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Sulfur Dioxide Data Access and Tools
Commonly Used Sulfur Dioxide Data at a Glance
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 | 2002-2023 | 2,378 infrared channels in the 3.74-15.4 micron spectral range | Aqua | *AIRS | Observation | HDF-EOS |
| 13 km x 24 km, 0.25°, 1° | Global | 98 minutes, Daily | 2004-present | 1.0-0.45 nm Full Width and Half Maximum (FWHM) | Aura | Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) | Observation | HDF-EOS5 |
| 7.5 km x 3 km | Global | 101 minutes, Daily | 2018 | 250-420 nm | NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) | Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) | Observation | netCDF-4 |
| 7 x 3.5 km for all spectral bands, with the exception of the UV1 band (7 x 28 km2) and SWIR bands (7 x 7 km2) | Global | Daily | 2017-present | 270 nm-2.3 µm, 0.55 nm | ESA Sentinel-5P | TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) | Observation | netCDF |
| 165 km x 3 km | Near-global (-82º to +82º latitude) | 15 minutes, Twice daily [day, night] | 2021-present | 190 and 240 GHz | Aura | *MLS | Observation | HDF-EOS5 |
| 0.5° x 0.625° | Global | Hourly, 3 hourly, Monthly | 1980-present | N/A | N/A | MERRA-2 | Reanalysis | 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 |
Sulfur Dioxide Datasets
| Dataset | Platforms | Instruments | Temporal Extent | Location Keywords | Spatial Extent | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua/AIRS L2 Near Real Time (NRT) Support Retrieval (AIRS-only) V7.0 at GES DISC | Aqua | AIRS | 2002-08-30 to Present | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | |
| Aqua/AIRS L2 Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS+AMSU+HSB) V7.0 at GES DISC | Aqua | AIRS, AMSU-A, HSB | 2002-08-30 to 2003-02-06 | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | |
| Aqua/AIRS L2 Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS-only) V7.0 at GES DISC | Aqua | AIRS | 2002-08-30 to Present | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | |
| Aqua/AIRS L2 Support Retrieval (AIRS+AMSU+HSB) V7.0 at GES DISC | Aqua | AIRS, AMSU-A, HSB | 2002-08-30 to 2003-02-06 | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | |
| ARCTAS DC-8 Aircraft In-situ Trace Gas Data | NASA DC-8 | TOGA, GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS, ATHOS, HOxCIMS, TD-LIF, DACOM, DIAL, CIMS, FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY, NDIR GAS ANALYZER, NOxyO3, PTR-MS | 2008-03-18 to 2008-07-14 | CANADA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, NORTH AMERICA, WESTERN HEMISPHERE, NORTHERN HEMISPHERE | ICARTT | |
| ARCTAS DC-8 Aircraft Merge Data | NASA DC-8 | Computer | 2008-03-30 to 2008-07-15 | NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ARCTIC, MID-LATITUDE | ICARTT | |
| ARCTAS Model Data | CLIMATE MODELS, GEOS-5, GEOS-Chem | Computer | 2008-03-30 to 2008-07-14 | NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WESTERN HEMISPHERE, MID-LATITUDE | netCDF-3, ICARTT | |
| ASIA-AQ DC-8 In-Situ Trace Gas Data | NASA DC-8 | TOGA, WAS, QC-TILDAS, CIT-ToF-CIMS, DACOM, CHEMILUMINESCENCE, LGR, ACES, CANOE, ROZE, PTR-MS, ISAF, LI-7000, MIRO MGA, OPALS | 2024-01-23 to 2024-04-02 | AFRICA, EASTERN HEMISPHERE, NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, TROPOSPHERE | N: 61.37 S: 12.46 E: 180 W: -180 | ICARTT |
| ATom: Sulfur Dioxide by Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF-SO2) for ATom-4 Campaign | NASA DC-8 | FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY | 2018-04-24 to 2018-05-21 | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | ICARTT |
| CAMP2Ex Merge Data Files | NASA P-3 | Computer | 2019-08-22 to 2019-10-07 | CONTINENT, ASIA, SOUTHEASTERN ASIA, OCEAN, PACIFIC OCEAN | ICARTT, ZIP |
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Featured Sulfur Dioxide Observation Method: OMPS
The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) aboard the joint NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite tracks the health of Earth's ozone layer and measures the concentration of atmospheric ozone. The NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 satellites are also equipped with the instrument. Total column sulfur dioxide data from OMPS are available on a near real-time basis.
OMPS SIPS is responsible for processing, reprocessing, production and general assessment of Suomi NPP VIIRS OMPS Nadir products.
Data from the next-generation Instruments will help atmospheric scientists advance air quality measurements and standards.
20 MIN READ
The new PyroCumuloNimbus product for the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) makes it easier to track and analyze high concentrations of aerosols from wildfires and similar events.
4 MIN READ
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