Ground-based solar absorption studies for the Carbon Cycle science by Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (CC-FTS) mission

Carbon cycle science by Fourier transform spectroscopy (CC-FTS) is an advanced study for a future satellite mission. The goal of the mission is to obtain a better understanding of the carbon cycle in the Earth's atmosphere by monitoring total and partial columns of CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and CO in the near infrared. CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O are important greenhouse gases, and CO is produced by incomplete combustion. The molecular O₂ column is also needed to obtain the effective optical path of the reflected sunlight and is used to normalize the column densities of the other gases. As part of this advanced study, ground-based Fourier transform spectra are used to evaluate the spectral region and resolution needed. Spectra in the 3950–7140 cm^?1 region with a spectral resolution of 0.0042 cm^?1 recorded at Kiruna (67.84°N, 20.41°E, and 419 m above sea level), Sweden, on 1 April 1998, were degraded to the resolutions of 0.01, 0.1, and 0.3 cm^?1. The effect of spectral resolution on the retrievals has been investigated with these four Kiruna spectra. To obtain further information on the spectral resolution, optical components and spectroscopic parameters required by the future mission, high-resolution solar absorption spectra between 2000 and 15000 cm^?1 were recorded using Fourier transform spectrometers at Kitt Peak (31.9°N, 111.6°W, and 2.1 km above sea level), Arizona, on 25 July 2005 and Waterloo (43.5°N, 80.6°W, and 0.3 km above sea level), Ontario, on 22 November 2006 with spectral resolutions of 0.01 and 0.1 cm^?1, respectively. Dry air volume mixing ratios (VMRs) of CO₂ and CH₄ were retrieved from these ground-based observations. The HITRAN 2004 spectroscopic parameters are used with the SFIT2 package for the spectral analysis. The measurement precisions for CO₂ and CH₄ total columns are better than 1.07% and 1.13%, respectively, for our observations. Based on these results, a Fourier transform spectrometer (maximum spectral resolution of 0.1 cm^?1 or 5 cm maximum optical path difference (MOPD)) operating between 2000 and 15000 cm^?1 is suggested as the primary instrument for the mission. Further progress in improving the atmospheric retrievals for CO₂, CH₄, and O₂ requires new laboratory measurements of the spectroscopic line parameters.     

Line mixing and speed dependence in CO2 at 6348 cm: Positions, intensities, and air- and self-broadening derived with constrained multispectrum analysis

Intensity and line shape parameters which predict spectral lines with absolute accuracies better than 0.3% have been determined for transitions of the 30012 ← 00001 band of ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁶O centered near 6348 cm⁻¹ from 26 high resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra recorded at room temperature with the McMath-Pierce Fourier transform spectrometer. To maximize the accuracies of the retrieved parameters, the multispectrum non-linear least squares retrieval technique was modified to adjust the rovibrational constants (G, B, D, etc.) and intensity parameters, including Herman-Wallis terms, rather than retrieving the individual positions and intensities. Speed-dependent Voigt line shapes with line mixing were required to remove systematic errors in the fit residuals. Self- and air-broadening (widths and pressure-induced shifts, speed dependence parameters) and line mixing (off-diagonal relaxation matrix elements) coefficients were thus obtained in the multispectrum fit. Remaining errors were minimized by fitting the weak 30011 ← 00001 band of ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁶O as well as the weak hot bands 31112 ← 01101, 32212 ← 02201, 40012 ← 10001, and 40013 ← 10002 of ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁶O that contribute interfering absorptions in this spectral window. This study presents the most extensive set of measurements to date for self- and air-broadening and self- and air-shift coefficients of a near infrared band of CO₂. This is also the first study where line mixing parameters have been experimentally determined for any parallel CO₂ band.     

Space-borne remote sensing of CO2, CH4, and N2O by integrated path differential absorption lidar: a sensitivity analysis

CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O are recognised as the most important greenhouse gases, the concentrations of which increase rapidly through human activities. Space-borne integrated path differential absorption lidar allows global observations at day and night over land and water surfaces in all climates. In this study we investigate potential sources of measurement errors and compare them with the scientific requirements. Our simulations reveal that moderate-size instruments in terms of telescope aperture (0.5–1.5 m) and laser average power (0.4–4 W) potentially have a low random error of the greenhouse gas column which is 0.2% for CO₂ and 0.4% for CH₄ for soundings at 1.6 μm, 0.4% for CO₂ at 2.1 μm, 0.6% for CH₄ at 2.3 μm, and 0.3% for N₂O at 3.9 μm. Coherent detection instruments are generally limited by speckle noise, while direct detection instruments suffer from high detector noise using current technology. The wavelength selection in the vicinity of the absorption line is critical as it controls the height region of highest sensitivity, the temperature cross-sensitivity, and the demands on frequency stability. For CO₂, an error budget of 0.08% is derived from our analysis of the sources of systematic errors. Among them, the frequency stability of ± 0.3 MHz for the laser transmitter and spectral purity of 99.9% in conjunction with a narrow-band spectral filter of 1 GHz (FWHM) are identified to be challenging instrument requirements for a direct detection CO₂ system operating at 1.6 μm. PACS 42.68.Wt; 95.75.Qr     

