NOAA ESRL Global Monitoring Division

Global Monitoring Division

Providing the best possible information on atmospheric constituents that drive climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and baseline air quality.

Mauna Loa, Hawaii

Mauna Loa CO₂

Barrow, Alaska

American Samoa

Picture from Water Vapor balloon flight, 20km altitude

Mauna Loa Apparent Solar Transmission

Global Means of various Halogenated compounds

Surface Radiation Measurement Instruments near Penn State

Trinidad Head, California

South Pole Ozone Hole Profile

The Atmospheric Research Observatory at South Pole

Summit, Greenland

CO₂ Weather computed by Carbontracker Model

Observatories

Barrow

Trinidad Head

Mauna Loa

American Samoa

South Pole

Summit

Climate Forcing

ESRL's Global Monitoring Division conducts sustained observations and research related to global distributions, trends, sources and sinks of atmospheric constituents that are capable of forcing change in the climate of the Earth. This research will advance climate projections and provide scientific policy-relevant, decision support information to enhance society's ability to plan and respond.

Ozone Depletion

ESRL's Global Monitoring Division conducts research on the depletion of the global stratospheric ozone layer and Antarctic ozone hole through global surface-based monitoring of total-column ozone, ultraviolet radiation, and ozone-depleting gases, including those regulated by the Montreal Protocol. Continued surveillance is necessary in order to verify the expected recovery of the ozone layer.

Baseline Air Quality

ESRL's Global Monitoring Division monitors levels of air quality elements such as tropospheric ozone, carbon monoxide and aerosol particles in non-source regions which may be affected by long range transport from distant sources of industrial pollution. This large-scale transport affects baseline air quality which must be monitored in order to determine the importance of regional sources that may impact the environment and public health.

Quick Links

GMD News

NOAA greenhouse gas index continues climbing November 9, 2011
NOAA, NASA: Significant ozone hole remains over Antarctica October 20, 2011
South Pole ozone hole update October 18, 2011
Three NOAA/ESRL AirCore samplers deployed in back-to-back balloon launches September 19, 2011
Unmanned Aircraft Study of Stratospheric Water Vapor & Ozone, and Climate September 16, 2011
Fifth and Final Pole-to-Pole Aircraft Study of Greenhouse Gases is Underway August 8, 2011
Slowing climate change by targeting gases other than carbon dioxide August 4, 2011
Fourth Pole-to-Pole Airborne Study of Greenhouse Gases and Black Carbon
June 16, 2011

View News Archive

Upcoming Seminars

Highlights

2012 Global Monitoring Annual Conference set for May 15-16
The next Global Monitoring Conference will be held May 15-16, 2012 in Boulder.
2011 Update of NOAA's Ozone Depleting Gas Index
An index that relates changes in amounts of ozone depleting gases and the recovery of the ozone layer.
2011 Update of NOAA's Annual Greenhouse Gas Index Released
An index for tracking changes in levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases.
South Pole Live Camera
The South Pole live camera is up!
2011 South Pole Ozone Hole
View Ozone sondes, total ozone, animations and compare this year's ozone hole to previous years.
Barrow Snow Melt Dates
2011 update on the dates of snow melt at the Barrow Observatory.
2010 Update of Carbontracker Released
A system to keep track of carbon dioxide uptake and release at the Earth's surface over time.
New Version of Data Visualization App.
A new version of GMD's IADV is now available. More data types can be viewed, such as additional trace gases, meteorology and surface radiation.
Solar Calculator
Get estimates for sunrise, sunset, solar noon and the position of the sun in the sky for a given date and location.

Research Groups

Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases
CCGG makes measurements of the spatial and temporal distributions of carbon-cycle gases and provides essential constraints to our understanding of the global carbon cycle.
Halocarbons and other Trace Species

The HATS group quantifies the distributions and magnitudes of the sources and sinks for important ozone-depleting and greenhouse gases.
Aerosols
The goals of this program are to characterize means, variability, and trends of climate-forcing properties of different types of aerosols.
Solar and Infrared Radiation
Activities involve empirical and theoretical research of the Earth's surface radiation budget.
Ozone and Water Vapor
Research on the nature and causes of the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer and the role of stratospheric and tropospheric ozone and water vapor in forcing climate change.
Observatory Operations
NOAA/ESRL operates staffed atmospheric baseline observatories from which numerous in situ and remote atmospheric and solar measurements are conducted.

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