Description: The third GOMECC (GOMECC-3)
performed a large-scale survey of ocean acidification
trends and dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico on the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
(NOAA) Ronald H. Brown ship. The NOAA Ocean
Acidification Program has been charged with setting
up an ocean acidification monitoring network to
quantify the increase in near-surface water carbon
dioxide (CO2) and associated changes in inorganic
carbon speciation. As part of the observing scheme,
dedicated research cruises are conducted to investigate the water column properties along select
transects, and pertinent surface water characteristics
are evaluated along the cruise track. Coastal ocean
measurements of unprecedented quality are used
to improve understanding both of where ocean
acidification is happening and of how ocean chemistry patterns are changing over time. GOMECC-3 is
the most comprehensive ocean acidification cruise
to date in this region, also including sampling in the
international waters of Mexico for the first time.
Sponsoring agency: NOAA
Observation type: Cruise
Location: Gulf of Mexico
Timeline: GOMECC-3, July 18, 2017, to August
21, 2017; GOMECC-2, July 21, 2012, to August 7,
2012; GOMECC-1, July 10, 2007, to August 4, 2007
More information:
www.aoml.noaa.gov/ocd/gcc/GOMECC3;
www.aoml.noaa.gov/ocd/gcc/GOMECC2;
and
www.aoml.noaa.gov/ocd/gcc/GOMECC1
Description: GO-SHIP collaborations bring
together scientists with interests in physical oceanography, the carbon cycle, marine biogeochemistry
and ecosystems, and other users and collectors of
ocean interior data. The program also coordinates a
network of globally sustained hydrographic sections
as part of the global ocean and climate observing
system, including physical oceanography, the carbon cycle, marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems.
GO-SHIP provides approximately decadal resolution
of the changes in inventories of heat, freshwater, carbon, oxygen, nutrients and transient tracers, covering
the ocean basins from coast to coast at full depth (top
to bottom). Its global measurements are of the highest accuracy required to detect these changes.
Sponsoring agencies: National Science Foundation (NSF) and NOAA
Observation type: Sustained ocean cruise observations
Location: Global ocean
Timeline: 2006 to present
More information: www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Hydrographic+Cruises
and
www.go-ship.org
Description: High-frequency autonomous CO2
moorings monitor and improve understanding of
the coastal ocean carbon balance, continent-scale
carbon budgets and impacts of ocean acidification in
coastal regions.
Sponsoring agency: NOAA
Observation type: Sustained ocean cruise observations
Location: Coastal and open ocean
Timeline: 2005 to present
More information:
www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Coastal+Moorings
and
www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Open+Ocean+Moorings
Description: SOCAT is a synthesis activity for
quality-controlled, surface ocean fCO₂ (i.e., fugacity
of CO2) observations by the international marine
carbon research community, including more than
100 contributors. SOCAT data is publicly available,
discoverable, and citable. SOCAT enables the quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification and the evaluation of ocean biogeochemical
models. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2017,
SOCAT represents a milestone in biogeochemical
and climate research and in informing policy.
Sponsoring agency: NOAA
Observation type: Surface ocean CO2 synthesis
Location: International
Timeline: 2007 to present
More information:
www.socat.info/
and
www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/SOCAT
Description: NOAA’s automated measurement
campaign of surface water CO2 from 17 ships of
opportunity (SOOP-CO2) quantifies the fluxes of
CO2 on seasonal and regional scales.
Sponsoring agency: NOAA
Observation type: Sustained ocean cruise observations
Location: Global ocean
Timeline: 2005 to present
More information:
www.aoml.noaa.gov/ocd/ocdweb/occ_soop.html
and
www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Volunteer+Observing+Ships+%28VOS%29
1 This appendix is a partial listing; some important observations may not be presented. Some content is adapted from Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Global Change Research Program for Fiscal Year 2016 and includes information from GLOBALVIEW-CO2 (www.esrl.noaa. gov/gmd/ccgg/globalview/co2/co2_intro.html).
