Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016
Scientists produced the first global maps of human emissions of carbon dioxide ever made solely from satellite observations. The maps, based on data from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite and generated with a new data-processing technique, agree well with inventories of known carbon dioxide emissions. No satellite before OCO-2 was capable of measuring carbon
Wednesday, September 28th, 2016
NASA is conducting low-level aircraft flights measuring greenhouse gases over the U.S. mid-Atlantic region for the CARbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE), which will measure the exchange of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane between Earth and the atmosphere. Water vapor, temperature and vertical wind measurements also will be taken. “The direct measurements of
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016
NASA scientists and engineers are field testing the CO2 Sounder LiDAR, an instrument powerful and accurate enough to gather around-the-clock global atmospheric carbon-dioxide (CO2) measurements from space. The instrument is a strong contender for a potential next-generation carbon-monitoring mission, the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days and Seasons (ASCENDS). The LiDAR operates by
Friday, May 13th, 2016
Satellite readings show that atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide are continuing to increase despite global efforts to reduce emissions. Methane concentrations were somewhat constant until 2007, but since then have increased at about 0.3% per year, whereas global carbon dioxide levels continue to rise at about 0.5% per year. The results, presented this week at
Thursday, November 20th, 2014
MADISON, Wis., Nov. 20, 2014—Each year, the planet balances its budget. The carbon dioxide absorbed by plants in the spring and summer as they convert solar energy into food is released back to the atmosphere in autumn and winter. Levels of the greenhouse gas fall, only to rise again.
