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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

Monitoring CO2 sources and sinks from space : the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) Mission

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) will make the first space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize the geographic distribution of CO2 sources and sinks and quantify their variability over the seasonal cycle. OCO is currently scheduled for launch in 2008. The observatory will carry a single instrument that incorporates three high-resolution grating spectrometers designed to measure the near-infrared absorption by CO2 and molecular oxygen (O2) in reflected sunlight. OCO will fly 12 minutes ahead of the EOS Aqua platform in the Earth Observing System (EOS) Afternoon Constellation (A-Train). The in-strument will collect 12 to 24 soundings per second as the Observatory moves along its orbit track on the day side of the Earth. A small sampling footprint (<3 km2 at nadir) was adopted to reduce biases in each sounding associated with clouds and aerosols and spatial variations in surface topography. A comprehensive ground-based validation program will be used to assess random errors and biases in the XCO2 product on regional to continental scales. Measurements collected by OCO will be assimilated with other environmental measurements to retrieve surface sources and sinks of CO2. This information could play an important role in monitoring the integrity of large scale CO2 sequestration projects.

carbon dioxide sources and sinks↗
NASA NTRS2015

Monitoring Atmospheric CO2 From Space: Challenge & Approach

Atmospheric CO2 is the key radiative forcing for the Earth's climate and may contribute a major part of the Earth's warming during the past 150 years. Advanced knowledge on the CO2 distributions and changes can lead considerable model improvements in predictions of the Earth's future climate. Large uncertainties in the predictions have been found for decades owing to limited CO2 observations. To obtain precise measurements of atmospheric CO2, certain challenges have to be overcome. For an example, global annual means of the CO2 are rather stable, but, have a very small increasing trend that is significant for multi-decadal long-term climate. At short time scales (a second to a few hours), regional and subcontinental gradients in the CO2 concentration are very small and only in an order of a few parts per million (ppm) compared to the mean atmospheric CO2 concentration of about 400 ppm, which requires atmospheric CO2 space monitoring systems with extremely high accuracy and precision (about 0.5 ppm or 0.125%) in spatiotemporal scales around 75 km and 10-s. It also requires a decadal-scale system stability. Furthermore, rapid changes in high latitude environments such as melting ice, snow and frozen soil, persistent thin cirrus clouds in Amazon and other tropical areas, and harsh weather conditions over Southern Ocean all increase difficulties in satellite atmospheric CO2 observations. Space lidar approaches using Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) technique are considered to be capable of obtaining precise CO2 measurements and, thus, have been proposed by various studies including the 2007 Decadal Survey (DS) of the U.S. National Research Council. This study considers to use the Intensity-Modulated Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) lidar to monitor global atmospheric CO2 distribution and variability from space. Development and demonstration of space lidar for atmospheric CO2 measurements have been made through joint adventure of NASA Langley Research Center and Exelis, Inc. As prototype space IPDA lidars, airborne laser absorption lidar systems operating in 1.57 CO2 absorption band have been developed and tested through lab, ground-based range, and flight campaigns. Very encouraging results have been obtained. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for clear sky IPDA measurements of CO2 differential absorption optical depth (DAOD) for a 10-s integration over vegetated areas with about 10 km range was found to be as high as 1300, resulting in an error 0.077% or equivalent CO2 mixing ratio (XCO2) column precision of ~0.3 ppm. Precise range measurements using the IM-CW lidar approach were also achieved, and the uncertainties have been shown to be at sub meter level. Based on the airborne lidar development, space lidar and atmospheric CO2 observations are simulated. It shows that with the IM-CW approach, accurate atmospheric CO2 measurements can be achieved from space, and a space mission such as that proposed by the DS will meet science goals of atmospheric CO2 monitoring.

