Carbon Dioxide

Using Satellites to Test for Carbon Dioxide in Earth’s Atmosphere

The Taurus XL will be launched into space on February 24th and has been specially made to test carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The Satellite has been made in response to the global warming crisis, and will be testing to see where the most carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere. To be launched into the lower atmosphere just 438 miles above earth, it will be close enough to be able to make accurate readings of the atmosphere. Because Carbon Dioxide is the leading cause of global warming, this satellite is necessary to find out how bad humanities addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere actually is.

It will also be able to tell where on Earth the highest concentrations of carbon dioxide actually are. Where the “sinks” are will lead researches to where the carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored. They will study how the sinks move over time and from there gains a better understanding of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There has not been a comprehensive study of Earth’s carbon dioxide and how it moves around in the atmosphere. For two years, the satellite will take up to at least eight million precise measurements every 16 days. This understanding will hopefully give us a better understanding of how humans have affected the climate.