Data
Microproduct Data GuideBeginner

NOAA GML Mauna Loa CO2

Monthly atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements from Mauna Loa for building climate-trend monitors and educational concentration trackers.

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At a Glance

Difficulty
Beginner — comfortable for a first prototype
Size
Tiny · ≤0.001 GB
Formats
CSV, Text
Access
Download
API Key
Not Required
Provider
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
Updates
Monthly
Last Verified
Aug 18, 2026
Source Type
Government Source
Data Terms
U.S. Government public data / NOAA disclaimer
  • Python Syntax Checked
  • Runnable Notebook

From Source to Product Signal

Test a Product Idea in Four Steps

NOAA GML publishes monthly mean carbon dioxide mole fractions from the Mauna Loa observatory as a small CSV. Start with the in-situ monthly file. These values represent one high-altitude Pacific site after quality control, not a global average or a local urban concentration.

1

Check the Setup

  • Python 3.10 or newer
  • A notebook environment such as Jupyter or Google Colab
  • An internet connection
2

Access the Data

  1. 1.Open the Trends in CO2 data page and identify the Mauna Loa monthly mean CSV.
  2. 2.Load the file, skipping comment rows that begin with a hash.
  3. 3.Keep year, month, and the seasonally adjusted monthly mean.
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3

Run the Python Example

Install the packages, then run the notebook cell.

python -m pip install pandas

import pandas as pd

co2 = pd.read_csv(
    "https://gml.noaa.gov/webdata/ccgg/trends/co2/co2_mm_mlo.csv",
    comment="#",
)
co2["date"] = pd.to_datetime(
    dict(year=co2["year"], month=co2["month"], day=1)
)
print(co2[["date", "average", "deseasonalized"]].tail())
4

Test a Useful Signal

Chart Mauna Loa Monthly CO2

Test whether the monthly file can power a simple concentration-trend monitor.

  1. 01Drop rows where the monthly average is a missing-value sentinel.
  2. 02Plot the monthly average and the deseasonalized series over the full record.
  3. 03Explain that Mauna Loa is one background site and is not a global or city-level CO2 product.

Related Datasets

Dataset Details

NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory is a government source. Last verified 2026-08-18. Temporal coverage: 1958-present.

Geography

Global

Formats

CSVText

Provider

NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory

Data Terms

U.S. Government public data / NOAA disclaimer

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