Near infrared diode laser spectroscopy of C2H2, H2O, CO2 and their isotopologues and the application to TDLAS, a tunable diode laser spectrometer for the martian PHOBOS-GRUNT space mission

A near-infrared tunable diode laser spectrometer called TDLAS has been developed that combines telecommunication-type as well as new-generation antimonide laser diodes to measure C₂H₂, H₂O, CO₂ and their isotopologues in the near infrared. This sensor is devoted to the in situ analysis of the soil of the Martian satellite PHOBOS, within the framework of the Russian space mission PHOBOS-GRUNT. In the first part of the paper, we report accurate spectroscopic measurements of C₂H₂ and ¹³C¹²CH₂ near 1.533 μm, of H₂O and CO₂ at 2.682 μm and of the isotopologues ¹³C¹⁶O₂ and ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁸O near 2.041 μm and H₂ ¹⁷O, H₂ ¹⁸O and HDO near 2.642 μm. The achieved line strengths are thoroughly compared to data from molecular databases or from former experimental determinations. In the second part of the paper, we describe the TDLAS spectrometer for the PHOBOS-GRUNT mission.     

温室气体及碳同位素比值红外光谱反演精度的影响因素研究

由于傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)技术在定量反演中受到气体温度、压强等气体特性以及水汽交叉吸收的影响, 使其在温室气体及碳同位素比值高精度检测领域的应用受到限制. 本文首先研究了气体特性与水汽吸收敏感性修正方法; 然后,结合实验研究中建立的敏感性修正函数, 对标准气体实测数据进行了气体特性敏感性修正, 修正后,五种测量组分的精密度均有明显提高, 其标准偏差降低倍数分布在1.80到3.38之间. 研究结果对于FTIR技术在大气本底温室气体及碳同位素比值高精度监测领域的应用具有重要意义.     

Line parameters for the 01111-00001 band of COO from SOIR measurements of the Venus atmosphere

CO₂ is the major constituent of the atmosphere of Venus. Absorption lines due to its ¹²C¹⁶O¹⁸O isotopologue have been observed for the first time in Venus spectra in the 2930-3015 cm⁻¹ spectral region, where the HITRAN database does not contain any line from this isotopologue. The measurements were performed by the SOIR instrument, which is part of the SPICAV/SOIR instrument on board the Venus Express mission of ESA. SOIR measured the atmospheric transmission of the upper atmosphere of Venus (z>70 km) by performing a solar occultation experiment using the atmosphere as a gigantic absorption cell. The identification of this newly observed band was first made recently from Mars atmosphere observations by US colleagues. We have made independent theoretical calculations of the positions of the lines of this new 01111-00001 absorption band, which coincide perfectly with the positions of the observed lines. Assuming an oxygen isotopic ratio similar to the one measured previously in the lower atmosphere of Venus, the line strengths of each observed line are deduced and listed.     

High-resolution photoacoustic and direct absorption spectroscopy of main greenhouse gases by use of a pulsed entangled cavity doubly resonant OPO

An entangled cavity doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator (ECOPO) has been developed to provide tunable narrow line width (<100 MHz) pulsed (8 ns) radiation over the 3.8–4.3 μm spectral range at a multi-kilohertz repetition rate with up to 100-W peak power. We demonstrate that coarse single mode tuning is obtained over the full spectral range of oscillation (300 cm⁻¹), while automated mode-hop-free fine tuning is carried out over more than 100 GHz. High-resolution spectra of main greenhouse gases (CO₂, N₂O, SO₂ and CH₄) have been obtained in good agreement with calculated spectra from the HITRAN database. These experiments outline the unique capabilities of the ECOPO for multi-gas sensing based on direct absorption as well as photoacoustic spectroscopy.     