Lin, Bing↗
NASA NTRS2012

Monitoring Ocean CO2 Fluxes from Space: GOSAT and OCO-2

The ocean is a major component of the global carbon cycle, emitting over 330 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year, or about 10 times that emitted fossil fuel combustion and all other human activities [1, 2]. The ocean reabsorbs a comparable amount of CO2 each year, along with ~25% of the CO2 emitted by these human activities. The nature and geographic distribution of the processes controlling these ocean CO2 fluxes are still poorly constrained by observations. A better understanding of these processes is essential to predict how this important CO2 sink may evolve as the climate changes.While in situ measurements of ocean CO2 fluxes can be very precise, the sampling density is far too sparse to quantify ocean CO2 sources and sinks over much of the globe. One way to improve the spatial resolution, coverage, and sampling frequency is to make observations of the column averaged CO2 dry air mole fraction, XCO2, from space [4, 5, 6]. Such measurements could provide global coverage at high resolution (< 100 km) on monthly time scales. High precision (< 1 part per million, ppm) is essential to resolve the small, near-surface CO2 variations associated with ocean fluxes and to better constrain the CO2 transport over the ocean. The Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) were first two space based sensors designed specifically for this task. GOSAT was successfully launched on January 23, 2009, and has been returning measurements of XCO2 since April 2009. The OCO mission was lost in February 2009, when its launch vehicle malfunctioned and failed to reach orbit. In early 2010, NASA authorized a re-flight of OCO, called OCO-2, which is currently under development.

GOSAT↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) Mission

This viewgraph presentation gives a general overview of The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) Mission. The contents include: 1) The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO); 2) Why Measure CO2?; 3) An Uncertain Future; 4) Monitoring CO2 from Space; 5) Validation Program Ensures Accuracy and Minimizes Spatially Coherent Biases; 6) The OCO Instrument; 7) The OCO Spacecraft; 8) Mission Operations and Data Downlink; 9) OCO Data Products; 10) OCO Data Product Summary; 11) OCO in the A-Train; 12) Summary; and 13) Simulated Performance.

Pathfinder Program↗
NASA NTRS2016

Characterization of Carbon Dioxide Washout Measurement Techniques in the Mark-III Space Suit

Providing adequate carbon dioxide (CO2) washout is essential to the reduction of risk in performing suited operations. Long term CO2 exposure can lead to symptoms such as headache, lethargy, dizziness, and in severe cases can lead to unconsciousness and death. Thus maintaining adequate CO2 washout in both ground testing and during in flight EVAs is a requirement of current and future suit designs. It is necessary to understand the inspired CO2 of suit wearers such that future requirements for space suits appropriately address the risk of inadequate washout. Testing conducted by the EVA Physiology Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center aimed to characterize a method for noninvasively measuring inspired oronasal CO2 under pressurized suited conditions in order to better inform requirements definition and verification techniques for future CO2 washout limits in space suits. Prior work conducted by the EPL examined several different wearable, respirator style, masks that could be used to sample air from the vicinity surround the nose and mouth of a suited test subject. Previously published studies utilized these masks, some being commercial products and some novel designs, to monitor CO2 under various exercise and flow conditions with mixed results for repeatability and/or consistency between subjects. Based on a meta-analysis of those studies it was decided to test a nasal cannula as it is a commercially available device that is placed directly in the flow path of the user as they breathe. A nasal cannula was used to sample air inhaled by the test subjects during both rest and exercise conditions. Eight subjects were tasked with walking on a treadmill or operating an arm ergometer to reach target metabolic rates of 1000, 2000, and 3000 BTU/hr. Suit pressure was maintained at 4.3 psid for all tests, with supply flow rates of 6, 4, and 2 actual cubic feet per minute depending on the test condition. Each test configuration was conducted twice with subjects breathing either through their nose only, or however they felt comfortable. By restricting breathing through a single orifice, we are able to more accurately define exactly what flow stream the sampled CO2 is taken from. Oronasal CO2 was monitored using real time infrared gas analyzers fed via sample tubes connected to the nasal cannula within the suit. Two additional sampling tubes were placed at the head and chin of the test subject, in an effort to capture CO2 concentrations across the entire flow stream of the Mark-III vent system (flow path is head to neck). Metabolic rate was calculated via the exhaust CO2 concentration and used to adjust subject workload on either the treadmill or arm ergometer until the target was reached. Forward work will aim to characterize the historically accepted minimum ppCO2 in suit during EVA by repeating this study in the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit. This will help to define washout requirements for future suits, be they NASA (e.g. Z-2) or Commercial Crew designed. Additionally it is important to determine the functional consequences of CO2 exposure during EVA. Severe CO2 symptoms are a result of very high concentration, acute exposures. While long term, low concentration exposures have been shown to result in slight cognitive decline, symptoms resolve upon quickly returning to nominal concentrations and it remains unknown the impact that minor deficits in cognitive performance can have on EVA performance.