Description: The AmeriFlux Network, a community of sites and scientists measuring ecosystem carbon, water, and energy fluxes across the Americas,
is committed to producing and sharing high-quality
eddy covariance data. AmeriFlux investigators and
modelers work together to generate understanding
of terrestrial ecosystems in a changing world.
Sponsoring agencies: U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) and many partners
Observation type: Surface network
Location: Western Hemisphere
Timeline: 1996 to present
More information: ameriflux.lbl.gov
Description: The international DIRT network was established to assess how rates and sources of plant litter inputs control the long-term stability, accumulation, and chemical nature of soil organic matter in forested ecosystems over decadal time scales. Sites span climatic and soil gradients, with sampling occurring about every 10 years. Sponsoring agencies: NSF and others Observation type: Distributed field campaign Location: United States and global Timeline: 1956 to present More information: dirtnet.wordpress.com
Description: FACE research technology creates
a platform for multidisciplinary, ecosystem-scale
research on the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2
concentrations over extended periods of time. FACE
technology is capable of providing a means by which
the environment around growing plants may be
modified to realistically simulate future concentrations of atmospheric CO2. FACE field data represent
plant and ecosystem responses to concentrations of
atmospheric CO2 in a natural setting possible during
the next century.
Sponsoring agencies: DOE, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Observation type: Distributed field campaign
Location: United States and global
Timeline: 1994 to present
More information:
science.energy.gov/~/media/ber/berac/pdf/Face_report.pdf
and
facedata.ornl.gov
Description: The FIA program provides statistically reliable quantitative estimates of forest area
and ownership; species, volume, total tree growth,
mortality, and removals; wood production and
utilization rates; and forest carbon including soils.
More than 150,000 forested sample plots are on
non-federal lands. FIA measurements of forest
carbon are the basis for U.S. reporting to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
for the annual monitoring of carbon in the National
Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Sponsoring agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service
Observation type: Distributed field campaign supplemented by remote sensing
Location: United States
Timeline: 1930 to present
More information: www.fia.fs.fed.us
Description: GRACEnet is a research program
initiated to better quantify greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions from cropped and grazed soils under current management practices and to identify and further develop improved management practices that
will enhance carbon sequestration in soils, decrease
GHG emissions, promote sustainability, and provide
a sound scientific basis for carbon credits and GHG
trading programs. This program generates information needed by agroecosystem modelers, producers,
program managers, and policymakers. Coordinated
multilocation field studies follow standardized
protocols to compare 1) net emissions of GHGs
including CO2, nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane
(CH4); 2) carbon sequestration; 3) crop and forage
yields; and 4) broad environmental benefits under
different management systems. These systems typify
existing production practices, maximize carbon
sequestration, minimize net GHG emissions, and
meet sustainable production and broad environmental benefit goals (e.g., carbon sequestration; net
GHG emissions; and water, air, and soil quality).
The data are accessible through a Geospatial Portal
for Scientific Research (GPSR) application that is an
ongoing effort of the USDA Agricultural Research
Service (ARS) to increase the availability of research
data to the broader scientific community. The data
contained within this application represent complex
relationships of data among hundreds of scientific
measurements.
Sponsoring agency: USDA ARS
Observation type: Field campaign
Location: United States
Timeline: 2003 to present
More information:
www.ars.usda.gov/anrds/gracenet/gracenet-home
and
www.data.nal.usdagov/dataset/gracenet-greenhouse-gas-reduction-through-agricultural-carbon-enhancement-network_150
Description: The gSSURGO database is the most
detailed level of soil geographic data developed by
the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) in
accordance with NCSS mapping standards and at a
variety of map scales. The three soil geographic databases are the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO)
database, the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO)
database, and the National Soil Geographic
(NATSGO) database. These tabular data representing soil attributes are derived from properties and
characteristics stored in the National Soil Information System (NASIS), such as soil organic carbon,
soil texture, bulk density, available water storage,
salinity, water table depth, depth to bedrock, flooding, potential wetland soil landscapes, associated
metadata, and land management.
