A decade of carbon dioxide data from space gets an upgrade
Every day, two NASA space instruments known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 and -3 (OCO-2 and OCO-3) capture more than a million observations of sunlight reflecting off Earth's surface.
Every day, two NASA space instruments known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 and -3 (OCO-2 and OCO-3) capture more than a million observations of sunlight reflecting off Earth's surface.
The short version
- Using the physics of how light travels through the air, an algorithm converts these raw data into atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations.
- This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies .
- OCO-2 launched in 2014 as a free-flying satellite, and OCO-3 was installed on the International Space Station in 2019.
What happened
Together their view from space has provided researchers with an unprecedented degree of global coverage, enabling many new discoveries about the carbon cycle and its response to events such as wildfires , droughts and El Niño . The new algorithm includes a variety of improvements, such as better instrument calibration and updates to how various factors —from clouds and aerosols to the way sunlight reflects off the ocean—are incorporated into the CO₂ calculations.
Why it matters
OCO-2 and OCO-3 also agree closely with one another, an important cross-check between instruments that observe Earth from very different angles, times and orbital paths.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Phys.org via the links above and below.