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Abstract
We have developed a laser technique for the remote measurement of the tropospheric CO2 concentrations from space. Our goal is to develop a space instrument and mission approach for active CO2 measurements. Our technique uses several on and off-line wavelengths tuned to the CO2 absorption line. This exploits the atmospheric pressure broadening of the gas lines to weight the measurement sensitivity to the atmospheric column below 5 km and maximizes sensitivity to CO2 changes in the boundary layer where variations caused by surface sources and sinks are largest. Simultaneous measurements of O2 column are planned using a selected region in the Oxygen A-band. Laser altimetry and atmospheric backscatter profiles can also be measured simultaneously, which permits determining the surface height and measurements made to thick cloud tops and through aerosol layers.
Results will be presented from a recent airborne campaign that demonstrated the capability of this technique.