Sponsoring agency: USDA Natural Resources
Conversation Service (NRCS)
Observation type: Distributed field, remote-sensing, and air campaign
Location: United States
Timeline: ~1930 to present
More information:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/geo/?cid=n-rcs142p2_053628
Description: The ISCN is a self-chartered, scientific community resource devoted to the advancement of soil carbon research. The network coordinates independent soil research and monitoring
efforts in the United States and internationally.
ISCN members contribute to an open-access, community-driven soil carbon database.
Sponsoring agencies: USDA Forest Service,
NRCS, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture; U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); and Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory
Observation type: Distributed field campaign
Location: United States and global
Timeline: 2012 to present
More information:
iscn.fluxdata.org/data/access-data
Description: The Landsat series of satellites provides the longest temporal record (over 45 years)
of moderate resolution data of the Earth’s surface
on a global basis. Landsat is a critical element of
national and global carbon observation capability,
providing foundational data covering many sectors
of carbon observations and monitoring, such as
forests, agriculture, soil, water, and land use. Landsat
data, unique in quality, detail, coverage, and value,
are routinely used in carbon cycle studies including
mapping, modeling, and assessment.
Sponsoring agencies: National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) and USGS
Observation type: Repeat measurements of surface
reflectance by satellites
Location: Global
Timeline: 1972 to present
More information: landsat.usgs.gov
Description: As the largest and longest-lived
U.S. ecological network, LTER provides scientific expertise, research platforms, and long-term
datasets to document and analyze environmental
change, supporting a network of over 26 LTER sites
encompassing diverse ecosystems including deserts, estuaries, lakes, the ocean, coral reefs, prairies,
forests, alpine and Arctic tundra, urban areas, and
production agriculture. The network was created to
conduct research on ecological issues that can last
decades and span huge geographical areas, assembling a multidisciplinary group of more than 2,000
scientists and graduate students.
Sponsoring agencies: NSF, USDA Forest Service,
USDA ARS, U.S. Department of Interior (U.S. DOI)
National Park Service, U.S. DOI Fish and Wildlife
Service, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Observation type: Distributed field campaign,
airborne, and surface network
Location: Continental United States, Alaska, Antarctica, and islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific
Timeline: 1980 to present
More information:
lternet.edu
Description: Initial research of NGEE-Arctic will
focus on the highly dynamic landscapes of the
North Slope (Barrow, Alaska), where thaw lakes,
drained thaw lake basins, and ice-rich polygonal
ground offer distinct land units for investigation and
modeling. This project involves mechanistic studies
in the field and the laboratory; modeling of critical
and interrelated water, nitrogen, carbon, and energy
dynamics; and characterization of important interactions, from molecular to landscape scales, that drive
feedbacks to the climate system.
Sponsoring agency: DOE
Observation type: Field campaign
Location: Alaska
Timeline: 2012 to 2022
More information:
ngee-arctic.ornl.gov
Description: NGEE-Tropics is a combined observational and modeling project to increase scientific
understanding of how tropical forest ecosystems
will respond to climatic and atmospheric changes,
reduce uncertainty in Earth System Model projections, and discover whether tropical forests will
act as net carbon sinks throughout this century.
NGEE uses coupled observations and field campaigns in tropical forest regions and has developed
a process-rich tropical forest ecosystem model at a
resolution better than 10 km.
Sponsoring agencies: DOE, Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute, USDA Forest Service, and NASA
Observation type: Field and aircraft campaign
Location: Puerto Rico; Manaus, Brazil; and Panama
Timeline: 2016 to 2026
More information:s
ngee-tropics.lbl.gov
Description: NEON is designed to collect and
provide open data that characterize and quantify
complex, rapidly changing ecological processes
in terrestrial and aquatic environments across the
United States. The comprehensive data, spatial
extent, and remote-sensing technology provided by
NEON enable a large and diverse user community
to tackle new questions at scales not accessible to
previous generations of ecologists.
