Mountaintop observation of CO2 absorption spectra using a short wavelength infrared Fourier transform spectrometer

The absorption spectra of surface-scattered solar radiation were measured from the top of Mount Tsukuba (altitude 833 m) in the short wavelength infrared region using a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). The FTS used in this experiment was the breadboard model of the FTS on the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite, which was launched on 23 January 2009. In situ measurement of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) from a Cessna airplane was performed simultaneously with the FTS observation. The CO(2) column abundances were retrieved from the observed spectra under the assumption of the absence of aerosol. The retrieved CO(2) column abundances over a few minutes dispersed within 1%. The remaining bias was considered to be caused by the no-aerosol assumption.