This Laser Scans Skies for Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases

NIST device tracks methane, carbon dioxide and ozone

3 min read

Illustration of a NIST laser frequency-comb instrument over a photo of a NIST building in Boulder, Colorado.
NIST researchers used a laser frequency-comb instrument (illustration at lower right) to simultaneously measure three airborne greenhouse gases—nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and water vapor—plus ozone and carbon monoxide over two round-trip paths (arrows) from a NIST building in Boulder, Colorado, to a reflector on a balcony of another building, and another reflector on a nearby hill.
N. HANACEK/NIST