Sponsoring agency: NSF
Observation type: Distributed field campaign,
airborne, and surface network
Location: United States
Timeline: 2011 to 2048
More information:
www.neonscience.org
Description: PEATcosm is a mesocosm experiment
in which 24 bins, each 1 m3, are filled with relatively
intact, undisturbed peat. PEATcosm 1, established
in 2011, evaluates the influence of a lower water
table and the shrub and Ericaceae communities on
carbon cycling. PEATcosm 2, currently under establishment, is assessing the effect of water tables and
the tree community encroachment on carbon cycles.
Sponsoring agencies: USDA Forest Service and
NSF
Observation type: In situ measurements of carbon
processes
Location: Houghton, Michigan
Timeline: 2011 to 2022
More information:
www.nrs.fs.fed.us/clean_air_water/local-resources/downloads/peatcosm_information.pdf
Description: RaCA is designed to develop statistically reliable quantitative estimates of the amounts
and distribution of carbon stocks for U.S. soils under
various land covers and to the extent possible under
differing agricultural management. The project also
seeks to provide 1) data to support model simulations of soil carbon change related to land-use
change, agricultural management, conservation
practices, and climate change and 2) a scientifically
and statistically defensible U.S. inventory of soil
carbon stocks.
Sponsoring agency: USDA
Observation type: Distributed field campaign
Location: United States
Timeline: 2010 to present
More information:
ww.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/?cid=nrcs142p2_054164
Description: The SPRUCE experiment, conducted
in a black spruce peat bog in the U.S. Forest Service
Marcell Experimental Forest in northern Minnesota,
tests mechanisms controlling the vulnerability of
organisms, biogeochemical processes, and ecosystems to climate change. SPRUCE is focused on the
combined responses to multiple levels of warming at
ambient or elevated CO2 levels, toward improving
fundamental understanding and model representation of ecosystem processes under climate change.
Sponsoring agencies: DOE and USDA Forest Service
Observation type: Field campaign
Location: Minnesota
Timeline: 2015 to 2025
More information: mnspruce.ornl.gov
Description: The TRACE experiment, conducted
in wet tropical forests in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in northeast Puerto Rico, evaluates the
effects of temperature increase on soil structure,
biogeochemical cycling, plant physiology, and other
key ecosystem processes, with a particular focus on
understanding the relationship between temperaure and carbon cycling. TRACE uses infrared heat
to warm soils and understory plants and small resistance heaters to warm individual leaves in the forest
canopy with the ultimate goal of improving the fundamental understanding and model representation
of tropical forest processes in a warmer world.
Sponsoring agencies: USDA Forest Service and
DOE
Observation type: Field campaign
Location: Puerto Rico
Timeline: 2015 to 2020 (est.)
More information:
www.forestwarming.org
and
www.fs.usda.gov/iitf
Description: ABoVE is a large-scale investigation of
the impact of environmental change on ecosystem
function, ecosystem services, and its implications
for social-ecological systems in Alaska and northwestern Canada. ABoVE research links field-based,
process-level studies with geospatial data products
derived from airborne and satellite sensors, providng a foundation for improving analysis and modeling capabilities for northern ecosystems.
Sponsoring agencies: NASA in partnership with
DOE, DOI, USDA Forest Service, and the State
of Alaska, as well as several Canadian federal and
provincial agencies.
Observation type: Satellite and aircraft
Location: Alaska and western Canada
Timeline: September 2015 to September 2023
More information:
above.nasa.gov
Description: The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility is a multi-laboratory DOE
scientific user facility with numerous national and
international collaborators. ARM is a key contributor to national and international climate research
efforts. Its data are currently collected from three
atmospheric observatories representing the broad
range of climate conditions around the world. ARM
also operates three mobile facilities and additional
aerial facilities and conducts specialized campaigns.
