Atmospheric CO2 from AIRS 2002-2016

This visualization is a time-series of the global distribution and variation of the concentration of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the NASA Aqua spacecraft. For comparison, it is overlain by a graph of the seasonal variation and interannual increase of carbon dioxide observed at the Mauna Loa, Hawaii observatory.The graph shows data, commonly called the Keeling Curve, from the Scripps measurements of monthly carbon dioxide concentration at Mauna Loa Observatory. The collection of this data was started by C. David Keeling of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in March of 1958 at a facility of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [Keeling, 1976]. The two most notable features of this visualization are the seasonal variation of carbon dioxide and the trend of increase in its concentration from year to year. The global map clearly shows that the carbon dioxide in the Northern Hemisphere peaks in April-May and then drops to a minimum in September-October. Although the seasonal cycle is less pronounced in the Southern Hemisphere it is opposite to that in the Northern Hemisphere. This seasonal cycle is governed by the growth cycle of plants. The Northern Hemisphere has the majority of the land masses, and so the amplitude of the cycle is greater in that hemisphere. The overall color of the map shifts toward the red with advancing time due to the annual increase of carbon dioxide.The concentration of carbon dioxide in the mid-troposphere lags the concentration found at the surface as mixing from the lower to upper altitudes usually takes days to weeks.More information about AIRS can be found at http://airs.jpl.nasa.gov. More information about the carbon dioxide concentration at Mauna Loa Observatory can be found at http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/ This visualization is a time-series of the global distribution and variation of the concentration of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the NASA Aqua spacecraft. For comparison, it is overlain by a graph of the seasonal variation and interannual increase of carbon dioxide observed at the Mauna Loa, Hawaii observatory. Please note, Mid-Tropospheric carbon dioxide shows a steady increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over time.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. This frame set has the same data without the colorbar and title overlay. This frame sequence has only the Mauna Loa Carbon Dioxide graph overlay. This frame sequence is of just the corresponding date overlay. This frame sequence is designed for the Science On a Sphere device. It contains AIRS tropospheric carbon dioxide for the 2000 to 2014 time period and is match rendered with the date frame sequence and the graph overlay frame sequence. This frame sequence contains the monthly AIRS tropospheric Carbon Dioxide images starting from September of 2002 and ending with May of 2014. AIRS Mid-Tropospheric Carbon Dioxide colorbar

A NASA/university study of the first-ever global satellite maps of carbon dioxide in Earth he said.This visualization is a time-series of the global distribution and variation of the concentration of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the NASA Aqua spacecraft. For comparison, it is overlain by a graph of the seasonal variation and interannual increase of carbon dioxide observed at the Mauna Loa, Hawaii observatory. The AIRS data show the average concentration (parts per million) over an altitude range of 3 km to 13 km, whereas the Mauna Loa data show the concentration at an altitude of 3.4 km and its annual increase at a rate of approximately 2 parts per million (ppmv) per year. The two most notable features of this visualization are the seasonal variation of CO2 and the trend of increase in its concentration from year to year. The global map clearly shows that the CO2 in the northern hemisphere peaks in April-May and then drops to a minimum in September-October. Although the seasonal cycle is less pronounced in the southern hemisphere it is opposite to that in the northern hemisphere. This seasonal cycle is governed by the growth cycle of plants. The northern hemisphere has the majority of the land masses, and so the amplitude of the cycle is greater in that hemisphere. The overall color of the map shifts toward the red with advancing time due to the annual increase of CO2. Although the mid-latitude jet streams are not visible in the map, we can see their influence upon the distribution of CO2 around the globe. These rivers of air occur at an altitude of about 5 km and rapidly transport CO2 around the globe at that altitude. In the northern hemisphere, the mid-latitude jet stream squirms like a released garden hose over the period of a few days due to the continental landmasses. In the southern hemisphere the jet stream flow is more directly West to East, and during the period from July to October the CO2 concentration is enhanced in a belt delineated by the jet stream and lofting of CO2 into the free troposphere by the high Andes is visible in this period. The zonal flow of CO2 around the globe at the latitude of South Africa, southern Australia and southern South America is readily apparent. Eastward flow of CO2 from Indonesia and the Celebes sea can be seen in the November to February time frame. This visualization is a time-series of the global distribution and variation of the concentration of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the NASA Aqua spacecraft. For comparison, it is overlain by a graph of the seasonal variation and interannual increase of carbon dioxide observed at the Mauna Loa, Hawaii observatory. AIRS CO2 concentration colorbar This visualization was requested by Dr. Jack Kaye (NASA/HQ). It is the same data and product as the above visualization, but it is encoded in a faster time sequence. This visualization was presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009. This visualization is a time-series of the global distribution and variation of the concentration of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the NASA Aqua spacecraft. Overlay of data observed from the Mauna Loa, Hawaii Observatory. The Mauna Loa data shows the concentration at an altitude of 3.4 km and its annual increase at a rate of approximately 2 parts per million (ppmv) per year. Overlay of Dates Sequence AIRS Carbon Dioxide from July 17, 2003 AIRS Carbon Dioxide from July 19, 2004 AIRS Carbon DIoxide from July 14, 2005 AIRS Carbon Dioxide from July 17, 2006 AIRS Carbon Dioxide from July 12, 2007 Mid-Tropospheric Carbon dioxide observed from the AIRS instrument on May 30, 2007. This imagewas featured at The International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Munich, Germany in July 2012. Mid-Tropospheric Carbon dioxide observed from the AIRS instrument on June 30, 2007. This imagewas featured at The International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Munich, Germany in July 2012. Mid-Tropospheric Carbon dioxide observed from the AIRS instrument on September 30, 2007. This imagewas featured at The International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Munich, Germany in July 2012.