On the evaluation of PRISMA hyperspectral satellite sensitivity to significant loadings of carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from industrial sources is one of the main anthropogenic contributors to the greenhouse effect. We investigated the potentiality of satellite hyperspectral sensors, as the Hyperspectral Precursor of the Application Mission (PRISMA) — an optical Earth Observation satellite mission funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) — to evaluate significant amounts of CO 2 concentrations in the lower troposphere. Using synthetic hyperspectra at top of atmosphere, sensitivity analysis to the retrieval of CO 2 concentrations was performed in the weak (1610 and 1570 nm) and strong (2010 and 2050 nm) absorption bands. Considering the designed spectral and radiometric features of PRISMA, results of the analysis show a relative uncertainty between 3 and 15 % on the retrieval of CO 2 concentrations between 390 to 5100 ppmv.