CO2 data obtained from discrete sampling during 1968--1982 at 23 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Geophysical Monitoring for Climatic Change and foreign cooperative stations are presented, together with a description of the measurement program and data quality. Monthly, seasonal, and annual CO2 concentrations are determined by the individual stations from select (background) data. Temporal and spatial global CO2 distributions yield annual and seasonal latitudinal gradients, abundances, airborne fractions, annual cycle amplitudes and phases, annual cycle amplitude growth rates, and global growth rate variations of CO2. The time-series data sets reveal variations related to several El Ni¿o/Southern Oscillation events, particularly with respect to the strength of the CO2 source in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and global CO2 growth rates. CO2 growth rate anomalies correlate highly with the Southern Oscillation Index, which is related to the strength of the easterly trade winds that blow along the equator.