Carbon Cycle Science: An Emerging Product
Working with the
NOAA
Climate's Global Carbon Cycle Program,
NESDIS
investigators have developed a suite of greenhouse gas products from
NASA's AIRS instrument. The team is producing daily experimental
global greenhouse gas maps. Such maps will enable researchers to
more clearly define the Earth's carbon cycle, a necessary
prerequisite for understanding global climate change. In addition
to contributing to atmospheric greenhouse effect, CO is important
because it is a component of air pollution and is a measure of
biomass burning.
Figure (right): First ever monthly maps of greenhouse gases from
satellites. Clockwise from upper left: CO2, CO, CH4, O3.
Data are derived from NASA's AIRS instrument. Future operational
hyperspectral atmospheric sounders, such as EUMETSAT's
IASI, the
NPOESS
CrIS, and
GOES-R
will have similar capabilities.
|