Comparisons of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) XCO2 measurements with TCCON

Comparisons of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) XCO₂ measurements with TCCON

Authors: Wunch D., Wennberg P. O., Osterman G., Fisher B., Naylor B., Roehl C. M., O’Dell C., Mandrake L., Viatte C., Kiel M., Griffith D. W. T., Deutscher N. M., Velazco V. A., Notholt J., Warneke T., Petri C., De Maziere M., Sha M. K., Sussmann R., Rettinger M., Pollard D., Robinson J., Morino I., Uchino O., Hase F., Blumenstock T., Feist D. G., Arnold S. G., Strong K., Mendonca J., Kivi R., Heikkinen P., Iraci L., Podolske J., Hillyard P. W., Kawakami S., Dubey M. K., Parker H. A., Sepulveda E., García O. E., Te Y., Jeseck P., Gunson M. R., Crisp D., Eldering A.
Journal: Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2209–2238
DOI: 10.5194/amt-10-2209-2017
Abstract: NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) has been measuring carbon dioxide column-averaged dry-air mole fraction, XCO₂ , in the Earth’s atmosphere for over 2 years. In this paper, we describe the comparisons between the first major release of the OCO-2 retrieval algorithm (B7r) and XCO₂ from OCO-2’s primary ground-based validation network: the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TC-CON). The OCO-2 XCO₂ retrievals, after filtering and bias correction, agree well when aggregated around and coincident with TCCON data in nadir, glint, and target observation modes, with absolute median differences less than 0.4 ppm and RMS differences less than 1.5 ppm. After bias correction, residual biases remain. These biases appear to depend on latitude, surface properties, and scattering by aerosols. It is thus crucial to continue measurement comparisons with TCCON to monitor and evaluate the OCO-2 XCO₂ data quality throughout its mission.