This ought to settle once and for all the question whether ambient CO2 has anthropogenic sources and help monitor changes in CO2 emissions and concentrations as regulatory programs take effect.
In January, the next frontier of atmospheric CO2 measuring instruments will begin when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration launches the first carbon-scanning satellite, called the Orbiting Carbon Observatory.
Each day, the satellite will orbit Earth 15 times, taking nearly 500,000 measurements of the "fingerprint" that CO2 leaves in the air between the satellite and Earth's surface. The data will be used to create a map of CO2 concentrations that will help scientists determine precisely where the sources and sinks are—showing differences in trace gases down to a 1 part per million precision against a background of 380 parts per million CO2 equivalent.
Skeptic
Oops. Yesterday's launch failed, and the NASA satellite crashed into the ocean. Japan successfully launched a similar satellite last month, and it is undergoing tests.