NASA Satellite to Map Earth’s CO2 Levels
NASA will soon launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), a satellite that will effectively detect the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. Prior to the launch of the OCO, CO2 measurements were taken with land-based instrumentation such as FLUXNET and AmeriFlux both of which are management by Oak Ridge National Labs (ORNL). The OCO will measure the reflected radiance in both the near IR (.77 μ) and slightly longer wavelengths (2.06 μm) for oxygen and CO2 bands, respectively, to model the actual CO2 levels. Chemical and Engineering News reports that the launch is scheduled for Feb. 23. Airborne instruments will support the calibration of the model.
by Joe Francica on 02/05 at 03:03 PM |
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