(June 15, 2015) How
light of different colours is absorbed by carbon dioxide (CO2) can now be
accurately predicted using new calculations developed by a UCL-led team of
scientists. This will help climate scientists studying Earth’s greenhouse gas
emissions to better interpret data collected from satellites and ground
stations measuring CO2.
By improving the understanding of how much radiation CO2
absorbs, uncertainties in modelling climate change will be reduced and more
accurate predictions can be made about how much Earth is likely to warm over
the next few decades.
Previous methods were only accurate to about 5% at best
across all wavelengths, whereas the new calculations give an accuracy of 0.3%.
This improvement will enable missions to achieve their goals, which demand an
accuracy of 0.3-0.5% say the team of scientists.