024-04-01), creating uncertainty about the most recent version.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and spatial/temporal extents are not explicitly stated.

Provenance

Source

NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission, processed and distributed by the GES DISC.

Collection Method

Retrievals from spectra collected by the OCO-2 satellite's three high-resolution spectrometers, using a physical model algorithm.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated date conflicts: 2026-04-09 (nasa_earthdata, datagov) and 2024-04-01 (nasa_earthdata).

Geography

Global coverage from the OCO-2 satellite's orbit.