The MOPITT Carbon Monoxide (CO) (Daily, Day, Surface Mixing Ratio) layer shows the amount of carbon monoxide present at the Earth’s surface in the lower atmosphere (troposphere) and is measured in parts per billion by volume (ppbv). CO is a trace gas produced by methane oxidation, fossil fuel consumption (emitted from factories and cars) and biomass burning (from forest fires and agricultural burning). These measurements are useful for analyzing the distribution, transport, sources and sinks of CO in the troposphere and can be used to observe how it interacts with land and ocean biospheres. CO hinders the atmosphere’s natural ability to rid itself of harmful pollutants.

The MOPITT Carbon Monoxide (Daily, Day, Surface Mixing Ratio) layer is available from the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument on the Terra satellite. The sensor resolution is 22 km at nadir, imagery resolution is 2 km, and the temporal resolution is daily.

References: doi: 10.5067/TERRA/MOPITT/MOP03J_L3.008; MOPITT Version 8 Product User's Guide; NCAR|UCAR: Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT); NASA: MOPITT