Aqua/AIRS Carbon Dioxide with Mauna Loa Carbon Dioxide Overlaid

This visualization is a time-series of the global distribution and variation of the concentration of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the NASA Aqua spacecraft. For comparison, it is overlain by a graph of the seasonal variation and interannual increase of carbon dioxide observed at the Mauna Loa, Hawaii observatory.

Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Scientific Visualization Studio

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• carbon dioxide
• climatology
• climate change
• Aqua satellite
• climate

[TRUMPHENT]

@MRaverz I defer to Dr. Chahine to answer that. AIRS was pressed into service to monitor CO2 when OCO failed to achieve orbit.

I don't believe that AIRS has the resolution or depth of field that the OCO satellite would have provided specifically for CO2. It still has a tremendous amount of useful data.

Get thee to the AIRS NASA website to learn more.

[MRaverz]

So this data applies to all layers? Not just the mid-troposphere?

[TRUMPHENT]

@MRaverz CO2 mixes thoroughly in the atmosphere. Top to bottom, pole to pole.

[TRUMPHENT]

@pattyloof This replicates and verifies the Keeling Curve. Good stuff!

[MRaverz]

What about the other layers of the atmosphere? How does the CO2 concentration change in them?

[christophersj]

The winter/summer cycle. The making and rotting of seasonal vegetation.

[pattyloof]

What makes the level go up and down like that?

[MonsterLopes]

Scary. You can see it plain as day.