First observations of CO₂ absorption spectra recorded in 2005 using an airship-borne FTS (GOSAT TANSO–FTS BBM) in the SWIR spectral region

Abstract

This article describes the results of a field experiment performed to confirm the feasibility of measuring the solar spectra absorbed by carbon dioxide (CO₂) using a short wavelength infrared Fourier transform spectrometer (SWIR-FTS) installed onboard an airship. These airship-borne observations, conducted on 7 April 2005, represent the first aircraft-borne spectroscopic experiment on greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Japan and were performed as part of the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) project. To develop and demonstrate an effective retrieval algorithm to derive CO₂ column amounts from spectroscopic observations, ground-surface scattered solar absorption spectra were observed by SWIR-FTS installed onboard the airship. This instrument is a breadboard model (BBM) of the Thermal and Near-infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation (TANSO) of GOSAT, which was successfully launched on 23 January 2009. The spectra of CO₂ observed using the BBM were compared with the simulated spectra calculated by a radiative transfer code based on airship-borne in situ measurement data, which were obtained at the time of FTS measurements. The two sets of spectra are in agreement within 5%, and we identified solutions to several technical problems related to the FTS instrument, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Acknowledgement

This work was financially supported in part by the Global Environment Research Fund (project B-2) of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.