OCO-3: Space-Based Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Retrievals

Version 11r is the current version of this dataset, superseding all older versions. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) instrument, deployed to the International Space Station in May 2019, provides high-resolution, space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It uses three spectrometers to measure reflected sunlight in specific near-infrared and oxygen A-band wavelengths, enabling retrieval of CO2 concentrations and supporting cloud-screening algorithms.

Use Cases

• Characterizing global carbon dioxide buildup processes based on precise, space-based atmospheric measurements.
• Screening for clouds and aerosols in satellite data using the Oxygen A-band algorithm.
• Estimating surface pressure and albedo via fast Bayesian retrieval of O2 A-band spectra.
• Calibrating and validating atmospheric models with coincident spectrometer measurements at 0.76, 1.61, and 2.06 micrometers.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated NASA mission (OCO-3) designed for high-precision atmospheric CO2 measurement.
• Incorporates three independently calibrated, high-resolution spectrometers for coincident, multi-wavelength observation.
• Employs a specific, peer-reviewed algorithm (ABO2) for cloud screening and surface parameter retrieval.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and dataset size are unavailable across all sources.
• The license is listed as 'other-license-specified' without further details, requiring user investigation.
• Documentation gaps exist regarding the exact data structure and specific measurement parameters beyond the described wavelengths.

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 through the Level 2 retrieval pipeline.

Time Range

Measurements began after instrument deployment in May 2019; dataset includes retrospective processing.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:20:01.397457

Geography

Global coverage from the International Space Station's orbit.