Combined measurements of thermal emission and solar absorption of atmospheric carbon monoxide

Abstract

A new technique using ground-based FTIR spectroscopy has been developed to investigate the vertical distribution of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere. Complementary measurements of atmospheric emission and solar absorption over the infrared region have been carried out sequentially to determine the amounts of carbon monoxide in the lower and upper atmosphere. The method is based on the fact that the two techniques of remote sensing are inherently sensitive to the carbon monoxide amount in different regions of the atmosphere. The measurements have been made under summertime conditions at a northern mid-latitude rural setting with a relatively pollution-free atmosphere. The total zenith column amount was determined to be 1.84×10 18 molecules cm -2±7% which was based on the solar absorption measurement. From the analysis of the thermal emission spectrum, which is sensitive to carbon monoxide only in the lower troposphere, a zenith column amount of 1.01×10 18 molecules cm -2±10% was estimated for the first 4.8 km of the atmosphere; this corresponded to an average carbon monoxide mixing ratio of 118 ppbv. Comparing the results of the two measurements indicated that a zenith column amount 8.3×10 17 molecules cm -2±20%, or an average mixing ratio of 66 ppbv, was present in the free troposphere above an altitude of 4.8 km. These results are consistent with those reported for other northern mid-latitude locations using various in situ and solar absorption measuring techniques.