OMI/Aura Satellite Daily Global Total Column Ozone Measurements

OMI/Aura Level-2 Total Column Ozone (OMTO3) data provides near-daily global coverage of atmospheric ozone concentrations. The product is derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard NASA's Aura satellite, launched in July 2004, using an enhanced TOMS version-8 algorithm on ultraviolet radiance data. It is produced by NASA OMI scientists with contributions from the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Use Cases

• Tracking global stratospheric ozone depletion and recovery by analyzing the total ozone column values.
• Monitoring tropospheric pollution events by correlating ozone data with auxiliary parameters like the UV aerosol index and SO2 index.
• Correcting for retrieval uncertainties in climate models using ancillary data on cloud fraction, cloud pressure, and terrain height.
• Studying the impact of volcanic eruptions or biomass burning on atmospheric composition via correlated trace gas measurements.
• Validating other satellite or ground-based ozone measurements using the geolocated, quality-flagged swath data.

Strengths

• Provides near-daily global coverage due to the instrument's 2600 km viewing swath width.
• Uses a sophisticated algorithm (enhanced TOMS v8) with hyperspectral corrections for cloud, aerosol, and trace gas contamination.
• Includes extensive auxiliary parameters and quality flags (e.g., N-values, scene reflectivity, viewing angles) supporting robust analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all listed platforms.
• License information is inconsistently reported as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov but is null on NASA Earthdata.
• The 'last updated' date of March 2026 on Data.gov appears to be a future date, indicating a potential metadata error.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard DAAC, via the OMI SIPS.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the EOS-Aura spacecraft, processed with the OMTO3 algorithm.

Time Range

From July 2004 (satellite launch) to present (near real-time).

Freshness

2026-03-12 22:44:20.485546

Geography

Global coverage.