Temporal coverage: 9 May 2013 - present
The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Mixing Ratio layer at 46hPa (hectopascals) indicates nitrous oxide levels at the vertical atmospheric pressure level of 46hPa, and is measured in parts per billion by volume (ppbv).
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is produced almost entirely at the Earth's surface, about 70% from biological processes (natural decay process of land and ocean) and the rest from human activities (e.g. agricultural fertilization and fossil-fuel burning) Since the 1950's an increase in N2O of about 0.3%/year has been seen in this important greenhouse gas.
N2O studies contribute to the further investigation of stratospheric ozone layer stability. N2O is a good tracer of the movement of air parcels because its long life-time (over 100 years at 20 km) is much greater than that of atmospheric dynamical processes. MLS measurements of nitrous oxide are important in understanding the transport of air and therefore are used in tracking dynamical processes and differentiating these effects from chemical processes that affect ozone destruction.
The MLS Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Mixing Ratio 46hPa layer is derived from the MLS Nitrous Oxide product (ML2N2O_NRT) available from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on the Aura satellite. The sensor resolution is 5 km, imagery resolution is 2 km, and the temporal resolution is twice daily (day and night).
References: GES DISC - ML2N2O_NRT: MLS/Aura Near-Real-Time L2 Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Mixing Ratio V004; MLS - N2O Product