Atmospheric modelling using FASCOD to identify CO2 absorption bands and their suitability analysis in variable concentrations for remote sensing applications

Recent climate studies have proven that both temperature and CO₂ content of the earth's atmosphere followed a regular 100,000-year cycle of change and that they are closely correlated. Moreover, the observed increase of CO₂ in the atmosphere exceeds the predicted values extrapolated from historical data. Other than industrialization and rapid urbanization, geo-natural hazards such as leakage from hydrocarbon reservoirs and spontaneous combustion of coal contribute a considerable amount of CO₂ to the atmosphere. Several researchers have studied the possibilities and reliabilities of atmospheric CO₂ retrieval by the point-based method (nearly accurate but much localized) and globally (wider observation but many uncertainties). Radiative transfer codes, such as FASCOD (Fast Atmospheric Signature Code) with the HITRAN (High-Resolution Transmission) spectral database can simulate atmospheric transmission and path radiance with customized gas composition (CO₂, water vapour, CO, etc.) and concentration in order to understand the phenomena in a specific wavelength region. In the present study, a number of atmospheric models were constructed with different CO₂ concentrations (ppmv) with a combination of water vapour and other atmospheric gases such as CO, CH₄, N₂O, SO₂, etc., to find out the interference patterns of these gases over CO₂ absorption bands. The transmission features of these gas combinations were analysed by partial least-squares regression models. These models show that the most suitable CO₂ absorption bands are located around 2 μm, such as 1.998 and 2.001 μm. The spectral information derived from different concentrations of CO₂ can be fitted in multivariate models to predict the CO₂ concentration from spectral information in a controlled environment. Furthermore, the present study explores the sensitivity of some available remote sensing sensors in variable CO₂ concentrations for use in real world.