Data are available from all past research campaigns
and the former Tropical Western Pacific observatory.
Sponsoring agencies: DOE and NASA
Location: Southern Great Plains, North Slope of
Alaska, and eastern North Atlantic, along with ARM
mobile and aerial facilities. (Past research campaigns
included a variety of locations.)
Timeline: 1989 to present
More information:
www.arm.gov/about
and
www.archive.arm.gov/discovery/#v/home/s/
Description: ACT-America involves five 6-week
airborne campaigns to quantify anomalies in atmospheric carbon. The campaign enabled and demonstrated a new generation of atmospheric inversion
systems for quantifying CO2 and CH4 sources and
sinks.
Sponsoring agencies: NASA (EVS-2) and NOAA
Observation type: Aircraft
Location: Eastern United States
Timeline: July 2016 to May 2018 (est.)
More information:
act-america.larc.nasa.gov
Description: AirMOSS collected and used airborne
radar to collect soil moisture data from nine climatic
habitats in North America to estimate how much
carbon the continent is taking in or releasing to the
atmosphere.
Sponsoring agencies: NASA (EVS-1)
Observation type: Aircraft
Location: Continental United States and Alaska
Timeline: March 2012 to August 2016
More Information:
airbornescience.jpl.nasa.gov/campaign/airmoss
Description: ATom is a global-scale aircraft sampling of the atmosphere that studies the impact
of air pollution on GHGs and chemically reactive
gases in the atmosphere to improve the representation of these reactive gases and short-lived climate
forcers in global models of atmospheric chemistry
and climate. Profiles of these gases will also provide
critical information for validation of satellite data,
particularly in remote areas where in situ data are
lacking. Flights occur in each of four seasons over a
4-year period.
Sponsoring agencies: NASA (EVS-2)
Observation type: Aircraft
Location: Global
Timeline: April 2015 to April 2019
More information:
science.nasa.gov/missions/atom
Description: CARVE was a 5-year mission to measure CO2 and CH4 fluxes from Alaska, using sensors
aboard a NASA aircraft. These measurements were
combined with continuous ground-based measurements to provide temporal and regional context
as well as calibration for airborne measurements.
Contributions of tower and aircraft observations
were provided by NOAA as well as a CARVE tower
near Fairbanks that took continuous measurements
of CO2 and CH4. Flying over 4 years with varying
weather patterns allowed better understanding of
the sensitivity of CO2 and CH4 fluxes to temperature and precipitation.
Sponsoring agencies: NASA (EVS-1) and NOAA
Observation type: Aircraft and surface network
Location: Alaska
Timeline: November 2010 to November 2015
More information:
science.nasa.gov/missions/carve
Description: NOAA GGGRN’s Cooperative Air
Sampling Network involves weekly flask sampling
at 76 sites worldwide, including 23 in North America, and four ocean cruise tracks. Air samples are
collected in glass flasks and shipped to a central
laboratory for analysis of CO2, CH4, carbon monoxide (CO), molecular hydrogen (H2), N2O, sulfur
hexafluoride (SF6), and stable isotopes of CO2 and
CH4, as well as of many volatile organic compounds
such as ethane (C2H6), ethylene (C2H4), and propane (C3H8).
Sponsoring agency: NOAA
Observation type: Flask measurement network
Timeline: 1967 (at Niwot Ridge, Colorado) to present (sites continuously added)
More information:s
www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/flask.php
Description: NOAA Global Monitoring Division’s
Observatories make continuous measurements of
CO2, CH4, CO, isotopic compositions, and other
carbon cycle–relevant quantities at Barrow, Alaska;
Summit, Greenland; Mauna Loa, Hawaiʻi; American
Samoa; and the South Pole.
