OCO-3: Space-Based Atmospheric CO2 Measurements

OCO-3 Level 2 CO2 prior data provides space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide from the instrument deployed to the International Space Station in May 2019. The dataset is produced by three high-resolution spectrometers measuring reflected sunlight at specific near-infrared and oxygen A-band wavelengths to characterize processes controlling CO2 buildup. A fast Bayesian retrieval algorithm estimates surface pressure and albedo while screening for clouds and aerosols.

Use Cases

• Characterizing global carbon sources and sinks based on atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements.
• Screening for cloud and aerosol contamination in satellite observations using the Oxygen-A Band algorithm.
• Estimating surface pressure and surface albedo via the fast Bayesian retrieval of O2 A-band spectra.
• Validating and improving global carbon cycle models with spatially-resolved CO2 data.
• Analyzing time-series trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide from the International Space Station vantage point.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated NASA mission designed for high-precision, space-based CO2 measurement.
• Incorporates three independently calibrated spectrometers for coincident measurements at 0.76, 1.61, and 2.06 micrometers.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its importance and curation.

Limitations

• Column names and dataset size (rows, file size) are not provided in any source, limiting usability assessment.
• The 'last updated' metadata conflicts, with one source showing a future date (2026-04-09) and others showing null.
• Documentation is technical but lacks concrete examples of data structure or access patterns.

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.

Time Range

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

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:31:35.004764 (noted, but this appears to be a future or erroneous date)

Geography

Global coverage from the ISS orbit.