There’s growing interest in quantifying CO2 emissions. I reported earlier about a CO2 mapping program for the United States that is being administered by Purdue University researchers. Today I learned that research work is underway at the University of Bremen in Germany, using the SCIAMACHY sensor on board the European Space Agency’s Envisat environmental satellite.
The SCIAMACHY sensor detects CO2 emissions over a wide wavelength range, which allows detection of trace gases, ozone and related gases, clouds and dust particles throughout the atmosphere. It works by measuring sunlight, transmitted, reflected and scattered by the earth’s atmosphere or surface in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared wavelength region. With a 960km swath it covers the entire world every six days.
Michael Buchwitz from the Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP) at the University of Bremen and his colleagues were able to detect manmade CO2 emissions over Europe. Their research showed an extended plume of CO2 hanging over Europe, from Amsterdam to Frankfurt.