Sponsoring agency: NOAA
Observation type: Continuous measurements
More information:
www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop
Description: GGGRN’s Aircraft program conducts
regular profiling at 15 sites with about a 14-day measurement frequency. Flasks are analyzed for CO2,
CO, N2O, CH4, H2, and SF6, as well as isotopes of
CO2 and CH4 and multiple halo- and hydrocarbons.
Sponsoring agency: NOAA
Observation type: Aircraft
Timeline: 1992 to present
More information:
www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/aircraft
Description: GGGRN’s Tall Tower program makes
continuous measurements of CO2, CH4, and CO at
seven towers of varying heights up to about 400 m
above ground level.
Sponsoring agency: NOAA
Observation type: Tall tower
Timeline: 1990s to present
More information:
www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/towers
Description: The Megacities Carbon Project aims
to demonstrate a scientifically robust capability to
measure multiyear emission trends of CO2, CH4,
and CO attributed to individual megacities and
selected major sectors. Studies over Los Angeles and
Paris, as well as planning for a study over São Paulo,
are underway.
Sponsoring agencies: NASA, National Institute of
Standards and Technology, and Keck Institute for
Space Studies
Observation type: Surface measurement network
Location: Los Angeles and Paris
Timeline: August 2015 (completion of current
network installation) to present
More information:
megacities.jpl.nasa.gov/portal
Description: MODIS is a key instrument aboard the
satellites Terra (originally known as EOS AM-1) and
Aqua (originally known as EOS PM-1). Terra MODIS
and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth’s
surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data to improve
understanding of global dynamics and processes
occurring on the land, in the ocean, and in the lower
atmosphere, such as gross primary productivity, land
cover, evapotranspiration, thermal anomalies, chlorophyll concentration, sea ice, and water inundation.
Observation type: Satellite
Location: Global
Timeline: Terra, 1999 to present; Aqua, 2002 to present
More information:
modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/about
Description: OCO-2 measures CO2 from space
with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed
to provide a global picture of human and natural
sources and sinks. These measurements are being
combined with data from ground stations, aircraft,
and other satellites to help answer key questions
about the global carbon cycle and how it interacts
with climate change.
Sponsoring agency: NASA
Observation type: Satellite, aircraft, and surface network
Location: Global
Timeline: July 2014 to July 2016
More information:
oco.jpl.nasa.gov
Description: ORCAS is an airborne field campaign to advance understanding of the physical
and biological controls on air-sea exchange of
oxygen (O2) and CO2 in the Southern Ocean,
through intensive airborne surveys of atmospheric
O2, CO2, related gases, and ocean surface properties over biogeochemical regions adjacent to the
southern tip of South America and the Antarctic
Peninsula.
Sponsoring agencies: NSF and NASA
Observation type: Aircraft
Location: Puntas Arenas, Chile
Timeline: January–February 2016
More information:
www.eol.ucar.edu/field_projects/orcas
Description: SMAP is a satellite mission whose
goal is to provide a capability for global mapping of
soil moisture and the freeze/thaw state with unprecedented accuracy, resolution, and coverage. Science
objectives are to 1) understand processes that link
the terrestrial water, energy, and carbon cycles;
2) estimate global water and energy fluxes at the
land surface; 3) quantify net carbon flux in boreal
landscapes; 4) enhance weather and climate forecast
skill; and 5) develop improved flood prediction and
drought-monitoring capabilities. On July 7, 2015,
SMAP’s radar stopped transmitting, marking the
end of soil moisture radar operations; however, the
passive SMAP soil moisture radiometer continues to
return data.
Sponsoring agency: NASA
Observation type: Satellite
Location: Global
Timeline: January 2015 to May 2018
More information:
smap.jpl.nasa.gov
Description: The SMAPVEX-16 campaign flew an
L-band radar and microwave radiometer over U.S.
and Canadian agricultural areas to further evaluate
SMAP satellite data products. Additional flights
were associated with SMAPVEX 2015.
