Measurements of carbon monoxide from space using the MOPITT instrument

With such an extensive dataset, it is now possible to try to assess the “average” behaviour of carbon monoxide over the planet. The intriguing result is that the average proves very elusive and the “typical year” has yet to be determined. Random surface events are frequent enough that carbon monoxide is frequently perturbed from its background state. This has implications for modeling and forecasting of future concentrations.