From discovery to visualization, data tools such as the MOPITT Search and Subsetting Web Application, NASA’s Air Quality and Climate Anomaly Viewer, and the Wisconsin Horizontal Interpolation Program for Satellites (WHIPS) guide users in making the most of atmospheric carbon monoxide data.
Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide Data Access and Tools
Commonly Used Carbon Monoxide Data at a Glance
Descriptions of these measurements will be reviewed in more detail later in this Data Pathfinder. The following sections will help guide you to topic-specific data and resources for accessing, visualizing, preparing/manipulating (e.g. subsetting), and analyzing data. Each observation, model, and reanalysis data has unique characteristics that should be considered when evaluating its use.
An asterisk (*) next to an entry indicates that near real-time (NRT) data products are available through NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE). While not intended for scientific research, NRT data are good resources for monitoring ongoing or time-critical events. To learn more about the difference between NRT and Standard Science Products, see Near Real Time versus Standard Products.
| Spatial Resolution | Spatial Coverage | Temporal Resolution | Temporal Coverage | Spectral Resolution | Satellite/ Platform | Name (Sensor, Model, etc.) | Observation, Model, or Reanalysis | File Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 km x 50 km | Global | 6 minutes | 2002-present | 2,378 infrared channels in the 3.74-15.4 micron spectral range | Aqua | *AIRS | Observation | HDF-EOS |
| 165 km x 3 km | Near-global | Twice daily [day, night] | 2004-present | At millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths | Aqua | *MLS | Observation | HDF-EOS5 |
| ~22 km | Global | Daily, Monthly | 2000-present | near-infrared radiation at 2.3 µm and thermal-infrared radiation at 4.7 µm | Terra | *MOPITT | Observation | HDF-EOS5 |
| 5.5 km x 7 km | Global | 101.5 minutes | 2018-present | 270 nm-2.3 µm, 0.55 nm | Sentinel-5P | TROPOMI | Observation | netCDF |
| 0.25º x 0.25° | Global | 15 min, Hourly | Daily 5-day forecast | N/A | N/A | GEOS-CF | Model | netCDF |
| 0.25º x 0.312° | Global | 3-hourly | Near-real time assimilation (DAS), 10-day forecast at 00z and 5-day forecast at 12z | N/A | N/A | GEOS FP | Analysis | netCDF |
| Point measurements | Global | Periodic flights occurred during each deployment | 2016-2018 | varies | Airborne Field Campaign | Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) campaign with varying instruments | Observation | netCDF |
Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide Datasets
| Dataset Sort descending | Version | Platform | Instrument | Temporal Extent | Spatial Extent | Spatial Resolution | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATMOS L2 Trace Gases on Altitude Grid, Tab Delimited Format V3 (ATMOSL2AT) at GES DISC | 3 | Spacelab-3, ATLAS-1, ATLAS-2, ATLAS-3 | ATMOS | 1985-04-30 to 1985-05-01, 1992-03-25 to 1992-04-02, 1993-04-08 to 1993-04-16, 1994-11-03 to 1994-11-12 |
N: 75 S: -73 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| ATMOS L2 Trace Gases on Potential Temperature Grid, Fixed Field Format V3 (ATMOSL2TF) at GES DISC | 3 | Spacelab-3, ATLAS-1, ATLAS-2, ATLAS-3 | ATMOS | 1985-04-30 to 1985-05-01, 1992-03-25 to 1992-04-02, 1993-04-08 to 1993-04-16, 1994-11-03 to 1994-11-12 |
N: 75 S: -73 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| ATMOS L2 Trace Gases on Potential Temperature Grid, Tab Delimited Format V3 (ATMOSL2TT) at GES DISC | 3 | Spacelab-3, ATLAS-1, ATLAS-2, ATLAS-3 | ATMOS | 1985-04-30 to 1985-05-01, 1992-03-25 to 1992-04-02, 1993-04-08 to 1993-04-16, 1994-11-03 to 1994-11-12 |
N: 75 S: -73 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| ATMOS L2 Trace Gases on Pressure Grid, Fixed Field Format V3 (ATMOSL2PF) at GES DISC | 3 | Spacelab-3, ATLAS-1, ATLAS-2, ATLAS-3 | ATMOS | 1985-04-30 to 1985-05-01, 1992-03-25 to 1992-04-02, 1993-04-08 to 1993-04-16, 1994-11-03 to 1994-11-12 |
N: 75 S: -73 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| ATMOS L2 Trace Gases on Pressure Grid, Tab Delimited Format V3 (ATMOSL2PT) at GES DISC | 3 | Spacelab-3, ATLAS-1, ATLAS-2, ATLAS-3 | ATMOS | 1985-04-30 to 1985-05-01, 1992-03-25 to 1992-04-02, 1993-04-08 to 1993-04-16, 1994-11-03 to 1994-11-12 |
N: 75 S: -73 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| ATom: Age of Air, ArN2 Ratio, and Trace Gases in Stratospheric Samples, 2009-2018 | 1 | NASA DC-8, MODELS, NSF/NCAR GV HIAPER | FLASKS, Computer | 2009-01-10 to 2018-05-21 |
