The spatiotemporal variations of CO2 in the troposphere using multi-sensor satellite data and aircraft observation

Abstract

This study investigated the ability of thermal infrared satellite-based products to document the vertical distribution of atmospheric CO2 concentration. CO2 concentration products derived from three satellite sensors including Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation (TANSO) were validated with aircraft observation from Comprehensive Observation Network for Trace gases by AIrLiners (CONTRAIL) over three different areas (i.e., around Japan, Indochina peninsula, and southeastern Australia). CONTRAIL has measured vertical profiles of CO2 concentration with air flask measurements by recording CO2 concentration every 10 seconds when an aircraft ascends or descends. Results showed that TES CO2 vertical concentration had the best agreement with the CONTRAIL measurements, followed by AIRS and TANSO. Spatiotemporal patterns of TES CO2 vertical concentration were also examined over the three areas. The patterns varied by region, implying that the different environmental characteristics such as land phenology, distribution of geographical features, atmospheric conditions, and wind patterns can affect the distinct patterns.