Probing planetary pollution from space

This paper will review the data sets obtained from instruments that have measured carbon monoxide and tropospheric ozone from space. In addition, an example of the capability of Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) systems will be shown and the current plans for monitoring pollution from spaceborne platforms will be discussed. As a result of these studies, scientists now know that pollution is a widespread phenomenon that has impacted the composition of the atmosphere on continental and hemispheric scales. Such perturbations will have far-reaching consequences for global atmospheric chemistry and climate. New measurement techniques using active remote sensors have already produced exciting data sets from aircraft platforms, and should provide an entirely new capability when used from space sometime in the 21st century