N: 84.53 S: -84.51 E: 178.68 W: -179.58 |
CSV | |
| ATom: CO2, CH4, and CO Measurements from Picarro, 2016-2018 | 1 | NASA DC-8 | Picarro G2401 | 2016-07-26 to 2018-05-21 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
ICARTT | |
| ATom: Data Stream for Modeling the Reactivity of ATom Air Parcels, 2016-2018 | 1 | NASA DC-8 | Computer | 2016-07-29 to 2018-05-21 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
multiple | |
| ATom: Measurements from the Quantum Cascade Laser System (QCLS), Version 2 | 2 | NASA DC-8 | INFRARED LASER SPECTROSCOPY | 2016-07-29 to 2018-05-21 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
ICARTT | |
| ATom: Measurements from the UAS Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (UCATS) | 1 | NASA DC-8 | TUNABLE DIODE LASER, UCATS-GC | 2016-07-12 to 2018-05-21 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
ICARTT | |
| ATom: Merged Atmospheric Chemistry, Trace Gases, and Aerosols | 1.5 | NASA DC-8 | PALMS, WAS, LASER SPECTROMETER, SPECTROMETERS, CIMS, PHOTOMETERS | 2016-07-29 to 2018-05-21 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
netCDF-4 | |
| ATom: Merged Atmospheric Chemistry, Trace Gases, and Aerosols, Version 2 | 2.0 | NASA DC-8 | FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY, GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS, ION CHROMATOGRAPHS, UCATS-GC, TOGA, DMT SP2, PALMS, PICARRO G2401-mc CO2, CH4, CO, H2O INSTRUMENT, MMS, WAS, AMS, CIMS, DLH, CAPS, CAFS, ATHOS | 2016-07-29 to 2018-05-21 |
N: 82.9406 S: -86.1769 E: 180 W: -180 |
netCDF-4 | |
| ATom: Observed and GEOS-5 Simulated CO Concentrations with Tagged Tracers for ATom-1 | 1 | MODELS, NASA DC-8 | Computer, SPECTROMETERS | 2016-07-29 to 2016-08-23 |
N: 80.0086 S: -65.3316 E: 179.983 W: -179.999 |
multiple | |
| ATTREX Global Hawk UAS In-Situ Trace Gas Measurements | 1 | GLOBAL HAWK | WAS, DLH, HUPCRS, NOAA-H2O, UCATS-GC, NOAA-O3 | 2011-10-01 to 2014-03-14 | ICARTT | ||
| BlueFlux Airborne Trace Gases, Fluxes, and Mixing Ratios, Southern Florida, 2022-2024 | 1 | King Air | AIMMS, ROZE, PICARRO G2401-mc CO2, CH4, CO, H2O INSTRUMENT | 2022-04-18 to 2024-07-22 |
N: 29.9877 S: 24.8 E: -80.3411 W: -81.53 |
multiple | |
| CAMP2Ex Merge Data Files | 1 | NASA P-3 | Computer | 2019-08-22 to 2019-10-07 | ICARTT, ZIP | ||
| CAMP2Ex P-3 In-Situ Trace Gas Data | 1 | NASA P-3 | GAS SENSORS, CRDS | 2019-08-03 to 2019-10-06 | ICARTT | ||
| CARAFE: Regional Airborne Greenhouse Gases Eddy Covariance Measurements, 2016-2017 | 1.1 | C-23 Sherpa | TAMMS, LGR, Applanix, DLH, NASDAT, PICARRO G2401-mc CO2, CH4, CO, H2O INSTRUMENT, FLIR | 2016-09-07 to 2017-05-26 |
N: 41.1145 S: 35.1761 E: -73.56 W: -79.8926 |
multiple | |
| CARVE: CH4, CO2, and CO Atmospheric Concentrations, CARVE Tower, Alaska, 2012-2014 | 1 | COMPUTERS, FIELD INVESTIGATION | Computer | 2012-01-01 to 2014-12-31 |
N: 64.986 S: 64.986 E: -147.598 W: -147.598 |
multiple | |
| CARVE: L2 Atmospheric CO2, CO, and CH4 Concentrations, CARVE Tower, Alaska, 2011-2015 | 1 | GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS | GAS SENSORS | 2011-10-23 to 2014-12-31 |
N: 64.986 S: 64.986 E: -147.598 W: -147.598 |
netCDF-4 | |
| CARVE: L2 Atmospheric CO2, CO and CH4 Concentrations, Harvard CRDS, Alaska, 2012-2014 | 1 | C-23 Sherpa | CARBON ANALYZERS | 2012-05-23 to 2014-11-09 |
N: 71.5622 S: 60.2085 E: -131.755 W: -168.111 |
netCDF-4 | |
| CARVE: L2 Atmospheric CO2, CO and CH4 Concentrations, NOAA CRDS, Alaska, 2012-2015 | 1 | C-23 Sherpa | 2012-05-23 to 2014-11-09 |
N: 71.5622 S: 60.2085 E: -131.755 W: -168.111 |
netCDF-4 | ||
| CARVE: L2 Atmospheric Gas Concentrations, Airborne Flasks, Alaska, 2012-2015 | 1 | C-23 Sherpa | FLASKS | 2012-05-23 to 2015-11-12 |
N: 71.4985 S: 35.1547 E: -106.295 W: -167.481 |
netCDF-4 | |
| CARVE: L2 Atmospheric Gas Concentrations, Tower-based Flasks, Alaska, 2012-2015 | 1 | GROUND STATIONS | FLASKS | 2012-01-04 to 2015-12-05 |
N: 64.9864 S: 64.9833 E: -147.583 W: -147.598 |
netCDF-4 | |
| CARVE: L2 Column Gas and Uncertainty from Airborne FTS, Alaska, 2012-2015 | 1 | C-23 Sherpa | FOURIER TRANSFORM SPECTROMETERS | 2012-05-23 to 2015-11-13 |
N: 71.4259 S: 58.8879 E: -131.768 W: -167.646 |
netCDF-4 |
Featured Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide Observation Method: MOPITT
The Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite is designed to enhance our knowledge of the lower atmosphere and observe how it interacts with the land and ocean biospheres. MOPITT’s specific focus is on the distribution, transport, sources, and sinks of carbon monoxide in the troposphere.
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