Norcross, J.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Development of Double and Triple-Pulsed 2-micron IPDA Lidars for Column CO2 Measurements

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to the carbon cycle and globalradiation budget on Earth. CO2 role on Earth’s climate is complicated due to different interactions with various climatecomponents that include the atmosphere, the biosphere and the hydrosphere. Although extensive worldwide efforts formonitoring atmospheric CO2 through various techniques, including in-situ and passive sensors, are taking place highuncertainties exist in quantifying CO2 sources and sinks. These uncertainties are mainly due to insufficient spatial andtemporal mapping of the gas. Therefore it is required to have more rapid and accurate CO2 monitoring with higheruniform coverage and higher resolution. CO2 DIAL operating in the 2-μm band offer better near-surface CO2measurement sensitivity due to the intrinsically stronger absorption lines. For more than 15 years, NASA LangleyResearch Center (LaRC) contributed in developing several 2-m CO2 DIAL systems and technologies. This paperfocuses on the current development of the airborne double-pulsed and triple-pulsed 2-m CO2 integrated pathdifferential absorption (IPDA) lidar system at NASA LaRC. This includes the IPDA system development andintegration. Results from ground and airborne CO2 IPDA testing will be presented. The potential of scaling suchtechnology to a space mission will be addressed.

Singh, Upendra N.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Three dimensional global modeling of atmospheric CO2

The initial attempts to model the atmospheric CO2 distribution, including couplings to the ocean and biosphere as sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2, encourage the notion that this approach will lead to useful quantitative constraints on CO2 fluxes. Realization of this objective will require: (1) continued improvement in the realism of the global transport modeling; (2) extended timeline of atmospheric CO2 monitoring, which improved precision and improved definition of the uncertainties in the measured CO2 amounts; and (3) given an accurate knowledge of model capabilities and limitations and given a good understanding of CO2 observations and their limitations, there is a need for good ideas concerning what quantitative information on the carbon cycle can be inferred from global modeling.

Hanse, J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Acute and Chronic Exposure to CO2 in Space Flight

Spacecraft and space stations, similar to other habitable confined spaces such as submarines, need to provide a breathable atmosphere for their inhabitants. The inevitable production of CO2 during respiration necessitates life support systems that "scrub" the atmosphere and lower CO2 levels. Due to operational limitations associated with space flight (limited mass, volume, power, and consumables) CO2 is not scrubbed down to its terrestrial equivalent of 0.03% CO2 (ppCO2 of 0.23 mmHg), but is kept below 0.7% (ppCO2 of 5.3 mmHg), a level established in NASA s 180-day mission Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentration (SMAC) to be safe and unlikely to cause symptoms. Reports of space flight crewmembers becoming symptomatic with headaches, fatigue, and malaise at levels below those known to cause such symptoms terrestrially has prompted studies measuring the levels of CO2 on both the space shuttle and the space station. Data from cabin atmosphere sampling were collected on space shuttle missions STS-113, STS-122, STS-123, and International Space Station Expeditions 12-15 and 17, and the measured CO2 levels were then correlated to symptoms reported by the crew. The results indicate that a correlation exists between CO2 levels and symptomatology, however causality cannot be established at this time. While the short-term effects of elevated CO2 exposure are well known terrestrially, less is known regarding potential long-term effects of prolonged exposure to a CO2-rich environment or how the physiological changes caused by microgravity may interact with such exposures. Other challenges include limitations in the CO2 monitors used, lack of convection in the microgravity environment, and formation of localized CO2 pockets. As it is unclear if the unique environment of space increases sensitivity to CO2 or if other confounding factors are present, further research is planned to elucidate these points. At the same time, efforts are underway to update the SMAC to a lower level

Alexander, D.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric CO2 From Regional to Global Scales

