We discuss the spectroscopic requirements for a laser absorption spectrometer (LAS) approach to high-precision carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements in the troposphere. Global-scale, high-precision CO2 measurements are highly desirable in an effort to improve understanding and quantification of the CO2 sources and sinks and their impact on global climate. We present differential absorption sounding characteristics for selected LAS transmitter laser wavelengths, emphasizing the effects of atmospheric temperature profile uncertainties. Candidate wavelengths for lower-troposphere measurements are identified in the CO2 bands centered near 1.57, 1.60, and 2.06 microm.

We report airborne measurements of CO(2) column abundance conducted during two 2009 campaigns using a 2.05 μm laser absorption spectrometer. The two flight campaigns took place in the California Mojave desert and in Oklahoma. The integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) method is used for the CO(2) column mixing ratio retrievals. This instrument and the data analysis methodology provide insight into the capabilities of the IPDA method for both airborne measurements and future global-scale CO(2) measurements from low Earth orbit pertinent to the NASA Active Sensing of CO(2) Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons mission. The use of a favorable absorption line in the CO(2) 2 μm band allows the on-line frequency to be displaced two (surface pressure) half-widths from line center, providing high sensitivity to the lower tropospheric CO(2). The measurement repeatability and measurement precision are in good agreement with predicted estimates. We also report comparisons with airborne in situ measurements conducted during the Oklahoma campaign.

A systematic, multidisciplinary, and multiagency approach to aerosol research will accelerate scientific progress critical to understanding climate and environmental change.A erosols are airborne suspensions of tiny particles, each typically about one-thousandth the diameter of the period at the end of this sentence. Cumulatively, they have profound effects at a variety of scales, exerting myriad influences on the earth's environment and climate and on human health. Many aerosols originate from natural sources-volcanoes, dust storms, forest and grassland fires, terrestrial and oceanic vegetation, and sea spray-whereas others arise from anthropogenic (human caused) sources. The sources of anthropogenic aerosols include the burning of fossil and biofuelsthrough industrial activities, transportation systems, and urban heating-along with land cover/land-use changes, for example, biomass burning, deforestation, and desertification. Scattering and absorption of sunlight leads to a "direct" radiative forcing of climate, which, when included in model calculations, results in improved agreement with observed temperature trends over the last century (Penner et al. 2001;

The deployment of a space-based Doppler lidar would provide information that is fundamental to advancing the understanding and prediction of weather and climate. This paper reviews the concepts of wind measurement by Doppler lidar, highlights the results of some observing system simulation experiments with lidar winds, and discusses the important advances in earth system science anticipated with lidar winds. Observing system simulation experiments, conducted using two different general circulation models, have shown 1) that there is a significant improvement in the forecast accuracy over the Southern Hemisphere and tropical oceans resulting from the assimilation of simulated satellite wind data, and 2) that wind data are significantly more effective than temperature or moisture data in controlling analysis error. Because accurate wind observations are currently almost entirely unavailable for the vast majority of tropical cyclones worldwide, lidar winds have the potential to substantially improve tropical cyclone forecasts. Similarly, to improve water vapor flux divergence calculations, a direct measure of the ageostrophic wind is needed since the present level of uncertainty cannot be reduced with better temperature and moisture soundings alone.

The dependence of sea surface directional reflectance on surface wind stress suggests a method for deriving surface wind speed from space-based lidar measurements of sea surface backscatter. In particular, lidar measurements in the nadir angle range from 10 degrees to 30 degrees appear to be most sensitive to surface wind-speed variability in the regime below 10 m/s. The Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) shuttle lidar mission of September 1994 provided a unique opportunity to measure directional backscatter at selected locations by use of the landmark track maneuver and to measure fixed-angle backscatter from the ocean surfaces on a global scale. During the landmark track maneuver the shuttle orbiter orientation and roll axis are adjusted continuously to maintain the lidar footprint at a fixed location for a duration of ~1 min. Several data sets were converted to calibrated reflectance units and compared with a surface reflectance model to deduce surface wind speeds. Comparisons were made with ERS-1 scatterometer data and surface measurements.