Precision column CO2 measurement from space using broad band LIDAR

In order to better understand the budget of carbon dioxide in the Earth´s atmosphere it is necessary to develop a global high precision understanding of the carbon dioxide column. To uncover the ldquomissing sinkrdquo that is responsible for the large discrepancies in the budget as we presently understand it, calculation has indicated that measurement accuracy of 1 ppm is necessary. Because typical column average CO₂ has now reached 380 ppm this represents a precision on the order of 0.25% for these column measurements. No species has ever been measured from space at such a precision. In recognition of the importance of understanding the CO₂ budget to evaluate its impact on global warming the National Research Council in its decadal survey report to NASA recommended planning for a laser based total CO₂ mapping mission in the near future.