Atmospheric CO2 is a critical forcing for the Earth's climate and the knowledge on its distributions and variations influences predictions of the Earth's future climate. Large uncertainties in the predictions persist due to limited observations. This study uses the airborne Intensity-Modulated Continuous-Wave (IMCW) lidar developed at NASA Langley Research Center to measure regional atmospheric CO2 spatio-temporal variations. Further lidar development and demonstration will provide the capability of global atmospheric CO2 estimations from space, which will significantly advances our knowledge on atmospheric CO2 and reduce the uncertainties in the predictions of future climate. In this presentation, atmospheric CO2 column measurements from airborne flight campaigns and lidar system simulations for space missions will be discussed. A measurement precision of approx.0.3 ppmv for a 10-s average over desert and vegetated surfaces has been achieved. Data analysis also shows that airborne lidar CO2 column measurements over these surfaces agree well with in-situ measurements. Even when thin cirrus clouds present, consistent CO2 column measurements between clear and thin cirrus cloudy skies are obtained. Airborne flight campaigns have demonstrated that precise atmospheric column CO2 values can be measured from current IM-CW lidar systems, which will lead to use this airborne technique in monitoring CO2 sinks and sources in regional and continental scales as proposed by the NASA Atmospheric Carbon and Transport â€" America project. Furthermore, analyses of space CO2 measurements shows that applying the current IM-CW lidar technology and approach to space, the CO2 science goals of space missions will be achieved, and uncertainties in CO2 distributions and variations will be reduced.

Lin, Bing↗
NASA NTRS2015

Integrated Ultra-Wideband Tracking and Carbon Dioxide Sensing System Design for International Space Station Applications

A three-dimensional (3D) Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Time-of-Arrival (TOA) tracking system has been studied at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) to provide the tracking capability inside the International Space Station (ISS) modules for various applications. One of applications is to locate and report the location where crew experienced possible high level of carbon-dioxide (CO2) and felt upset. Recent findings indicate that frequent, short-term crew exposure to elevated CO2 levels combined with other physiological impacts of microgravity may lead to a number of detrimental effects, including loss of vision. To evaluate the risks associated with transient elevated CO2 levels and design effective countermeasures, doctors must have access to frequent CO2 measurements in the immediate vicinity of individual crew members along with simultaneous measurements of their location in the space environment. To achieve this goal, a small, low-power, wearable system that integrates an accurate CO2 sensor with an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio capable of real-time location estimation and data communication is proposed. This system would be worn by crew members or mounted on a free-flyer and would automatically gather and transmit sampled sensor data tagged with real-time, high-resolution location information. Under the current proposed effort, a breadboard prototype of such a system has been developed. Although the initial effort is targeted to CO2 monitoring, the concept is applicable to other types of sensors. For the initial effort, a micro-controller is leveraged to integrate a low-power CO2 sensor with a commercially available UWB radio system with ranging capability. In order to accurately locate those places in a multipath intensive environment like ISS modules, it requires a robust real-time location system (RTLS) which can provide the required accuracy and update rate. A 3D UWB TOA tracking system with two-way ranging has been proposed and studied. The designed system will be tested in the Wireless Habitat Testbed which simulates the ISS module environment. This report describes the research and development effort for this prototype integrated UWB tracking and CO2 sensing system. The remainder of the report is organized as follows. In Section II, the TOA tracking methodology is introduced and the 3D tracking algorithm is derived. The simulation results are discussed in Section III. In Section VI, prototype system design and field tests are discussed. Some concluding remarks and future works are presented in Section V.

Ni, Jianjun (David)↗
NASA NTRS1985

Concentration of carbon dioxide by a high-temperature electrochemical membrane cell

The performance of a molten carbonate carbon dioxide concentrator (MCCDC) cell, as a device for removal of CO2 from manned spacecraft cabins without fuel expenditure, is investigated. The test system consists of an electrochemical cell (with an Li2CO3-38 mol pct K2CO3 membrane contained in a LiAlO2 matrix), a furnace, and a flow IR analyzer for monitoring CO2. Operation of the MCCDC-driven cell was found to be suitable for the task of CO2 removal: the cell performed at extremely low CO2 partial pressures (at or above 0.1 mm Hg); cathode CO2 efficiencies of 97 percent were achieved with 0.25 CO2 inlet concentration at 19 mA sq cm, at temperatures near 873 K. Anode concentrations of up to 5.8 percent were obtained. Simple cathode and anode performance equations applied to correlate cell performance agreed well with those measured experimentally. A flow diagram for the process is included.

