TOLNet: Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Profiles for Air Quality and Climate

TOLNet_JPL_Data comprises ozone profile measurements collected by Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) instruments from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The data supports the Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network, an interagency collaboration operating since 2011 to study air quality, validate atmospheric models, and interpret satellite observations. It includes profiles from a fixed instrument operating since 2000 and five mobile systems added between 2023 and 2025.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived ozone observations using ground-based lidar profiles.
• Studying spatio-temporal trends in tropospheric ozone pollution for air quality assessments.
• Improving atmospheric chemistry and transport models with high-resolution vertical measurement constraints.
• Assessing the radiative forcing of ozone as a greenhouse gas for climate studies.
• Supporting field campaign analysis with mobile lidar deployments to remote locations.

Strengths

• Provides long-term, continuous data from a fixed instrument contributing since 2000.
• Enhances spatial coverage with five mobile lidar systems deployed between 2023 and 2025.
• Supports a major interagency network (TOLNet) with standardized data for cross-institution analysis.

Limitations

• Critical metadata (column names, row counts, file sizes) is missing from all platform entries.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.
• One source lists TOLNet as having seven lidars, while another lists six, indicating a conflict in network composition.

Provenance

Source

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Table Mountain Facility (JPL-TMF) and the Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet).

Collection Method

Measurements collected by ground-based and mobile Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) instruments.

Time Range

2000 to present (ongoing).

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to datagov entries.

Geography

Primarily North America, with fixed site at Table Mountain Facility and mobile deployments to various campaign locations.