A global network of ground-based Fourier transform spectrometers has been founded
to remotely measure column abundances of CO2, CO, CH4, N2O 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 CO2). 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.
The Total Carbon Column Observing Network
Wunch, D., G. Toon, J.L. Blavier, R.A. Washenfelder, J. Notholt, B.J. Connor, D.W.T. Griffith, V. Sherlock, and P. Wennberg (2011), The Total Carbon Column Observing Network, Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. A, 369, 2087-2112, doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0240.
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