TOLNet: Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Profiles from Canada

TOLNet_ECCC_Data contains lidar measurements from the AMOLITE instrument in Toronto, Canada, part of a network operating since 2011. The data provides high spatio-temporal profiles of tropospheric ozone, a pollutant harmful to health and a greenhouse gas. It supports air quality studies, atmospheric modeling, and validation of satellite observations.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-based ozone observations using high-resolution vertical profile data.
• Studying urban air quality and pollution transport with mobile lidar measurements.
• Improving atmospheric chemistry models by assimilating continuous ozone profile time-series.
• Assessing the impact of tropospheric ozone on public health and vegetation in specific regions.

Strengths

• Data collection is ongoing, providing a continuous time-series since at least 2011.
• Part of a multi-agency network (NASA, NOAA, EPA) designed for scientific validation, suggesting rigorous methodology.
• Uses Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) technology, which is a standard for precise ozone profiling.

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing: column names, row counts, and file sizes are unknown across all sources.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without details on reuse.
• One source lists the network as having six lidars, while another lists seven, indicating a metadata conflict.

Provenance

Source

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), collected via the Autonomous Mobile Ozone LIDAR (AMOLITE) instrument.

Collection Method

Data gathered by Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) as part of the Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet).

Time Range

Ongoing; network operational since 2011.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to Data.gov.

Geography

Primary location is Toronto, Canada; the mobile instrument can be deployed to remote locations.