\rAs the visualization shows, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can be mixed and transported by winds in the blink of an eye. For several decades, scientists have measured carbon dioxide at remote surface locations and occasionally from aircraft. The OCO-2 mission represents an important advance in the ability to observe atmospheric carbon dioxide. OCO-2 collects high-precision, total column measurements of carbon dioxide (from the sensor to Earth’s surface) during daylight conditions. While surface, aircraft, and satellite observations all provide valuable information about carbon dioxide, these measurements do not tell us the amount of carbon dioxide at specific heights throughout the atmosphere or how it is moving across countries and continents. Numerical modeling and data assimilation capabilities allow scientists to combine different types of measurements (e.g., carbon dioxide and wind measurements) from various sources (e.g., satellites, aircraft, and ground-based observation sites) to study how carbon dioxide behaves in the atmosphere and how mountains and weather patterns influence the flow of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Scientists can also use model results to understand and predict where carbon dioxide is being emitted and removed from the atmosphere and how much is from natural processes and human activities.
\r\rCarbon dioxide variations are largely controlled by fossil fuel emissions and seasonal fluxes of carbon between the atmosphere and land biosphere. For example, dark red and orange shades represent regions where carbon dioxide concentrations are enhanced by carbon sources. During Northern Hemisphere fall and winter, when trees and plants begin to lose their leaves and decay, carbon dioxide is released in the atmosphere, mixing with emissions from human sources. This, combined with fewer trees and plants removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, allows concentrations to climb all winter, reaching a peak by early spring. During Northern Hemisphere spring and summer months, plants absorb a substantial amount of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, thus removing it from the atmosphere and change the color to blue (low carbon dioxide concentrations). This three-dimensional view also shows the impact of fires in South America and Africa, which occur with a regular seasonal cycle. Carbon dioxide from fires can be transported over large distances, but the path is strongly influenced by large mountain ranges like the Andes. Near the top of the atmosphere, the blue color indicates air that last touched the Earth more than a year before. In this part of the atmosphere, called the stratosphere, carbon dioxide concentrations are lower because they haven’t been influenced by recent increases in emissions.
This version of the visualization was created specifically to support a series of papers in the journal Science and for submission to SIGGRAPH 2017's Computer Animation Festival.
This visualization won Science magazine's 2017 Data Stories contest in the \"professional\" category (see: http://www.sciencemag.org/projects/data-stories/winners/2017)
This visualization was shown at the SIGGRAPH 2017 Electronic Theater in Los Angeles, CA in July 2017 (see: http://s2017.siggraph.org/content/computer-animation-festival#etvrlistings)",
"items": [],
"extra_data": {}
},
{
"id": 330477,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4565/#media_group_330477",
"widget": "Single image",
"title": "",
"caption": "",
"description": "Primary layer of the visualization showing carbon dioxide (without overlays like dates, color bars, etc.)",
"items": [
{
"id": 259298,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415565,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/co2_drawdown_final.2610_print.jpg",
"filename": "co2_drawdown_final.2610_print.jpg",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Primary layer of the visualization showing carbon dioxide (without overlays like dates, color bars, etc.)",
"width": 1024,
"height": 576,
"pixels": 589824
}
},
{
"id": 259297,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415564,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/frames/1920x1080_16x9_24p/co2_drawdown_final/",
"filename": "co2_drawdown_final",
"media_type": "Frames",
"alt_text": "Primary layer of the visualization showing carbon dioxide (without overlays like dates, color bars, etc.)",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"pixels": 2073600
}
}
],
"extra_data": {}
},
{
"id": 330478,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4565/#media_group_330478",
"widget": "Single image",
"title": "",
"caption": "",
"description": "Dates layer with day, month, year, hours, and minute",
"items": [
{
"id": 259300,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415567,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/dates_DDMMYYYHHMM.2150_print.jpg",
"filename": "dates_DDMMYYYHHMM.2150_print.jpg",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Dates layer with day, month, year, hours, and minute",
"width": 1024,
"height": 576,
"pixels": 589824
}
},
{
