How the Orbiting Carbon Observatory Works

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is a NASA satellite that will orbit the earth and measure CO2 levels in the atmosphere with high accuracy. The goal is to find sources and sinks for CO2 to better understand where CO2 is being created and absorbed on the planet. This page describes the mission:

OCO - Orbiting Carbon Observatory

One reason for this mission is the fact that we don’t really understand all the sinks right now. It is not clear where all the CO2 goes when it is absorbed. This satellite will help understand the sinks better.

Here is an NPR interview with David Crisp, one of the scientists working on the mission:

Orbiting Carbon Observatory