Sponsoring agencies: NASA, USDA, Agriculture
Canada, and Canadian Space Agency
Observation Type: Aircraft
Location: Iowa and Manitoba
Timeline: June–August 2016
More information:
smap.jpl.nasa.gov/science validation/fieldcampaigns/SMAPVEX16
and
smap.jpl.nasa.gov/science/validation/fieldcampaigns/SMAPVEX15
Description: The SONGEX campaign aims to 1)
quantify emissions of trace gases, fine particles, and
CH4 from several types of oil and shale gas basins in
the western United States at different stages of development and 2) study the chemical transformation of
these emissions.
Sponsoring agencies: NOAA, NASA, and NSF
Observation type: Aircraft
Location: North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico
Timeline: March–May 2015
More information:
www.esrl.noaa.gov/csd/projects/songnex
Description: TOPDOWN aims to understand
the atmospheric impact of rapidly expanding oil
and gas operations in the Bakken shale play in
North Dakota through downwind cross-section
flights of the active field, quantifying key atmospheric trace gases (e.g., CO2, CO, CH4, ethane
(C2H6), and ozone) and black carbon using airborne in situ sensors and complementary airborne
remote-sensing instrumentation. Subsequent
flights examined the Denver-Julesburg basin in
northeast Colorado and the San Juan basin in New
Mexico.
Sponsoring agencies: NOAA, NASA, NSF, and DOE
Observation type: Aircraft
Location: North Dakota, Colorado, and
New Mexico
Timeline: May–June 2014 and April 2015
More information:
www.esrl.noaa.gov/csd/groups/csd7/measurements/2014topdown
Description: WINTER evaluates the atmospheric
chemical transformations and transport associated
with anthropogenic emissions during winter in the
mid-Atlantic region of the United States, including
the Marcellus Pennsylvania shale play. Measurements will be made in large urban and industrial
plumes; coal-fired power plant emissions; and
distributed emissions from oil and gas extraction,
agricultural or biofuel burning, and vegetation.
Sponsoring agencies: NSF and NOAA
Observation type: Aircraft
Location: Northeastern United States
Timeline: February–March 2015
More information:
www.atmos.washington.edu/~thornton/field-campaigns/wintertime-investigation-transport-emissions-and-reactivity
Continuous measurements of CO2 at three sites in the United Kingdom (2012 to 2015).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Syowa Station, Antarctica (1984 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Hyltemossa and Norunda, Sweden (2015 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Station Lutjewad, Netherlands (2006 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Beromünster, Switzerland (2012 to present), and Jungfraujoch, Switzerland (2004 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Pasadena, California (2007 to 2013), and Palos Verdes Peninsula, California (2010 to 2013).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at 28 U.S. sites out of a planned 50, with data planned to be commercially available.
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Cesar, Cabauw, Netherlands (1992 to present).
Continuous sampling of CO2, CO, CH4, and other species conducted at 22 tower sites across Canada (www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change. html; beginning 1988–2014 to present).
SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmopheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY), an imaging spectrometer, performing global measurements of trace gases in the troposphere and stratosphere (www. sciamachy.org; March 2002 to April 2012).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at PallasSammaltunturi, Finland (2000 to present).
Continuous and flask sampling by the HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) project on five campaign flights (2009 to 2011).
CO2 Budget and Regional Airborne Study (COBRA) aircraft measurements of regional to continental fluxes of CO and CO2 over North America (2003 to 2004).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Gartow, Hohenpeissenberg, and Lindenberg, Germany (2015 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Hegyhatsal, Hungary (1994 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at seven sites in Spain (2013 to present) and flask measurements at one site in Spain (2008 to 2015).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Heidelberg, Germany (1996 to 2015).
