Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content
  • Feedback

    • Earth System Research Laboratory Halocarbons and Other Atmospheric Trace Gases Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (CATS) Measurements

    Metadata Updated: September 19, 2023

    The Halocarbons and other Atmospheric Trace Species (HATS) group aims to quantify the distributions and magnitudes of sources and sinks for atmospheric nitrous oxide and halogen containing compounds. They utilize numerous types of platforms, including ground-based stations, towers, ships, aircraft, and balloons to accomplish their mission. HATS also measures chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) at its various measurement sites. CFCs are nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals that contains atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. They are classified as halocarbons which are compounds that contain carbon and halogen atoms. CFCs were used as solvents, refrigerants, and aerosol sprays. While inert in the lower atmosphere, CFCs decompose in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere) with some of the released chlorine becoming active in destroying ozone in the stratosphere. Over time this lead to the creation of the "Ozone Hole" over the Antarctic. Monitoring the amounts of CFCs and other trace gases is important to tracking the growth or recovery of the Ozone Hole.

    The Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (CATS) instruments have been in operation at the NOAA baseline observatories (Barrow, AK, Mauna Loa, HI, American Samoa, and South Pole, Antarctica) since 1999. The CATS instrument measure nitrous oxide (N2O), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-12 (CCl2F2), CFC-11 (CCl3F), and CFC-113 (CCl2F-CClF2)), Halon-1211 (CBrClF2), methyl chloroform (CH3CCl3), and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The CATS gas chromatographs are custom built instruments that contain separation columns, flow controllers, an air selection valve, and an electron capture detector; all used for making measurements.

    Through the Big Earth Data Initiative (BEDI), ESRL/GMD has taken their data collection and converted files into NetCDF-4, a self-describing format.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date June 23, 2023
    Metadata Created Date October 28, 2022
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
    Reference Date(s) 2017-11 (publication), June 1, 1998 (creation)
    Frequency Of Update quarterly

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from ncdc

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (CATS) Instrument

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date June 23, 2023
    Metadata Created Date October 28, 2022
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
    Reference Date(s) 2017-11 (publication), June 1, 1998 (creation)
    Responsible Party DOC/NOAA/ESRL/GMD > Global Monitoring Division, Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce (Collaborator)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.ncdc:C01556
    Access Constraints Cite as: Dutton, Geoffrey; James Elkins II, Bradley Hall, and NOAA ESRL (2017): Earth System Research Laboratory Halocarbons and Other Atmospheric Trace Gases Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (CATS) Measurements, Version 1. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5X0659V [access date]., The information contained herein is provided as a public service, with the understanding that the NOAA/ESRL Global Monitoring Divison makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information., Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long 180.0
    Bbox North Lat 90.0
    Bbox South Lat -90.0
    Bbox West Long -180.0
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update quarterly
    Graphic Preview Description Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (CATS) Instrument
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/metadata/images/C01556.png
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Harvest Object Id 6af3deb9-04da-4ff7-91f8-d0499da99c13
    Harvest Source Id 2cb3ef77-1683-4c2a-9119-dc65e50917c6
    Harvest Source Title ncdc
    Licence
    Lineage Raw data are collected at field sites, transferred daily to an NOAA server where initial processing is performed. Finally, quality control and processing are conducted on a desktop computer about quarterly.
    Metadata Language eng; USA
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-180.0, -90.0], [180.0, -90.0], [180.0, 90.0], [-180.0, 90.0], [-180.0, -90.0]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1998-06-01

    Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.