OCO-3: Space-Based Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Measurements

Version 10 data from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3), deployed to the International Space Station in May 2019. The dataset contains Level 2 geolocated XCO2 retrieval results and diagnostic information from three high-resolution spectrometers measuring reflected sunlight in near-infrared CO2 and molecular oxygen bands. It is designed to characterize the processes controlling atmospheric carbon dioxide buildup with high precision and resolution.

Use Cases

• Monitoring regional carbon fluxes based on high-resolution XCO2 retrievals.
• Cloud and aerosol screening in satellite data using the Oxygen-A Band algorithm.
• Validating atmospheric models with space-based carbon dioxide measurements.
• Analyzing surface pressure and albedo estimates from Bayesian retrieval of O2 A-band spectra.

Strengths

• Represents the current, authoritative Version 10 processing stream, superseding all older versions.
• Derived from a dedicated NASA mission instrument designed for high-precision atmospheric CO2 measurement.
• Incorporates three independently calibrated spectrometers for coincident measurements across multiple bands.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided across any platform.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.
• Documentation on the exact data structure and access methods appears incomplete.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the OCO-3 instrument on the International Space Station, processed through a Level 2 retrieval pipeline.

Time Range

Measurements began after deployment in May 2019; specific end date not provided.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04 09, as reported on two platforms.

Geography

Global coverage from the International Space Station orbit.