OCO-3: Space-Based Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Retrievals

OCO-3 Level 2 data provides spatially ordered, geolocated retrievals of atmospheric carbon dioxide from the International Space Station. The dataset incorporates measurements from three high-resolution spectrometers targeting CO2 and molecular oxygen bands, processed using a Bayesian retrieval algorithm for cloud screening. Version 11 represents the current operational processing standard, superseding all previous versions.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations based on near-infrared spectrometer measurements.
• Characterizing surface pressure and albedo using the O2 A-band Bayesian retrieval algorithm.
• Screening for clouds and aerosols in satellite observation scenes by comparing modeled and measured radiances.
• Analyzing the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere with the precision and resolution designed for the OCO mission.

Strengths

• Represents the current operational standard (Version 11), superseding older versions.
• Data originates from a dedicated NASA mission designed for high-precision, space-based CO2 measurement.
• Incorporates a sophisticated cloud-screening algorithm (ABO2) using a fast Bayesian retrieval method.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• The dataset's temporal coverage is not explicitly stated, though collection began after the May 2019 deployment.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without detailed terms.

Provenance

Source

NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) instrument on the International Space Station, processed by GES DISC.

Collection Method

Space-based measurements from three high-resolution spectrometers, with retrievals processed using the IMAP-DOAS Preprocessor and ABO2 cloud-screening algorithm.

Time Range

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

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:31:13.194158

Geography

Global coverage from the International Space Station's orbit.