satellite

This is very interesting. In a first of its kind, Japan is going to send a satellite up that will test the “breathing” of Earth.

In a group effort between Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Environment Ministry and the National Institute for Environmental Studies, the satellite will monitor the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane. These are the two main greenhouse gases that are regulated by the Kyoto Protocol.

Currently, greenhouse gases are monitored using the 283 various observation points across the world. However, the ocean is not monitored, nor a handful of places on land where there are no observation points, such as regions in Africa, the Middle East and South America.

Ibuki (the satellite) will monitor 56,000 locations on Earth from an altitude of 666 kilometers.

It will orbit the Earth in about 100 minutes and return to the same position in three days. During that time, Ibuki will observe sunlight reflected on the Earth’s surface.
Carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere absorb infrared rays of specific wavelengths.

The denser the gases, the more light they absorb. Therefore, the density of the gases can be calculated from the measured strength of the light of those wavelengths.

Since there is some disagreement as to how to evaluate the current data that is received, this should help in determining the true values of greenhouse gases. This will help when world leaders meet to draft the next version of regulations that need to be met under an international policy.

The article was published out of Japan, via Asahi.com, HERE.