Kang, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Monitoring Exchange of CO2 - A KISS Workshop Report 2009

The problem and context: Can top-down estimates of carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes resolve the anthropogenic emissions of China, India, the United States, and the European Union with an accuracy of +/-10% or better?The workshop "Monitoring Exchange of Carbon Dioxide" was convened at the Keck Institute for Space Studies in Pasadena, California in February 2010 to address this question. The Workshop brought together an international, interdisciplinary group of 24 experts in carbon cycle science, remote sensing, emissions inventory estimation, and inverse modeling. The participants reviewed the potential of space-based and sub-orbital observational and modeling approaches to monitor anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the presence of much larger natural fluxes from the exchange of CO2 between the land, atmosphere, and ocean. This particular challenge was motivated in part by the NRC Report "Verifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions" [Pacala et al., 2010]. This workshop report includes several recommendations for improvements to observing strategies and modeling frameworks for optimal and cost-effective monitoring of carbon exchange

Greenhouse Gas Emissions↗
NASA NTRS2018

Polarimetric Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Aerosols: Instruments, Methodologies, Results, and Perspectives

Polarimetry is one of the most promising types of remote sensing for improved characterization of atmospheric aerosol. Indeed, aerosol particles constitute a highly variable atmospheric component characterized by a large number of parameters describing particle sizes, morphologies (including shape and internal structure), absorption and scattering properties, amounts, horizontal and vertical distribution, etc. Reliable monitoring of all these parameters is very challenging, and therefore the aerosol effects on climate and environment are considered to be among the most uncertain factors in climate and environmental research. In this regard, observations that provide both the angular distribution of the scattered atmospheric radiation as well as its polarization state at multiple wavelengths covering the UV–SWIR spectral range carry substantial implicit information on the atmospheric composition. Therefore, high expectations in improving aerosol characterization are associated with detailed passive photopolarimetric observations. The critical need to use space-borne polarimetry for global accurate monitoring of detailed aerosol properties was first articulated in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By now, several orbital instruments have already provided polarization observations from space, and a number of advanced missions are scheduled for launch in the coming years by international and national space agencies. The first and most extensive record of polarimetric imagery was provided by POLDER-I, POLDER-II, and POLDER/PARASOL multi-angle multi-spectral polarization sensors. Polarimetric observations with the POLDER-like design intended for collecting extensive multi-angular multi-spectral measurements will be provided by several instruments, such as the MAI/TG-2, CAPI/TanSat, and DPC/GF-5 sensors recently launched by the Chinese Space Agency. Instruments such as the 3MI/MetOp-SG, MAIA, SpexOne and HARP2 on PACE, POSP, SMAC, PCF, DPC–Lidar, ScanPol and MSIP/Aerosol-UA, MAP/Copernicus CO2 Monitoring, etc. are planned to be launched by different space agencies in the coming decade. The concepts of these future instruments, their technical designs, and the accompanying algorithm development have been tested intensively and analyzed using diverse airborne prototypes. Certain polarimetric capabilities have also been implemented in such satellite sensors as GOME-2/MetOp and SGLI/GCOM-C.

Aerosols↗
NASA NTRS2013

Miniature Sensor Probe for O2, CO2, and H2O Monitoring in Portable Life Support Systems

A miniature sensor probe, composed of four sensors which monitor the partial pressure of O2, CO2, H2O, and temperature, designed to operate in the portable life support system (PLSS), has been demonstrated. The probe provides an important advantage over existing technology in that it is able to operate reliably while wet. These luminescence-based fiber optic sensors consist of an indicator chemistry immobilized in a polymeric film, whose emission lifetime undergoes a strong change upon a reversible interaction with the target gas. Each sensor includes chemistry specifically sensitive to one target parameter. All four sensors are based on indicator chemistries that include luminescent dyes from the same chemical family, and therefore exhibit similar photochemical properties, which allow performing measurements of all the sensors by a single, compact, low-power optoelectronic unit remotely connected to the sensors by an electromagnetic interference-proof optical fiber cable. For space systems, using these miniature sensor elements with remote optoelectronics provides unmatched design flexibility for measurements in highly constrained volume systems such as the PLSS. A 10 mm diameter and 15 mm length prototype multiparameter probe was designed, fabricated, tested, and demonstrated over a wide operational range of gas concentration, humidity, and temperature relevant to operation in the PLSS. The sensors were evaluated for measurement range, precision, accuracy, and response time in temperatures ranging from 50 aF-150 aF and relative humidity from dry to 100% RH. Operation of the sensors in water condensation conditions was demonstrated wherein the sensors not only tolerated liquid water but actually operated while wet.

