Retrieval algorithm development and product validation for TERRA/MOPITT

Satellite observations of tropospheric carbon monoxide (CO) are employed in diverse applications including air quality studies, chemical weather forecasting and the characterization of CO emissions through inverse modeling. The TERRA / MOPITT ('Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere') instrument incorporates a set of gas correlation radiometers to observe CO simultaneously in both a thermal-infrared (TIR) band near 4.7 μm and a near-infrared (NIR) band near 2.3 μm. This multispectral capability is unique to MOPITT. The MOPITT retrieval algorithm for vertical profiles of CO has been refined almost continuously since TERRA was launched at the end of 1999. Retrieval algorithm enhancements are the result of ongoing analyses of instrument performance, improved radiative transfer modeling, and systematic comparisons with correlative data, including in-situ profiles measured from aircraft and products from other satellite instruments. In the following, we describe the methods used to routinely evaluate MOPITT CO profiles. As the satellite instrument with the longest record for CO, methods for assessing the long-term stability are becoming increasingly important.