The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) MissionWatching The Earth Breathe…Mapping CO2 From Space.

Atmospheric CO2 and theOCO-2 Satellite Mission

Dr. Annmarie Eldering, Deputy Project ScientistDr. Michael R. Gunson, Project Scientist

16 October 2010

Slide 2

CO2 concentrations are going up

Measurements show that CO2 concentrations have been increasing. The increases are large in the last 50+ yrs.

Slide 3

Surface temperature is increasing

Surface temperature differences from the long term average show that temperatures have been warmer than average over the last 20 years.

CRUTEM3 is a model, all others are measurements.

Slide 4

Predictions of future temperature

• Predictions of temperature in the future depend on the CO2 concentrations. That depends on the type of energy that we use and growth in the future.

• But all predictions show temperature increases many times what we have experienced so far.

Slide 5

OCO-2 will make the first space-based measurements of CO2 with the accuracy needed to quantify sources and sinks of this important greenhouse gas.

OCO-2 Will Help Solve the Carbon Mysteries

Slide 6

OCO-2 uses sunlight to measure CO2

• Our ‘remote sensing’ technique relies on measuring sunlight that passes through the atmosphere, reflects on Earth’s surface, and passes back through the atmosphere to the instrument.

• We are building an instrument that will be ready to launch in February 2013.

Slide 7

OCO-2 will be the lead of a ‘train’ of satellites