Development of optical parametric amplifier for lidar measurements of trace gases on Earth and Mars

Haris Riris, NASA GSFC, hriris@pop900.gsfc.nasa.gov (Presenter)
Kenji Numata, UMD, kanji.numata@nasa.gov
Steve Li, NASA GSFC, steve.li@nasa.gov
Stewart Wu, NASA GSFC, stewart.wu@nasa.gov
Martha Dawsey, NASA GSFC, martha.dawsey@nasa.gov
Anand Ramanathan, OAK Ridge, anand.ramnathan@nasa.gov

We report on ground and airborne methane measurements with an active sensing instrument using widely tunable, seeded optical parametric generation (OPG). The technique has been used to measure methane, CO2, water vapor, and other trace gases in the near and mid-infrared spectral regions.

Methane is a strong greenhouse gas on Earth and it is also a potential biogenic marker on Mars and other planetary bodies. Methane in the Earth’s atmosphere survives for a shorter time than CO2 but its impact on climate change can be larger than CO2. Carbon and methane emissions from land are expected to increase as permafrost melts exposing millennial-age carbon stocks to respiration (aerobic-CO2 and anaerobic-CH4) and fires.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Coupled Processes at Land-Atmosphere-Ocean Interfaces   (Mon 4:00 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Related Activity

Poster Location ID: 72