The Total Carbon Column Observing Network

2011/04/18 by Debra Wunch, Geoffrey C. Toon, Jean-François L. Blavier +6 · 6 citations
Chemistry · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Atmospheric Ozone and Climate #Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics #Spectroscopy and Laser Applications

paper · doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0240

openalex publication_date 2011/04/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

A global network of ground-based Fourier transform spectrometers has been founded to remotely measure column abundances of CO(2), CO, CH(4), N(2)O and other molecules that absorb in the near-infrared. These measurements are directly comparable with the near-infrared total column measurements from space-based instruments. With stringent requirements on the instrumentation, acquisition procedures, data processing and calibration, the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) achieves an accuracy and precision in total column measurements that is unprecedented for remote-sensing observations (better than 0.25% for CO(2)). This has enabled carbon-cycle science investigations using the TCCON dataset, and allows the TCCON to provide a link between satellite measurements and the extensive ground-based in situ network.

Citations

• New constraints on Northern Hemisphere growing season net flux
• The HITRAN 2008 molecular spectroscopic database
• Atmospheric carbon gases retrieved from SCIAMACHY by WFM-DOAS: version 0.5 CO and CH 4 and impact of calibration improvements on CO 2 retrieval

Cited by

• Toward accurate CO2and CH4observations from GOSAT
• Preliminary validation of column-averaged volume mixing ratios of carbon dioxide and methane retrieved from GOSAT short-wavelength infrared spectra
• The ACOS X CO 2 retrieval algorithm, Part 2: Global X CO 2 data characterization
• Global CO2fluxes inferred from surface air-sample measurements and from TCCON retrievals of the CO2total column
• Satellite-Based Seasonal Fingerprinting of Methane Emissions from Canadian Dairy Farms Using Sentinel-5P
• Total Carbon Column Observing Network [wikipedia]