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Full catalog/ML2N2O_NRT
ML2N2O_NRT·v005·dataset

Laughing gas high in the atmosphere, live (Aura)

MLS/Aura Near-Real-Time L2 Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Mixing Ratio V005 (ML2N2O_NRT) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 2 active
In plain English

What it measures. Reports how much nitrous oxide (laughing gas) sits at different heights high in the atmosphere, given as a profile from the upper troposphere into the stratosphere.

How it's made. Derived from radio-wave signals picked up by the Microwave Limb Sounder on NASA's Aura satellite, using a fast 'near-real-time' method that trades some accuracy for speed.

How & where you'd use it. Because it arrives within about three hours, it supports timely atmospheric monitoring, though the makers caution it is less precise than the standard product and should be screened before serious use.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY › NITROGEN COMPOUNDS › NITROUS OXIDE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2021-09-21 → ongoing
  • Measured byAura (MLS)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -82, 180, 82
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

ML2N2O_NRT is the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Near-Real-Time (NRT) product for nitrous oxide (N2O). This product contains N2O profiles derived from the 190 GHz region. The NRT data are typically available within 3 hours of observation and are broken into files containing about 15 minutes of data. The most recent 7 days of data are available online. Spatial coverage is near-global (-82 degrees to +82 degrees latitude), with each profile spaced 1.5 degrees or ~165 km along the orbit track (roughly 15 orbits per day). The vertical coverage is from 100 to 1 hPa. The MLS NRT algorithm uses a simplified fast forward model to meet Near Real Time data latency requirements and are therefore not as accurate as the retrievals that constitute the standard MLS products. Nevertheless the results are scientifically useful in selected regions of the Earth's atmosphere provided that the data are screened according to the recommendations in the MLS NRT User Guide and the MLS L2 Data Quality Document for Standard Products.

Get the data

ml2n2o_nrt_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="ML2N2O_NRT",
    version="005",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GES_DISC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.