Field results from 3 campaigns to validate the performance of the Miniaturized Laser Heterodyne Radiometer (mini-LHR) for measuring carbon dioxide and methane in the atmospheric column

We present mini-LHR measurements of column CO2 and CH4 from our recent field campaign at Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO), HI in May 2013 as well as column CO2 measurements from Castle Airport in Merced, CA during the ASCENDS DC-8 campaign in February 2013, and column CO2 measurements made at the NOAA LEF/TCCON (Total Column Carbon Observing Network) site in Park Falls, WI in September 2012. The mini-LHR was completely automated at the MLO location and operates in tandem with an AERONET sun photometer and measures CO2 and CH4 every 15 minutes during daylight hours in clear sky conditions. Laser heterodyne radiometry has been an established receiver technique since the 1970s and has been used to measure a range of atmospheric gases such as ozone, water vapor, methane, ammonia, chlorine monoxide, and nitrous oxide. The mini-LHR is a passive variation on this technique that uses sunlight as the light source to measure absorption of CO2 and CH4 in the infrared. In this instrument, sunlight is collected with collimation optics mounted to the AERONET sun tracker and superimposed with laser light in a single mode fiber coupler. The signals are mixed in a fast photoreceiver (InGaAs detector), and the RF (radio frequency) beat signal is extracted. Changes in concentration of the trace gas are realized through analyzing changes in the beat frequency amplitude. Miniaturization was made possible through the use of smaller distributive feedback (DFB) lasers and related fiber optic components that have recently become commercially available and inexpensive through progress in the telecommunications industry. In addition to the complementary aerosol optical depth measurement, tandem operation with AERONET provides a clear pathway for the mini-LHR to be expanded into a global monitoring network. AERONET has more than 450 instruments worldwide and offers coverage in key arctic regions (not covered by OCO-2) where accelerated warming due to the release of CO2 and CH4 from thawing tundra and permafrost is a concern. A mini-LHR global ground network can also provide an uninterrupted data record that will both bridge gaps in data sets and offer validation for key flight missions such as OCO-2, OCO-3, and ASCENDS. Currently, the only ground global network that routinely measures multiple greenhouse gases in the atmospheric column is TCCON with 18 operational sites worldwide and two in the US. Cost and size of TCCON installations will limit the potential for expansion. We offer a low-cost (<$30K/unit) solution to supplement these measurements.