The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 is scheduled for launch on July 1, barring any delays. The $468 million mission will be NASA's first to specifically measure carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
The goal of the mission is to learn the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions, and what happens to gas that leaves the atmosphere. For instance, some of the greenhouse gas is captured by oceans, but climatologists are uncertain how much of a role the waters play in reducing atmospheric concentrations.
"Carbon dioxide generated by human activities amounts to only a few percent of the total yearly atmospheric uptake or loss of carbon dioxide from plant life and geochemical processes on land and in the ocean. This may not seem like much, but humans have essentially tipped the balance," Gregg Marland, a professor at the Geology Department of Appalachian State University, said.
Carbon dioxide is emitted in large quantities by automobiles, and over half the fossil fuels burned in the history of mankind has been in the last 20 years. The use of the fuel sources is still rising exponentially, even while solar power, and to a lesser extent windmills, have become more common.
Prior to the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide concentrations were around 280 parts per million (ppm). That number has now risen to 400 ppm.
The OCO-2 spacecraft will record atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas 100,000 times each day. As it looks down at the Earth, the observatory will measure how much carbon dioxide is directly beneath the craft, and that data will be analyzed, creating a worldwide map of carbon dioxide emission sources and reservoirs.
Other researchers, like Kevin Gurney of Arizona State University, are measuring levels of carbon dioxide from the ground. Measuring the output of the gas from cars and other sources can help pinpoint emissions down to a city block.
"By tackling the problem from both perspectives, we'll stand to achieve an independent, mutually compatible view of the carbon cycle. And the insight gained by combining these top-down and bottom-up approaches might take on special significance in the near future as our policymakers consider options for regulating carbon dioxide across the entire globe," Gurney stated in a NASA press release.
By better understanding how the gas is emitted and absorbed, climatoligists are hoiping to formulate more detailed knowledge of the process. This could help formulate more future policies and laws designed to limit global warming.
Liftoff is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT on 1 July.
