Using Thermal Infrared Absorption and Emission to Determine Trace Gases

Abstract

The light emerging from the top of the atmosphere in the greater part of the infrared region is thermal radiation from the Earth’s surface. The resultant spectra obtained depend on the temperature difference between the emitting feature and absorbing gas. In this region the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, CO2, methane, CH4, ozone, O3, and water, H2O, are observed as well as carbon monoxide, CO, a product indicative of fossil fuel combustion, methanol, CH3OH, from biomass burning, and ammonia, NH3, from agriclulture. Chapter 3 describes the techniques for retrieving atmospheric abundances of these and other species from a number of satellite instruments, and concludes with suggestions for future developments.