Water in planetary and cometary atmospheres: H2O/HDO transmittance and fluorescence models

We developed a modern methodology to retrieve water (H₂O) and deuterated water (HDO) in planetary and cometary atmospheres, and constructed an accurate spectral database that combines theoretical and empirical results. On the basis of a greatly expanded set of spectroscopic parameters, we built a full non-resonance cascade fluorescence model and computed fluorescence efficiencies for H₂O (500 million lines) and HDO (700 million lines). The new line list was also integrated into an advanced terrestrial radiative transfer code (LBLRTM) and adapted to the CO₂ rich atmosphere of Mars, for which we adopted the complex Robert–Bonamy formalism for line shapes. We retrieved water and D/H in the atmospheres of Mars, comet C/2007 W1 (Boattini), and Earth by applying the new formalism to spectra obtained with the high-resolution spectrograph NIRSPEC/Keck II atop Mauna Kea (Hawaii). The new model accurately describes the complex morphology of the water bands and greatly increases the accuracy of the retrieved abundances (and the D/H ratio in water) with respect to previously available models. The new model provides improved agreement of predicted and measured intensities for many H₂O lines already identified in comets, and it identifies several unassigned cometary emission lines as new emission lines of H₂O. The improved spectral accuracy permits retrieval of more accurate rotational temperatures and production rates for cometary water.     

Frequency-stabilized cavity ring-down spectroscopy measurements of carbon dioxide isotopic ratios

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) isotopic ratios on samples of pure CO₂ were measured in the 1.6 μm wavelength region using the frequency-stabilized cavity ring-down spectroscopy (FS-CRDS) technique. We present CO₂ absorption spectra with peak signal-to-noise ratios as high as 28,000:1. Measured single-spectrum signal-to-noise ratios were as high as 8900:1, 10,000:1, and 1700:1 for ¹³C/¹²C, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O, and ¹⁷O/¹⁶O, respectively. In addition, we demonstrate the importance of utilizing the Galatry line profile in the spectrum analysis. The use of the Voigt line profile, which neglects the observed collisional narrowing, leads to large systematic errors which are transition-dependent and vary with temperature and pressure. While the relatively low intensities of CO₂ transitions near λ=1.6 μm make this spectral region non-optimal, the sensitivity and stability of FS-CRDS enabled measurement precision of pure CO₂ samples which are comparable to those of other optical techniques which operate at far more propitious wavelengths. These results indicate that a FS-CRDS spectrometer designed to probe CO₂ bands near wavelengths of 2.0 μm or 4.3 μm could achieve significantly improved precision over the present instrument and likely be competitive with mass spectrometric methods.     

Diode laser measurements of the first overtone HF lineshape broadened by Ar,Xe, Kr and N2

A high-resolution spectroscopy study of the HF first overtone vibrational–rotational 0–2 R(0) line profile was carried out in Ar, Xe, Kr and N₂ gas mixtures using near-IR tunable diode laser. The HF 0–2 R(0) analytical line is known as the most appropriate for laser detection of HF molecules in the atmosphere. Highly accurate collisional broadening, shift and “narrowing” coefficients were determined from the direct spectroscopic fit employing traditional Voigt, Rautian and Galatry symmetric profiles and using an asymmetric speed-dependent Voigt profile. These data make the information of modern spectroscopic databases, e.g., HITRAN2012, much more exact. A noticeable line shape asymmetry was investigated in detail. In this paper, the validity of the use of model profiles in spectroscopic fitting is severely discussed. For the first time, we draw attention to the need for physically realistic line shape models to avoid systematic errors in retrieved gas concentrations. We stress that in the case of HF, all considered model profiles serve only as ad hoc models; they may conceal the true physics of spectral line formation.     

A complete study of CO2 line parameters around 4845 cm for Lidar applications

A diode laser spectrometer was used in the Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Atmosphérique of Reims (France) to study CO₂ line intensities, self-broadening coefficients and air-pressure-broadening coefficients near 2.063 μm. The spectral region ranging from 4843 to 4848 cm⁻¹, which is suitable for the measurement of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) mixing ratios was studied using a new generation-commercial diode laser from Nanoplus. Three lines of the (20°1)_III←(0 0 0) band of CO₂ have been studied. The results of intensity measurements and self-broadening coefficients are compared with previous determinations and available databases. Furthermore, the air-broadening coefficients for these transitions are also reported and analyzed. Finally, these new parameters are used for the measurement of atmospheric CO₂ mixing ratio with the 2 μm heterodyne differential absorption Lidar from the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique at Palaiseau (France). These new parameters demonstrate a dramatic improvement of the retrieved atmospheric CO₂ concentrations.     