Delgado, Jesus↗
NASA NTRS2018

Microgravity Experiments of Solid Waste Conversion into Useful Commodities

This Summer I participated in two projects at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The projects focus on the NASA's Deep Space Gateway applications for future Mars travel. All of these projects use recycling technology to use resources found on Earth and on other planets for fuel and other environmental applications. The first project I took the lead on is “Plasma Arc Gasification.” Plasma is a high temperature and very efficient way to process waste to create usable byproducts. The plasma chamber in temperature is comparable to that of the sun and this energy will help create an environment in which the waste can be recycled properly for not only plant support, but also for possible fuel application as well. I preformed the tests in a quartz tube, which is used to hold the waste (cotton, plastics, nylon, paper and a human waste simulant) and the waste is then combusted using O2 (present in air) into gases such as H2, H2O, CH4 and CO2. I determined which gases are present using a Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) machine, which analyzes the peaks of the gases using liquid nitrogen. Problems arose in the beginning from the reactor emitting electromagnetic waves (EMI) that interfered with the technology of the experiment, specifically the thermocouples. This was solved through multiple tests with the positioning of the thermocouple power supply further away from the plasma reactor. I worked with another intern, Daniel Santander, who developed a space plant chamber which uses CO2 and H2O (harvested from the plasma reactor) to grow plants in space. The chamber possess a CO2 monitor, which controls the amount of gas that enters the chamber, along with a water integration system to supply the amount of water needed for proper plan growth. This technology will then be used for plant growth in space for the Astronauts on future space flights and possibly on the International Space Station (ISS). The second project I worked on is the “Orbital Syngas / Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR)” which focuses on the issues experienced in long-duration space flight regarding waste disposal. In previous space flight missions, waste was stored on board and returned to Earth for disposal. This technique is not applicable to long space flight missions to Mars due to the rocket being months away from Earth. OSCAR is using microgravity waste disposal techniques to produce fuels from the recycled waste. The waste is converted to syngas through a thermal degradation process. This process helps create an environmentally friendly way to dispose and reuse trash on board the space craft. Currently waste is being tested in the form of cotton and plastics. OSCAR is designed as a microgravity reactor that is currently being tested in a drop tower rig at Glenn Research Center. I helped design the 3D model for the insulation that will line the reactor. The first few trials, I dissolved the plastic of the mold in acetone. This method worked, but was very costly. I then received a silicone material to construct the mold from Swamp Works here at Kennedy. Through multiple trials with the silicone, this method worked best for developing the end pieces of the insulation for the chamber.

Plasma↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Detectability of anthropogenic impacts on terrestrial carbon storage through space-based greenhouse gas observations

While changes in human activity and their impact on the terrestrial biosphere may be apparent in inventory and land-surface satellite data, reliably matching these changes to signals in atmospheric greenhouse gases remains challenging. The dominant signals in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are those of the seasonal and diurnal variability of the terrestrial biosphere. As a result, the historically large short-term change in anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions due to COVID-19 produced an atmospheric CO2 signal near the threshold of detectability of the current space-based observing system. Impacts of anthropogenic activity on terrestrial carbon storage are likewise expected to be difficult, if not impossible, to detect and validate with atmospheric observations. For example, many forest management projects involve reduction of wood removals that would otherwise be taken off site and decompose years later and are thus not reflected in immediate onsite carbon fluxes. Nevertheless, changes implemented over a jurisdictional scale, as opposed to individual projects, may be detectable. This presentation will analyze to what extent NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS)/Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) assimilated column CO2 (XCO2) product is able to detect anthropogenic changes to terrestrial carbon storage and the results of several simulation experiments meant to represent potential forest management scenarios. As examples, we consider past and future changes due to conversion in the Tropics to agricultural land use from slash-and-burn, e.g., from Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+) efforts. This has the potential to inform what practices may be observable with current and future technology, e.g., Europe’s upcoming CO2 monitoring mission (CO2M), and where improvement is needed.

Brad Weir↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enabling more routine monitoring of volcanic CO2 degassing from space

“Volcanic aerosol impacts on satellite trace gas retrievals: enabling volcanic emission plume composition measurements to track evolving sub-surface magmatic conditions” ROSES 2019 IDS (Interdisciplinary Science), 2020-2023 (S. Broccardo, PI) Main hypothesis: Space-based observations of the CO2, SO2, and H2O emissions of passively degassing volcanoes, and the derived mass fluxes and their ratios, can be used to constrain a physical model of the pre-eruptive conditions of magmatic reservoirs and thereby improve our understanding of sub-surface processes.

Enabling↗