OCO-3: Space-Based Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Retrievals

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) Level 2 dataset provides geolocated atmospheric carbon dioxide (XCO2) retrieval results and algorithm diagnostics. The instrument, deployed to the International Space Station in May 2019, uses three high-resolution spectrometers to measure reflected sunlight at specific near-infrared and oxygen A-band wavelengths. The data supports analysis of carbon dioxide sources and sinks with the precision needed to characterize processes controlling its atmospheric buildup.

Use Cases

• Mapping global and regional carbon dioxide sources and sinks based on XCO2 concentration retrievals.
• Validating atmospheric transport models using precise, space-based CO2 measurements.
• Performing cloud and aerosol screening for atmospheric studies using the Oxygen-A Band algorithm.
• Estimating surface pressure and albedo from high-resolution O2 A-band spectra via the ABO2 retrieval algorithm.

Strengths

• Data is from a NASA mission specifically designed for high-precision, space-based CO2 measurement.
• The dataset represents a current, maintained version (Version 11r), superseding older releases.
• Instrumentation incorporates three independently calibrated spectrometers for coincident measurements.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.
• Descriptions are highly technical and repetitive, suggesting potential gaps in user-oriented documentation.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by the OCO-3 instrument on the International Space Station using spectroscopic remote sensing.

Time Range

Coverage begins after instrument deployment in May 2019; specific end date is not provided.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to datagov.

Geography

Global coverage from the International Space Station's orbit.