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Mission

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory will collect space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to determine the regional distribution of CO2 sources and sinks and quantify their variability over the seasonal cycle. The OCO experiment requires the measurement of three narrow Near Infrared (NIR) bands of electromagnetic radiation. The spectral wavelength ranges of these three critical bands are widely separated. To accomplish this task economically, OCO uses three high-resolution grating spectrometers instead of one. Each spectrometer measures light in one specific region of the spectrum.

The spectrometers are designed to measure the absorption of reflected sunlight at near-infrared wavelengths by CO2 and molecular oxygen (O2) in the Earth's atmosphere. The space-based instrument will acquire spatially and temporally coincident measurements of reflected sunlight in the CO2 bands centered at wavelengths near 1.61 and 2.06 µm and in the O2 A-band centered near 0.76 µm. High resolution spectra of these CO2 bands are ideal for this application because they can be analyzed to yield estimates of the total column CO2 that have their greatest sensitivity near the surface, where most CO2 sources and sinks are located. These measurements will be analyzed with remote sensing retrieval algorithms to produce estimates of the column averaged dry air mole fraction of carbon dioxide (Xco2) in each measurement footprint.
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OCO-DC Table
Data Set
 Data Validated Date Range Radiances XCO2 Latency
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Science Team
Y
2006-09-14
Y
Y
N/A
Documentation:
References / Other Publications		 Comments: There are one or more files for each local day for which there is data.
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FTP
Science Team

 Model Data 2007-11-15 Y N N/A
Documentation:
References / Other Publications 		Comments:
There is one file for each instrument mode for every orbit.
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Model Data
2007-11-15
Y
N
N/A
Documentation:
References / Other Publications		 Comments: There is one file for each instrument mode for every orbit.
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FTP
Science Team

Model Data 2006-09-14 to 2007-11-15 Y N N/A
Documentation:
References / Other Publications		 Comments: There is one file for each instrument mode for every orbit.
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FTP
Science Team 		Model Data 2006-09-14 to 2007-11-15 N Y N/A
Documentation:
References / Other Publications		 Comments: There is one file for each instrument mode for every orbit.
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Science Team Model Data
-
 Y Y N/A
Documentation:
References / Other Publications		 Comments: There is one file for each instrument mode for every orbit
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Temporal Resolution
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Spatial resolution
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Documentation

Bösch, H., et al. Space-based near-infrared CO2 measurements: Testing the Orbiting Carbon Observatory retrieval algorithm and validation concept using SCIAMACHY observations over Park Falls, Wisconsin. JGR, 111, D23302, 2006.

Chevallier, Frédéric, François-Marie Bréon and Peter J. Rayner. Contribution of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory to the estimation of CO2 sources and sinks: Theoretical study in a variational data assimilation framework. JGR, 112, D09307, 2007.

Christi, M.J. and G. L. Stephens. Retrieving profiles of atmospheric CO2 in clear sky and in the presence of thin cloud using spectroscopy from the near and thermal infrared: A preliminary case study. JGR, 109, D04316, 2004.

Crisp, D., et al. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) mission, Adv. Space Res. 34, 700-709, 2004.

Crisp, D., C. E. Miller, and P. L. DeCola, "NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory: Measuring the column averaged carbon dioxide mole fraction from space," JARS, 12/1/2007.

Dufour, Emmanuel, François-Marie Bréon, and Philippe Peylin. CO2 column averaged mixing ratio from inversion of ground-based solar spectra. JGR, 109, D09304, 2004.

Haring, Robert, et al. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) Instrument Optical Design. SPIE

Keppel-Aleks, Gretchen, et al. Reducing the impact of source brightness fluctuations on spectra obtained by Fourier-transform spectrometry. Applied Optics, 46, p4774-4779, 2007.

Lin, J.C., et al. Measuring fluxes of trace gases at regional scales by Lagrangian observations: Applications to CO2 Budget and Rectification Airborne (COBRA) study. JGR, 109, D15304, 2004.

Livermore, Thomas R. and David Crisp. The NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) Mission: Objectives, Approach, and Status. IEEE, 2008.

Miller, C.E., and Linda R. Brown. Near infrared spectroscopy of carbon dioxide I. 16O12C16O line positions. J. Mol. Spectrosc., 228, p329-354, 2004.

Natraj, Vijay, et al. Evaluation of errors from neglecting polarization in the forward modeling of O2 A band measurements from space, with relevance to CO2 column retrieval from polarization-sensitive instruments. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 103, p245-259, 2007.

Natraj, Vijay and Robert J.D. Spurr. A fast linearized pseudo-spherical two orders of scattering model to account for polarization in vertically inhomogeneous scattering-absorbing media. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 107, p263-293, 2007.

Natraj, Vijay, King-Fai Li, and Yuk L. Yung. Rayleigh scattering in planetary atmospheres: corrected tables through accurate computation of X and Y functions. Astrophys. J., 691, p1909-1920, 2009.

Nicholls, Melville E., et al. A multiple-scale simulation of variations in the atmospheric carbon dioxide using a coupled biosphere-atmospheric model. JGR, 109, D15304, 2004.

Olsen, Seth C. and James T. Randerson. Differences between surface and column atmospheric CO2 and implications for carbon cycle research. JGR, 109, D02301, 2004.

Spurr, Robert J.D. VLIDORT: A linearized pseudo-spherical vector discrete ordinate radiative transfer code for forward model and retrieval studies in multilayer multiple scattering media. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 102, p316-342, 2006.

Spurr, R.J.D., and M.J. Christi. Linearization of the interaction principle: Analytic Jacobians in the "Radiant" model. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 103, p431-446, 2007.

Toth, R.A. et al. Line strengths of 12C16O2: 4550-7000 cm-1. J. Mol. Spectrosc., 239, p221-242, 2006.

Washenfelder, R.A., et al. Carbon dioxide column abundances at the Wisconsin Tall Tower site. JGR, 111, D22305, 2006.

Weiss, B., J. LaPointe, and A. Chang, "Level 1B Product Software Interface Specification," JPL Document D-27861 Rev 1.0, 9/15/2008

Weiss, B., J. LaPointe, and A. Chang, "Level 2 Product Software Interface Specification," JPL Document D-27862 Rev 0.21, 4/14/2006

Yang, Z., et al. Ground-based photon path measurements from solar absorption spectra of the O2 A-band. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 90, p309-321, 2005.

Yang, Z., et al. New constraints on Northern Hemisphere growing season net flux. GRL, 34, L12807, 2007.
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