CO2M

 CO2M will measure the greenhouse gases CO2 and methane, which together account for nearly ninety percent of global warming. In addition, the satellite constellation will measure nitrogen dioxide, which reduces biodiversity and contributes to the formation of the greenhouse gas ozone.

In addition to gases, CO2M also monitors factors that must be corrected for in CO2 measurements: cloud cover, aerosols and “sun-induced fluorescence. Aerosols in the atmosphere interfere with CO2 measurements. So it is important to measure them so you know what to correct for. The same goes for clouds. Sun-induced fluorescence is red light that plants emit when photosynthesis occurs in their leaves. Based on that, scientists develop models about the role of plants in the CO2 cycle. From that, they deduce the human contribution to CO2 in the atmosphere.