OCO-3: Satellite Retrievals of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Data from May 2019 onward is collected by the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) instrument on the International Space Station. The dataset contains Level 2 spatially ordered geolocated retrievals of atmospheric carbon dioxide, derived from high-resolution spectrometer measurements in three specific near-infrared bands. It includes outputs from the IMAP-DOAS preprocessor and the OCO ABO2 algorithm for cloud screening and surface property estimation.

Use Cases

• Mapping global and regional carbon dioxide concentrations based on satellite spectrometer data.
• Screening for clouds and aerosols in satellite observations using the Oxygen-A Band algorithm.
• Estimating surface pressure and albedo via the fast Bayesian retrieval method applied to O2 A-band spectra.
• Analyzing trends in atmospheric CO2 buildup over time from space-based measurements.
• Validating and comparing carbon cycle models with spatially ordered geolocated retrieval data.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated NASA mission (OCO-3) designed for precise space-based CO2 measurement.
• Utilizes three independently calibrated high-resolution spectrometers for coincident measurements.
• Implements a peer-reviewed cloud screening algorithm (OCO ABO2) based on a Bayesian retrieval framework.
• Dataset is actively maintained, with Version 10 noted as the current and superseding version.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing or conflicting across sources: no column names, row counts, file sizes, or license information are provided.
• The 'last updated' date of 2026-04-10 appears to be a future date, casting doubt on timestamp accuracy.
• Documentation gaps exist, as descriptions are repeated verbatim across platforms without additional technical detail.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite-based measurements from the OCO-3 instrument on the International Space Station.

Time Range

May 2019 onward

Freshness

2026-04-10 19:35:48.935614

Geography

Global