Retrieval of major greenhouse gas profiles with LEO-ground infrared laser occultation (LGIO) technique

A LEO-ground infrared laser occultation (LGIO) technique is proposed to retrieve the greenhouse gas (GHG) profiles at a specific location, which is practical for monitoring regional weather and climate changes. The harmony search (HS) algorithm with ensemble consideration is applied to retrieve the volume mixing ratio (VMR) profiles of three major GHGs (CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O) and H₂O. The vertical resolution is 1 km below 20 km. The error of VMR with this method is below 10, 5, 5 and 3 % for H₂O, CH₄, N₂O and CO₂, respectively, at the altitudes from ground to 45 km.