Influence of HITRAN Database Updates on Retrievals of Atmospheric CO2 from Near-Infrared Spectra

The line-transition parameters of the High Resolution Transmission (HITRAN) 2008 database have been updated relative to previous editions. The transmission spectra and sensitivity to changes in CO2 concentrations using line parameters from the HITRAN 2004 and HITRAN 2008 databases are compared to evaluate the effect of the database updates on retrievals of carbon dioxide vertical columns from nearinfrared reflected sunlight. This comparison is done in three spectral regions covering the 2.06-, 1.61-, and 1.58-μm CO2 bands used by the Greenhouse Gases Observatory Satellite (GOSAT) instrument and the planned successor to the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO). The updates to the HITRAN database have the largest effects on the transmittance and the off-line to on-line transmittance ratio in the 2.06-μm region and the smallest effects on these parameters in the 1.58-μm region. The influence of the updates to the HITRAN database on the off-line to on-line ratio calculation in the narrow spectral region 4855–4880 cm ?1could be equivalent to a change in CO2 of more than 50 ppmv. Use of the HITRAN 2004 database will lead to an underestimate of the column CO2 abundance in the 2.06- and 1.61-μm spectral regions, whereas it will lead to an overestimate of the column CO2 abundance in the 1.58-μm spectral region.