ESA Greenhouse Gases Climate Change Initiative (GHG_cci) dataset collection

The Greenhouse Gases Climate Change Initiative (GHG_cci) data products are near-surface-sensitive dry-air column-averaged mole fractions (mixing ratios) of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), created as part of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Greenhouses Gases Essential Climate Variable (ECV) CCI project. Denoted XCO2 (in ppmv) and XCH4 (in ppbv), the products have been retrieved from the SCIAMACHY instrument on ENVISAT and TANSO-FTS onboard GOSAT, using ECV Core Algorithms (ECAs). Other satellite instruments such as IASI, MIPAS and ACE-FTS have also been used to provide constraints for upper layers, with their corresponding retrieval algorithms referred to as Additional Constraints Algorithms (ACAs). The GHG data products are typically updated annually, the corresponding datasets being called Climate Research Data Packages (CRDP). The products have each been generated from individual sensors, a single merged product not having yet been created "combining" the products from different sensors to cover the entire available satellite time series. One merged product has however been generated using the EMMA algorithm, covering a limited time period. This EMMA product is mainly used as a comparison tool for products generated using individual algorithms, making up the collection of products used by EMMA. Typically the same product (e.g. XCO2 from GOSAT) has been generated using different retrieval algorithms. A baseline algorithm has been used to generate one recommended baseline product, for users unsure which product to choose. Other products are called alternative products. However an alternative product's quality may equal that of the corresponding baseline product. It typically depends upon the application for which a product is required, which product is best to use as methods involved in producing them typically have varying strength and weaknesses. For further information on the products, such as details on the SCIAMACHY and TANSO instruments, the algorithms used to generate the data and the data's format, please see the Product Specification Document (PSD) in the documentation section.