CarbonTracker-Lagrange: North American Greenhouse Gas Footprints from GOSAT Satellite

NASA's CMS program provides vertical atmospheric profiles quantifying surface influence on greenhouse gas concentrations. The data set uses a backward Lagrangian particle dispersion model to create 'footprint' fields from GOSAT satellite column observations over North America. These footprints, with units of mixing ratio per surface flux, are designed to inform carbon monitoring for policy and management activities.

Use Cases

• Quantifying regional carbon fluxes based on satellite-derived atmospheric column observations.
• Modeling the influence of upwind surface emissions on greenhouse gas concentrations using Lagrangian particle trajectories.
• Informing carbon policy and management by characterizing the accuracy and uncertainty of carbon monitoring products.
• Analyzing vertical transport dynamics of greenhouse gases using data from 23 discrete atmospheric levels.

Strengths

• Data products are designed by NASA's CMS program to establish quantitative uncertainties for policy support.
• Footprint fields are computed for 23 discrete vertical levels at each observation location, suggesting detailed vertical profiling.
• Meteorological fields are derived from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to drive the transport simulations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the North American focus and GOSAT satellite coverage.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) particle trajectory model driven by WRF meteorological fields, applied to GOSAT satellite column observations.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 09:46:57.356679; freshness should be verified.

Geography

North America