Determination of Greenhouse Gas Concentrations from the 16U CubeSat Spacecraft Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract

Greenhouse gases absorb the Earth’s thermal radiation and partially return it to the Earth’s surface. When accumulated in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases lead to an increase in the average global air temperature and, as a result, climate change. In this paper, an approach to measuring CO2 and CH4 concentrations using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is proposed. An FTIR spectrometer mockup, operating in the wavelength range from 1.0 to 1.7 μm with a spectral resolution of 10 cm−1, is described. The results of CO2 and CH4 observations throughout a day in urban conditions are presented. A low-resolution FTIR spectrometer for the 16U CubeSat spacecraft is described. The FTIR spectrometer has a 2.0–2.4 μm spectral range for CO2 and CH4 bands, a 0.75–0.80 μm range for reference O2 bands, an input field of view of 10−2 rad and a spectral resolution of 2 cm−1. The capabilities of the 16U CubeSat spacecraft for remote sensing of greenhouse gas emissions using a developed FTIR spectrometer are discussed. The design of a 16U CubeSat spacecraft equipped with a compact, low-resolution FTIR spectrometer is presented.