OCO-3: Space-Based Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Spectra

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) instrument, deployed to the International Space Station in May 2019, provides calibrated, geolocated science spectra. The dataset contains high-resolution spectrometer measurements of reflected sunlight at specific near-infrared wavelengths to quantify atmospheric carbon dioxide and includes an algorithm for cloud and aerosol screening. It is designed to characterize the processes controlling the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere with high precision and spatial resolution.

Use Cases

• Quantifying regional carbon dioxide fluxes based on near-infrared spectrometer measurements at 1.61 and 2.06 µm.
• Screening for cloud-contaminated observations using the Oxygen-A Band (0.76 µm) retrieval algorithm.
• Estimating surface pressure and albedo from clear-sky O2 A-band spectra via a fast Bayesian retrieval.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal trends in atmospheric CO2 concentrations from the International Space Station vantage point.
• Validating and improving global carbon cycle models with space-based, column-averaged CO2 measurements.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated NASA mission designed for precise, space-based CO2 measurement.
• Incorporates three independently calibrated high-resolution spectrometers for coincident measurements.
• Uses a Bayesian retrieval algorithm for cloud screening and surface parameter estimation.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• The dataset's license is listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit details.
• Descriptions are technical and assume user familiarity with remote sensing and radiative transfer.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Measurements collected by the OCO-3 instrument on the International Space Station.

Time Range

Data collection began after deployment in May 2019.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:20:40.268564

Geography

Global coverage from the International Space Station orbit.