Temporal coverage: 9 May 2013 - present
The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Carbon Monoxide (CO) Mixing Ratio layer at 215 hPa (hectopascals) indicates carbon monoxide levels at the vertical atmospheric pressure level of 215hPa, and is measured in parts per billion by volume (ppbv).
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a poisonous, odorless and colorless gas. CO is produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass burning. It is a strong greenhouse gas. It is one of the longest-lived, naturally occurring atmospheric carbon compounds. In the atmosphere, CO is produced when methane reacts with atmospheric hydroxyl (OH) in the troposphere. CO is a long-lived tracer that is valuable for diagnosing atmospheric transport and identifying the source of air masses. The MLS CO data help quantify long-range transport of pollution in the upper troposphere and the impact of upwelling from the troposphere and downwelling from the mesosphere on stratospheric chemistry.
The MLS Carbon Monoxide (CO) Mixing Ratio 215hPa layer is derived from the MLS Carbon Monoxide product (ML2CO_NRT) available from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on the Aura satellite. The sensor resolution is 5 km, imagery resolution is 2 km, temporal resolution is twice daily (day and night).
References: GES DISC - ML2CO_NRT: MLS/Aura Near-Real-Time L2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Mixing Ratio V004; MLS - Carbon Monoxide