SAFARI 2000 Tropospheric Carbon Monoxide Satellite Data for Southern Africa

August 1 to September 30, 2000 data provides daily averaged tropospheric carbon monoxide concentrations over southern Africa. The dataset is a Level-3 subset from NASA's MOPITT instrument on the Terra satellite, processed onto a 1x1-degree grid. It reports concentrations at two pressure heights, 700 hPa and 350 hPa, derived from daytime satellite swaths.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial patterns of carbon monoxide pollution during the dry season using the gridded concentration data.
• Studying vertical distribution of pollutants by comparing concentrations at the 700 hPa and 350 hPa pressure levels.
• Investigating temporal trends of tropospheric carbon monoxide over the two-month campaign period.
• Model validation for atmospheric chemistry and transport models using satellite-derived concentration profiles.
• Research on biomass burning emissions and their regional impact during the SAFARI 2000 campaign.

Strengths

• Data provides specific horizontal (~22km) and vertical (~3km) resolution for concentration profiles.
• Covers a defined two-month time period (August-September 2000) for the SAFARI campaign.
• Spatial coverage is precisely defined from 5° to 60° longitude and -35° to 35° latitude.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row/size counts are not provided by any source, limiting structural understanding.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (2000-09 30 vs. 2026-03-12), indicating potential metadata inconsistency.
• Data is limited to daytime swaths and only two pressure heights, not a full diurnal or vertical profile.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), MOPITT instrument on the Terra Satellite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing of infrared radiation, analyzed to isolate carbon monoxide, with daily averages gridded at 1x1-degree.

Time Range

2000-08-01 to 2000-09 -30

Freshness

2026-03-12 22:16:14.398053

Geography

Southern Africa, from 5° to 60° longitude and -35° to 35° latitude.