High sensitivity CW-cavity ring down spectroscopy of CO2 near 1.35 μm (II): New observations and line intensities modeling

In a previous contribution [Kassi S, Song KF, Campargue A. High sensitivity CW-cavity ring down spectroscopy of ¹²CO₂ near 1.35 μm (I): line positions. JQSRT 110 (2009) 1801-1814], the line positions analysis of the high sensitivity absorption spectrum of carbon dioxide has been reported in the 7123-7793 cm⁻¹ region. In this second contribution, the spectral region investigated by CW-cavity ring down spectroscopy has been extended up to 7917 cm⁻¹. It added about 400 lines to our previous list of about 2500 transitions. These additional lines include transitions belonging to six newly observed ¹²C¹⁶O₂ bands for which we provide the spectroscopic parameters. Over the whole 7123-7917 cm⁻¹ region, the accurate intensities of about 2900 lines belonging to four isotopologues (¹²C¹⁶O₂, ¹³C¹⁶O₂, ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁸O and ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁷O) were retrieved with an average accuracy of 3%. Intensity values range between 1.2×10⁻²⁹ and 4.1×10⁻²⁵ cm/mol. Compared to the present version of the carbon dioxide spectroscopic databank recently adopted for the HITRAN database, important deviations were evidenced for some weak bands of the main isotopologue. The CW-CRDS intensity data relative to a total of 46 ¹²C¹⁶O₂ bands together with selected intensity information available in the literature for nine bands have been fitted simultaneously using the effective operators approach. The ΔP=11 set of the ¹²C¹⁶O₂ effective dipole moment parameters has been refined leading to a much better agreement with the measured intensity values. In addition, the ΔP=10 effective dipole moment parameters of the ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁸O minor isotopologue were determined for the first time. The obtained results will help to improve the carbon dioxide spectroscopic databank (CDSD).     

Diode laser spectroscopy of H2O and CO2 in the 1.877-μm region for the in situ monitoring of the Martian atmosphere

A diode laser spectrometer was used in the laboratory to study H₂O and CO₂ line intensities and self-broadening coefficients around 1.877 μm. The spectral region ranging from 5327 cm^-1 to 5329 cm^-1, which is suitable for the in situ sensing of water vapor and carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere, was studied using a distributed feedback GaInSb diode laser from Nanoplus GmbH. We have studied one line from the (011)←(000)band of H₂O and two lines from the (01¹2)_I←(000) band of CO₂. The results of intensity and self-broadening measurements are compared to available databases, ab initio calculations and previous experimental determinations. Finally, we discuss the current development of the tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer instrument, a laser diode sensor devoted to the in situ measurement of H₂O and CO₂ in the Martian atmosphere. PACS 07.57.Ty; 07.87.+v     

Effect of changes of the HITRAN database on transmittance calculations in the near-infrared region

In order to retrieve from high spectral resolution measurements with high accuracy, it is necessary to be able to evaluate the transmittance precisely. However, the uncertainty of the spectroscopic parameters is one of the most important contributions that affect the accuracy of transmittance. HITRAN is a compilation of spectroscopic parameters which has been updated several times. The transmittance calculations using the line parameters from the HITRAN’2000 database and the HITRAN’2004 database have been compared over the near infrared range from 4200 to 10,000 cm^?1. The differences between calculated transmittances over this spectral range are mainly caused by changes of the line parameters for H₂O, CO₂ and CH₄. For the tropical atmosphere, the differences are very prominent. Transmittance calculations for the sub-arctic winter atmosphere are less sensitive to the changes in the HITRAN database than those for the tropical atmosphere; but, the changes of line parameters still can not be ignored when considering the relative differences. For example, the relative difference is ～35% at 5073.3 cm^?1 with 0.2 cm^?1 spectral resolution. The comparisons have shown that it is important to pay attention to the changes of line parameters of the HITRAN database or to use the latest edition so as to improve the accuracy of atmospheric sounding with high spectral resolution.     

Comment on “Spectroscopic database of CO2 line parameters: 4300–7000 cm–1”

