OCO-3 Lite: Daily Solar-Induced Fluorescence and Atmospheric CO2 from the ISS

OCO-3 Level 2 data provides daily aggregated, bias-corrected measurements of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) and select atmospheric fields from the International Space Station. The instrument, deployed in May 2019, uses three high-resolution spectrometers to measure reflected sunlight in near-infrared CO2 bands and the molecular oxygen A-band for precise characterization of carbon dioxide processes. Its primary cloud-screening algorithm employs a fast Bayesian retrieval to estimate surface pressure and albedo from O2 A-band spectra.

Use Cases

• Monitoring regional carbon dioxide sources and sinks based on column-averaged dry-air mole fraction (XCO2) measurements.
• Assessing global plant productivity and photosynthesis through bias-corrected solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) retrievals.
• Screening for clouds and aerosols in satellite observations using the Oxygen-A Band (ABO2) retrieval algorithm.
• Validating and comparing carbon flux models with space-based, daily aggregated data from the International Space Station's orbit.

Strengths

• Data originates from a dedicated NASA mission (OCO-3) designed for high-precision, space-based atmospheric CO2 measurement.
• Incorporates a sophisticated cloud-screening algorithm (ABO2) using a fast Bayesian retrieval on high-resolution O2 A-band spectra.
• Available on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata and Data.gov), indicating established curation and importance.

Limitations

• Column names and detailed schema are not provided in the available metadata, limiting immediate understanding of data structure.
• Conflicting version information exists between sources (Version 11r vs. Version 10r listed as 'current').
• Key quantitative details like spatial/temporal resolution, row counts, and exact file sizes are unavailable.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Measurements from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) instrument on the International Space Station, processed with the IMAP-DOAS algorithm to Level 2 data and aggregated daily.

Time Range

Likely from May 2019 (instrument deployment) onward, but exact end date not specified.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:31:54.839760

Geography

Global coverage from the International Space Station's orbit.