CEOS EO HANDBOOK – MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS
Measurements > Atmosphere >
Trace gases (excluding ozone) >
CH4 Mole Fraction


Measurement Definition*: 3D field of amount of CH4 (Methane, expressed in moles) divided by the total amount of all constituents in dry air (also expressed in moles) - Resolution Units km, Measuring Units molecules.cm-2, Uncertainty Units %

Thematic Links
InstrumentStatus/
Accuracy
Instrument DescriptionMeasurement TechnologyTimeline
ACE-FTS
Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) Fourier Transform Spectrometer
Operational
Measure and understand the chemical processes that control the distribution of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere, especially at high altitudes.Limb-scanning IR spectrometer
AHSI
The Advanced Hyperspectral Imager
Operational
Greenhouse Gases (CO2, CH4, N2O, etc), Atmospheric Pollutants (NO2, SO2, HCHO, etc)n/a
AIRS
Atmospheric Infra-red Sounder
Operational
+/-1.2 %
High spectral resolution measurement of temperature and humidity profiles in the atmosphere. Long-wave Earth surface emissivity. Cloud diagnostics. Trace gas profiles. Surface temperatures.n/a
EMIT
Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation
Operational
Imaging spectroscopy from the visible to short wavelength infrared (VSWIR) to determine surface mineral compostion in the Earth's arid land dust source regions.High-resolution nadir-scanning SW spectrometer
GAS
Greenhouse gases Absorption Spectrometer
Operational
Measures greenhouse gases.High-resolution nadir-scanning SW spectrometer
HSI
Hyperspectral Imager
Operational
Detailed monitoring and characterization of rock and soil targets, vegetation, inland and coastal waters on a global scale.n/a
HYC
HYperspectral Camera
Operational
Hyperspectral data for complex land ecosystem studies.n/a
IASI
Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer
Operational
+/-20 %
Measures tropospheric moisture and temperature, column integrated contents of ozone, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other minor gases which affect tropospheric chemistry. Also measures sea surface and land temperature.n/a
IKFS-2
IR-Fourier spectrometer
Operational
Atmospheric temperature/humidity profiles, data on cloud parameters, water vapour & ozone column amounts, surface temperature.High-resolution nadir-scanning IR spectrometer
iSIM-90 imager
iSIM-90 imager
Operational
 n/a
OMI
Ozone Measuring Instrument
Operational
Mapping of ozone columns, key air quality components (NO2, SO2, BrO, OClO and aerosols), measurements of cloud pressure and coverage, global distribution and trends in UV-B radiation.High-resolution nadir-scanning SW spectrometer
TANSO-FTS
Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation - Fourier Transform Spectrometer
Operational
+/-0.5 %
CO2 and CH4 distribution.High-resolution nadir-scanning IR spectrometer
TANSO-FTS-2
Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation - Fourier Transform Spectrometer-2
Operational
CO2, CH4, and CO distribution.High-resolution nadir-scanning IR spectrometer
TROPOMI
TROPOMI
Operational
+/-2 %
Supporting atmospheric composition and air quality monitoring services.High-resolution nadir-scanning SW spectrometer
ACX
GeoXO Atmospheric Composition Instrument
Being developed
 n/a
AIRMO Spectrometer
AIRMO Spectrometer
Being developed
Precise and close to real-time data on CH4 and CO2 emissionsHigh-resolution nadir-scanning IR spectrometer
CO2I
Integrated CO2 & NO2 Imaging spectrometer
Being developed
Pushbroom scanning spectrometer to provide relatively high spatial resolution CO2, CH4 and NO2 observations in support of estimating anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and CH4 in Copernicus. In addition, high quality NO2 and solar-induced fluorescence will be operationally delivered.High-resolution nadir-scanning SW spectrometer
CWFMS
Canadian Wildland Fire Monitoring Sensor
Being developed
Measurements are: Fire Radiative Power (FRP), hotspot locations, rate of spread, burned area mapping. Data products generated: 1) Fire maps, showing location, extent, and timing of forest fire events; 2) Fire characteristics, such as fire line intensity, rate of spread and fuel consumption; 3) Plume dynamics through smoke transport maps and plume heights; 4) Mass of carbon released into atmosphere.n/a
IASI-NG
Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer - New Generation
Being developed
+/-12 %
Measures profiles of atmospheric temperature, humidity, ozone, carbon monoxide, columns of methane, nitrous oxide, and other minor gases, and sea, ice, and land surface temperature and emissivity. Provides information on aeorols and cloud: fractional coverage, phase, cloud top height (input to Polar AMVs) and particle size. Prime applications: NWP, AC/AQ, climate. Secondary applications: NWC, land/ocean surface monitoring. IASI-NG will resume IASI role as internationl standard for satellite inter-calibration (GSICS).n/a
Micro-LiDaR
Micro-LiDAR
Being developed
 n/a
TANSO-3
Total Anthropogenic and Natural emissions mapping SpectrOmeter-3
Being developed
Global and regional concentration mapping of CO2, CH4, and NO2 for global monitoring of GHG concentrations, verification of emission inventories, and detection of emissions from large sources.High-resolution nadir-scanning IR spectrometer
UVSQ-Sat NG Spectrometer
UVSQ-Sat NG Spectrometer
Being developed
This NIR Spectrometer fits within a volume of less than 1 unit (10 × 10 × 10 cm) and has a 15 mm aperture. It is composed of a 300 groves/mm grating and an Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) linear image sensor equipped with a Peltier thermoelectric cooler, offering integration times ranging from 0.5 to 4 s. Improved results (GHG observations) can be achieved if the Uvsq-Sat NG NIR Spectrometer temperature is maintained below −5 °C.n/a
IPDA LIDAR
Integrated Path Differential Absorption Light Detection and Ranging Instrument
Approved
+/-2 %
'Active' optical remote sensing instrument for atmospheric parameters or trace gases. Global information on atmospheric Methane concentration (Methane column density measurements).n/a
IKFS-3
Advanced Fourier spectrometer
Proposed
Atmospheric temperature/humidity profiles, data on cloud parameters, water vapour & ozone column amounts, surface temperature.High-resolution nadir-scanning IR spectrometer
ScepterSat Instrument
ScepterSat Instrument
Proposed
 n/a
TGSP
Trace Gas Spectrometer
Proposed
Trace gas measurements.n/a
HiRDLS
High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder
No longer operational
+/-1 %
Measures atmospheric temperature, concentrations of ozone, water vapour, methane, NOx, N2O, CFCs and other minor species, aerosol concentration, location of polar stratospheric clouds and cloud tops. Currently not collecting data on Aqua.Limb-scanning IR spectrometer
TES
Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer
No longer operational
+/-0.7 %
3D profiles on a global scale of all infra-red active species from surface to lower stratosphere. Measures greenhouse gas concentrations, tropospheric ozone, acid rain precursors, gas exchange leading to stratospheric ozone depletion.High-resolution nadir-scanning IR spectrometer
* Description adapted from WMO.