GOSAT-2 Related Activities at National Institute for Environmental Studies(NIES), Japan

Tsuneo Matsunaga1, Isamu Morino2, Yukio Yoshida1, Makoto Saito3, Toshinobu Machida1, Nobuko Saigusa4, Hitoshi Mukai5 and NIES GOSAT-2 Project Team, (1)NIES National Institute of Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan, (2)National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Tsukuba, Japan, (3)National Institute for Environmental Studies, Satellite Observation Center, Tsukuba, Japan, (4)Nat Inst Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan, (5)National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan
Abstract:
GOSAT-2, the successor to Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT), is a Japanese earth observation satellite to be launched in FY2017. It will measure atmospheric concentrations of CO2, CH4, CO, and black carbon by a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS-2) and a multispectral imager(CAI-2). GOSAT-2 related activities being conducted at National Institute for Environmental Studies(NIES) are as follows:

Preliminary sensitivity tests have been conducted to understand the relationship between GOSAT-2 design parameters and retrieved gas concentration precisions. Due to the SNR improvement in some FTS-2 bands, random errors of GOSAT-2 will be smaller about 30% for XCO2 and 40% for XCH4 than GOSAT.

One of important challenges of GOSAT-2 is to provide global CO2 and CH4 flux products with higher spatial and temporal resolutions and less uncertainty than GOSAT. Development of a new system on an atmospheric transport model and an atmospheric inversion, as well as development of a terrestrial biosphere model, have been attempted to meet this challenge.

The GOSAT-2 validation plan is being discussed. Its basic idea is based on GOSAT experience. But various recently developed instruments will be considered. In addition, a new TCCON site in Southeast Asia and more gas measurement equipments for commercial airliners are being investigated.

NIES is responsible for the generation of GOSAT-2 Level 2 and 4 products as well as the distribution of GOSAT-2 standard products to public. For these purposes, a dedicated system, GOSAT-2 Data Processing System (G2DPS), will be established in NIES. The preliminary design of G2DPS has already started.

It is expected that GOSAT-2 will contribute not only to carbon cycle science but also to the early detection of carbon cycle changes and the assessment of carbon emission reducing activities such as REDD+ and JCM. Several projects which include satellite and in-situ data and various models are being conducted in NIES as preparations for GOSAT-2.

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