Eldering welcomes first global CO2 maps from OCO-2 satellite
Nasa's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) has returned its first global maps of the greenhouse gas CO2.
The satellite was sent up in July to help pinpoint the key locations on the Earth's surface where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed.
This should help scientists better understand how human activities are influencing the climate.
The new maps contain only a few weeks of data in October and November, but demonstrate the promise of the mission.
Clearly evident within the charts is the banding effect that describes how emitted gases are mixed by winds along latitudes rather than across them.
Also apparent are the higher concentrations over South America and southern Africa. These are likely the result of biomass burning in these regions.
It is possible to see spikes, too, on the eastern seaboard of the US and over China. These probably include the additional emissions of CO2 that come from industrialisation.
"We're very early into the mission and collecting data, yet as we show, we can take five weeks of that information and give you a quick picture of global carbon dioxide," said deputy project scientist Annmarie Eldering.
"It really suggests to us that OCO-2 will be very useful for finding out about where carbon dioxide is coming from and being taken back up around the globe," she told BBC News.
Additional Resources
Nasa Satellite Sends Back Most Detailed Co2 View (Discovery.com)
Satellite maps global carbon-dioxide levels (Nature.com)
NASA reveals what carbon dioxide looks like from space (Mashable.com)
