OCO-2: Spatially Ordered Atmospheric CO2 Retrievals from the IMAP-DOAS Preprocessor

Retrospective processing V11r provides the current version of this dataset, superseding all older versions. The dataset contains outputs from the IMAP-DOAS preprocessor for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission, which uses three high-resolution spectrometers to measure reflected sunlight for atmospheric carbon dioxide and molecular oxygen. This preprocessor data is used for screening the official XCO2 product and for retrieving Solar-Induced Fluorescence from the 0.76 micrometer O2 A-band.

Use Cases

• Screening OCO-2's official column-averaged carbon dioxide (XCO2) product based on IMAP-DOAS preprocessor outputs.
• Retrieving Solar-Induced Fluorescence (SIF) from vegetation using data from the 0.76 micrometer molecular oxygen (O2) A-band.
• Analyzing spatially ordered, geolocated atmospheric retrievals for global carbon flux modeling.
• Comparing retrospective processing quality against standard operational pipeline outputs.

Strengths

• Represents the current, authoritative version (V11r) of the data, superseding all older versions.
• Features retrospective processing where calibration is estimated from the full data timeseries, which is expected to yield slightly higher quality.
• Data is cross-listed on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata and Data.gov), indicating its importance and reliability.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are not provided in the available metadata, limiting immediate usability.
• Conflicting 'last updated' timestamps exist between sources (2026-04-09 and 2024-04-01), creating uncertainty about metadata freshness.
• Exact row counts, file sizes, and detailed spatial/temporal coverage are not specified.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the OCO-2 spacecraft's three high-resolution spectrometers, processed through the operational IMAP-DOAS preprocessor.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:21:01.880743

Geography

Global, from space-based measurements.