Overview: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Data Sets
Teaser image

Main content
Directly measured and continuous records of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) extend back to 1958. CO2 has also been measured in ancient air samples trapped in ice cores, and these records extend back hundreds of thousands of years. More recently, CO2 is being sampled by satellites providing global data to researchers.
Please cite data sources, following the data providers' instructions
Suggested Data Citation
Dataset DOIs
None
Hosted Climate Index Files
None
Data Access
Usage Restrictions
None
Key Figures

400,000-year Vostok Record: Source: http://cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/co2/ice_core_co2.html
Other Information
Earth system components and main variables
Type of data product
Dataset collections
Years of record
to
Metadata ID
None
Data time period extended
Yes, data set is extended
Timestep
Daily, Monthly, Annual
Domain
None
Formats:
Input Data
None
Vertical Levels:
None
Missing Data Flag
Missing data present
Ocean or Land
None
Spatial Resolution
None
Model Resolution (reanalysis)
None
Data Assimilation Method
None
Model Vintage (reanalysis)
None
Key Publications
- R.F. Keeling, S.C. Piper, A.F. Bollenbacher and J.S. Walker Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Record from Mauna Loa.
- Chahine1, M.T. et al (2008): Satellite remote sounding of mid-tropospheric CO2. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L17807
- Lüthi, D. et al. (2008): High-resolution carbon dioxide concentration record 650,000-800,000 years before present. Nature 453: 379-382
- Atmospheric Trace Gases » Carbon Dioxide (CO2) » Ice Cores 800,000-year Ice-Core Records of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) This page introduces Antarctic ice-core records of carbon dioxide (CO2) that now extend back 800,000 years at Dome C and over 40