Flask measurements at Arembepe, Brazil (2006 to 2010), and Farol de Mãe Luiza Lighthouse, Brazil (2010 to 2015). Aircraft flask samples at four sites in Brazil (2010 to 2012).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Izana, Tenerife, Canary Islands (1984 to present).
Aircraft flask measurements (2011 to 2015) and surface continuous measurements of CO2 at three stations in Japan (1987 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Amsterdam Island (2012 to present); Mace Head, Ireland (2010 to present); and Puy-de-Dôme, France (2011 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 via Atmospheric Vertical Observations of CO2 in the Earth’s Troposphere (AVOCET) from various campaigns, including TRACE-P, SEAC4RS, INTEX-B, INTEX-NA, DISCOVER-AQ, DC3, and ARCTAS (2001 to present).
Quasi-continuous measurements of CO2 at five mountaintop locations in the United States: Hidden Peak, Utah; Niwot Ridge, Colorado; Roof Butte, Arizona; Fraser Experimental Forest, Colorado; and Storm Peak Laboratory, Steamboat Springs, Colorado (beginning 2005–2007 to present).
Flask and in situ continuous measurements of CO2 aboard commercial aircraft as part of the Comprehensive Observation Network for Trace gases by an Airliner (CONTRAIL) project (1993 to present).
Observations of infrared light reflected and emitted from the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere by Japan’s Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT). Column abundances of CO2 and CH4 are calculated from the observational data. GOSAT flies at an altitude of approximately 666 km and completes one revolution in about 100 minutes. The satellite returns to the same point in space in three days. Its onboard observation instrument is the Thermal And Near-infrared Sensor for carbon Observation (TANSO), which consists of two subunits: the Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) and the Cloud and Aerosol Imager (CAI).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Baring Head Station, New Zealand (1972 to present).
Stratosphere-Troposphere Analyses of Regional Transport (START08) aircraft measurement campaign departing from Colorado (April–June 2008). Co-sponsors include the National Center for Atmospheric Research, University of Colorado, Harvard University, University of Miami, Princeton University, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Texas A&M University, and The Pennsylvania State University.
Campaign-mode continuous measurements of CO2 by a number of projects including the Aerosol, Radiation, and Cloud Processes affecting Arctic Cliate (ARCPAC, 2008), California Nexus (CalNex, 2010), Southeast Nexus (SENex, 2013), Shale Oil and Natural Gas Nexus (SONGNex, 2015), and the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS, 2006).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Birkenes Observatory, Norway (2015 to present); Ny-Ålesund and Svalbard, Norway; and Sweden (2015 to present).
Flask sampling for multiple trace gas species at 15 sites worldwide, including three in North America: Alert, Canada; Mauna Loa, Hawaiʻi; and Estevan Point, British Columbia (early 1990s to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at seven sites in Oregon (most beginning in 2007 to present).
Continuous monitoring of CO2, CH4, and CO by the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX) at seven tower sites around Indianapolis, Indiana (2011 to 2012).
Measurements of CO2, CH4, and CO at 18 various U.S. tower and surface sites conducted intermittently for periods of up to 3 years (2007 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Plateau Rosa Station, Italy (2008 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Schauinsland, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany (2014 to present).
Flask sampling by SIO at 16 locations worldwide including seven in North America: Alert, Nunavut, Canada; Baja California Sur, Mexico; Barrow, Alaska; Cold Bay, Alaska; Cape Kumukahi, Hawaiʻi; La Jolla, California; and Mauna Loa, Hawaiʻi (beginning 1957–1996, most continuing to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Cape Point, South Africa (1993 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Jungfraujoch, Switzerland (2009 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Weybourne, United Kingdom (2007 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Hyytiala, Finland (2012 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Rosemount Research and Outreach Center, Minnesota (2007 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at Kasprowy Wierch, High Tatra, Poland (1996 to present).
Continuous measurements of CO2 at six sites in Utah (available from 2001 to present).
2 www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/globalview/co2/co2_intro.html