"id": 259299,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415566,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/frames/1920x1080_16x9_24p/dates_DDMMYYHHMM/",
"filename": "dates_DDMMYYHHMM",
"media_type": "Frames",
"alt_text": "Dates layer with day, month, year, hours, and minute",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"pixels": 2073600
}
}
],
"extra_data": {}
},
{
"id": 330479,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4565/#media_group_330479",
"widget": "Single image",
"title": "",
"caption": "",
"description": "Dates layer with months only",
"items": [
{
"id": 259302,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415569,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/dates_monthOnly1080.2150_print.jpg",
"filename": "dates_monthOnly1080.2150_print.jpg",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Dates layer with months only",
"width": 1024,
"height": 576,
"pixels": 589824
}
},
{
"id": 259301,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415568,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/frames/1920x1080_16x9_24p/dates_monthOnly/",
"filename": "dates_monthOnly",
"media_type": "Frames",
"alt_text": "Dates layer with months only",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"pixels": 2073600
}
}
],
"extra_data": {}
},
{
"id": 330480,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4565/#media_group_330480",
"widget": "Single image",
"title": "",
"caption": "",
"description": "Layer with July 31 moving down so that March 1 can be revealed behind it",
"items": [
{
"id": 259304,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415571,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/split_july_only.3932_print.jpg",
"filename": "split_july_only.3932_print.jpg",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Layer with July 31 moving down so that March 1 can be revealed behind it",
"width": 1024,
"height": 576,
"pixels": 589824
}
},
{
"id": 259303,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415570,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/frames/1920x1080_16x9_24p/split_july_only/",
"filename": "split_july_only",
"media_type": "Frames",
"alt_text": "Layer with July 31 moving down so that March 1 can be revealed behind it",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"pixels": 2073600
}
}
],
"extra_data": {}
},
{
"id": 330481,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4565/#media_group_330481",
"widget": "Single image",
"title": "",
"caption": "",
"description": "vertical exagerration text layer",
"items": [
{
"id": 259306,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415573,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/vertical_exag.2448_print.jpg",
"filename": "vertical_exag.2448_print.jpg",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "vertical exagerration text layer",
"width": 1024,
"height": 256,
"pixels": 262144
}
},
{
"id": 259305,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415572,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/frames/1920x1080_16x9_24p/vertical_exag_layer/",
"filename": "vertical_exag_layer",
"media_type": "Frames",
"alt_text": "vertical exagerration text layer",
"width": 1024,
"height": 256,
"pixels": 262144
}
}
],
"extra_data": {}
},
{
"id": 330482,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4565/#media_group_330482",
"widget": "Single image",
"title": "",
"caption": "",
"description": "Color bar for volumetric carbon dioxide. Colors (ranging from blues to yellows to reds) correspond to the carbon dioxide levels from 390 to 508 parts per million. The curve in the color table is the relative transparency of each value. Values near 390 ppm and 408 ppm are more opaque and values from 396 ppm and 399 ppm are more transparent.",
"items": [
{
"id": 259307,
"type": "media",
"extra_data": null,
"title": null,
"caption": null,
"instance": {
"id": 415574,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004565/cbar_improved.png",
"filename": "cbar_improved.png",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Color bar for volumetric carbon dioxide. Colors (ranging from blues to yellows to reds) correspond to the carbon dioxide levels from 390 to 508 parts per million. The curve in the color table is the relative transparency of each value. Values near 390 ppm and 408 ppm are more opaque and values from 396 ppm and 399 ppm are more transparent.",
"width": 1218,
"height": 288,
"pixels": 350784
}
}
],
"extra_data": {}
}
],
"studio": "svs",
"funding_sources": [
"ESE"
],
"credits": [
{
"role": "Visualizer",
"people": [
{
"name": "Greg Shirah",
"employer": "NASA/GSFC"
},
{
"name": "Horace Mitchell",
"employer": "NASA/GSFC"
}
]
},
{
"role": "Technical support",
"people": [
{
"name": "Laurence Schuler",
"employer": "ADNET Systems, Inc."
},
{
"name": "Ian Jones",
"employer": "ADNET Systems, Inc."
}
]
},
{
"role": "Scientist",
"people": [
{
"name": "Lesley Ott",
"employer": "NASA/GSFC"
},
{
"name": "Steven Pawson",
"employer": "NASA/GSFC"
},
{
"name": "Brad Weir",
"employer": "Morgan State University"
},
{
"name": "Annmarie Eldering",
"employer": "NASA/JPL CalTech"
}
]
},
{
"role": "Writer",
"people": [
{
"name": "Heather Hanson",
"employer": "Global Science and Technology, Inc."