The “Spectroscopic database of CO₂ line parameters: 4300–7000 cm^–1” constructed by Toth et al., has been considered in relation with our previous and current studies of the absorption spectrum of carbon dioxide (CO₂) by high-sensitivity CW-cavity ring down spectroscopy (CW-CRDS) in the 5850–7000 cm^?1 region. Part of the line parameters of the database are based on accurate spectroscopic measurements by Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS) but Toth et al. have chosen to fix to a very low value (4×10^?30 cm/molecule) the lower intensity cut off. This value which is far below the FTS detection limit has led to long range extrapolations to high J values and to the inclusion of weak unobserved bands which were theoretically predicted. In the 5850–7000 cm^?1 region, most of these calculated transitions were previously observed by CW-CRDS. The comparison with the CW-CRDS ¹³CO₂ spectrum in this region, has evidenced that (i) many weak bands above the intensity cut off are missing; (ii) there are important deviations between the line parameters provided in the database and our previous observations both for line positions (up to 1.7 cm^?1) and line intensities (up to a factor 80). Our discussion was limited to the three ¹³C species (¹³C¹⁶O₂, ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁸O and ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁷O) but the conclusions should apply to the other isotopologues in particular ¹²C¹⁶O₂ and to the full spectral range of the database.Alternatively, the global effective operators models for CO₂ can reproduce satisfactorily all the experimental line positions and line intensities available in the literature. This polyad model, which has been developed for most of the CO₂ isotopologues, constitutes an interesting alternative for the most accurate and complete CO₂ database. In particular, very weak bands, accidental resonances, intensity transfers and extra lines are accurately accounted for and predicted by this polyad model.     

Infrared Spectra of the OCO and OCO Species of Carbon Dioxide: The Region 500-1500 cm

The effective operator approach is applied to the calculation of the spectra of ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁷O and ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁸O in the far infrared. Using the eigenfunctions of the effective Hamiltonians previously derived for each of these species, parameters of the corresponding effective dipole moment operators have been fitted to more than 400 observed line intensities of cold and hot bands covering the ν₂ and ν₁ spectral regions. New line intensities measurements in the ν₂ band region of ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁸O have been performed. The new observed line intensities have been also included into the corresponding fit. The fittings have been achieved within the experimental errors. A comparison of calculated line parameters with those provided by the HITRAN and GEISA databases is given.     

Tunable laser spectroscopy of CO2 near 2.05 μm: Atmospheric retrieval biases due to neglecting line-mixing

Inclusion of line-mixing into spectroscopic models is required for precise and accurate dry-mole-fraction column CO₂ retrievals from a satellite instrument. We measure first-order line-mixing parameters of thirteen ¹²CO₂ 20⁰1₃←00⁰0 CO₂ transitions near 2.05 μm using tunable laser spectroscopy. We also report line position measurements of twelve ¹³CO₂ and ¹⁸OCO transitions in this spectral region. By incorporating line-mixing into a simple atmospheric model, we show how biases in CO₂ retrievals can be generated if line-mixing is ignored.     

Compact laser difference-frequency spectrometer for multicomponent trace gas detection

2 O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Real-time detection of CO, N₂O, and CO₂ was performed in open air over a path length of 5 to 18 m. The feasibility of DFG spectroscopic measurement of the ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁸O/¹⁷O/¹⁶O isotopic ratios in atmospheric carbon dioxide was also investigated. We report what to our knowledge is the first simultaneous spectroscopic measurement of all three isotopes of oxygen in ambient CO₂. Received: 14 August 1997/Revised version: 3 November 1997     

Emissivity of the main greenhouse gases

Based on the high-resolution data on the absorption lines of gases from the HITRAN open inter-national database in conjunction with inverse Fourier transform, the autocorrelation function of the total dipole moment of the molecules of the main greenhouse gases, such as H₂O, CO₂, O₃, N₂O, and CH₄, are determined. The spectral absorption coefficient and spectral radiance of these gases in the investigated IR region is calculated. An analysis of the emissivity of each of the gases is performed. An efficiency criterion of IR absorption and emission is introduced, according to which the studies gases are ranked.     

Laser spectroscopic monitoring of gas emission and measurements of the C/C isotope ratio in CO2 from a wood-based combustion

We report on the application of a compact and field-deployable instrument, based on a continuous-wave fiber-coupled Telecom external cavity diode laser, to measure the ¹³C/¹²C isotope ratio in CO₂ from a wood-based combustion. Carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas, is a major product of combustion. The measurements of the ¹³C/¹²C isotopic ratio in CO₂ from combustion emission permit one to identify the CO₂ source and to study the temporal and spatial variations of pollution in the atmosphere. The average value of the ¹³CO₂/¹²CO₂ ratio is found to be (1.1011±0.0024)%. The corresponding δ-value relative to PDB standard is (−20.17±2.14)‰, which is in good agreement with the typical value of (−25±2)‰ for wood. Simultaneous monitoring of multiple species from gas emission has been performed using direct-absorption spectroscopy. The concentrations of C₂H₂, CO, CO₂ and H₂O were determined on the basis of integrated absorbance measured by least-squares fitting a Voigt lineshape to experimental absorption spectra.