Mapping the National Carbon Flux Budget

One of the great challenges in the international debate over limitations on carbon release from fossil fuel combustion is the question of accurately determining the net flux of carbon based greenhouse gas emission. To answer this question in a manner that will satisfy international scrutiny requires high accuracy, high spatial resolution observations mapping the entirety of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. This requirement demands a new approach that can only be addressed using innovative new technology that effectively combines state-of-the-art technologies in spectroscopy, infrared lasers, electronics and computing, advanced global navigation systems, high performance airborne vertical wind velocity measurements,  high efficiency aircraft that provide regional coverage with disciplined cost. This “chemical cartography” constitutes a major national objective.