}
]
},
{
"role": "Narrator",
"people": [
{
"name": "Joy Ng",
"employer": "USRA"
}
]
},
{
"role": "Editor",
"people": [
{
"name": "Stuart A. Snodgrass",
"employer": "KBR Wyle Services, LLC"
}
]
}
],
"missions": [
"Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2)"
],
"series": [
"Narrated Movies"
],
"tapes": [],
"papers": [],
"datasets": [
{
"name": "GTOPO30 Topography and Bathymetry",
"common_name": "",
"platform": null,
"sensor": null,
"type": "Data Compilation",
"organizations": [
"USGS"
],
"description": "",
"credit": "",
"url": "",
"date_range": null
},
{
"name": "GEOS Carbon Dioxide",
"common_name": "",
"platform": null,
"sensor": null,
"type": "Model",
"organizations": [
"GMAO"
],
"description": "",
"credit": "",
"url": "",
"date_range": "2014/08/01 to 2015/08/23"
}
],
"nasa_science_categories": [
"Earth"
],
"keywords": [
"Carbon Dioxide",
"GMAO",
"HDTV",
"Model Data",
"Presentation",
"Volume"
],
"recommended_pages": [],
"related": [
{
"id": 4983,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4983/",
"page_type": "Visualization",
"title": "Global Carbon Dioxide 2020-2021 for Hyperwalls",
"description": "This webpage provides a wide aspect ratio version of: Global Carbon Dioxide 2020-2021, released on November 2, 2021. This version has been created for wide aspect ratio display systems with resolution up to 9600x3240. It is recommended to use content from this version for display systems with 16:9 aspect ratio. || ",
"release_date": "2022-04-11T12:00:00-04:00",
"update_date": "2022-08-12T19:31:38-04:00",
"main_image": {
"id": 372178,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004900/a004983/CO2Volumetric_9600x3240_30fps.02582_print.jpg",
"filename": "CO2Volumetric_9600x3240_30fps.02582_print.jpg",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Data visualization in wide aspect ratio and 9600x3240 resolution, featuring volumetric carbon dioxide on a global scale for the period June 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021. This set of frames can be shown on 5x3 hyperwalls and wide aspect ratio displays. Lower resolution movies are provided for preview.",
"width": 1024,
"height": 345,
"pixels": 353280
}
},
{
"id": 4949,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4949/",
"page_type": "Visualization",
"title": "Global Carbon Dioxide 2020-2021",
"description": "Data visualization featuring volumetric carbon dioxide on a global scale for the period June 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021.Coming soon to our YouTube channel. || CO2Volumetric_1024x576_02582_print.jpg (1024x576) [90.6 KB] || CO2Volumetric_1024x576_02582.png (1024x576) [569.1 KB] || CO2Volumetric_1024x576_02582_searchweb.png (180x320) [60.0 KB] || CO2Volumetric_1024x576_02582_thm.png (80x40) [5.1 KB] || CO2Volumetric_1920x1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [65.3 MB] || CO2Volumetric_1920x1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [13.3 MB] || 3840x2160_16x9_30p (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || CO2Volumetric_3840x2160_30fps_02582.exr (3840x2160) [63.3 MB] || CO2Volumetric_3840x2160_30fps_02582.tif (3840x2160) [44.5 MB] || captions_silent.31831.en_US.srt [43 bytes] || CO2Volumetric_3840x2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [931.2 MB] || ",
"release_date": "2021-11-02T00:00:00-04:00",
"update_date": "2023-09-19T13:03:33-04:00",
"main_image": {
"id": 375928,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004900/a004949/CO2Volumetric_1024x576_02582.png",
"filename": "CO2Volumetric_1024x576_02582.png",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Data visualization featuring volumetric carbon dioxide on a global scale for the period June 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021.Coming soon to our YouTube channel.",
"width": 1024,
"height": 576,
"pixels": 589824
}
},
{
"id": 4514,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4514/",
"page_type": "Visualization",
"title": "Carbon Dioxide from GMAO using Assimilated OCO-2 Data",
"description": "Carbon Dioxide from the GEOS-5 modelThis video is also available on our YouTube channel. || co2_30.with_labels.2000_print.jpg (1024x576) [90.1 KB] || co2_30.with_labels.2000_searchweb.png (180x320) [64.0 KB] || co2_30.with_labels.2000_thm.png (80x40) [5.9 KB] || co2_30.with_labels_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [75.6 MB] || co2_30.with_labels_1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [11.3 MB] || co2_30.with_labels_360p30.mp4 (640x360) [12.2 MB] || final_no_dates (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || final_with_labels (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || co2_30.with_labels.key [77.8 MB] || co2_30.with_labels.pptx [77.4 MB] || co2_30.with_labels_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [306.7 MB] || co2_30.with_labels_1080p30.mp4.hwshow [192 bytes] || ",
"release_date": "2016-12-13T14:00:00-05:00",
"update_date": "2025-02-02T00:08:54.440493-05:00",
"main_image": {
"id": 418954,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004514/co2_30.with_labels.2000_print.jpg",
"filename": "co2_30.with_labels.2000_print.jpg",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Carbon Dioxide from the GEOS-5 modelThis video is also available on our YouTube channel.",
"width": 1024,
"height": 576,
"pixels": 589824
}
}
],
"sources": [],
"products": [
{
"id": 13781,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13781/",
"page_type": "Produced Video",
"title": "Plants Are Struggling to Keep Up with Rising Carbon Dioxide Concentrations",
"description": "Plants play a key role in mitigating climate change. The more carbon dioxide they absorb during photosynthesis, the less carbon dioxide remains trapped in the atmosphere where it can cause temperatures to rise. But scientists have identified an unsettling trend – 86% of land ecosystems globally are becoming progressively less efficient at absorbing the increasing levels of CO2 from the atmosphere. || ",
"release_date": "2020-12-10T14:00:00-05:00",
"update_date": "2023-05-03T13:44:25.893222-04:00",
"main_image": {
"id": 380748,
"url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013700/a013781/CO20.jpg",
"filename": "CO20.jpg",
"media_type": "Image",
"alt_text": "Music: A Curious Incident by Jay Price [PRS] and Paul Reeves [PRS]Complete transcript available.",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"pixels": 2073600
}
}
],
"newer_versions": [],
"older_versions": [],
"alternate_versions": []
}