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Upcoming Seminars
| Title: | From global trends to local events: tracking atmospheric composition with ground-based NDACC HR-FTIR
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| Speaker: |
Dr. Ivan Ortega
Ivan Ortega is a scientist at NCAR whose research uses ground-based, aircraft, and satellite remote sensing to study atmospheric chemistry and the variability of trace gases. He is a member of the NCAR team responsible for operating and maintaining high-resolution FTIR instruments at Mauna Loa, Thule, and Boulder as part of NDACC, and holds a PhD in Chemistry from CU Boulder and an M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
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| Date/Time: |
Thursday, October 22, 2026 01:00 PM MDT (-0600)
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| Location: |
David Skaggs Research Center, Room GC402
Google Meet |
Abstract
Ground-based solar absorption spectroscopy, particularly high-resolution Fourier Transform Infrared (HR-FTIR), serves as a critical benchmark for monitoring atmospheric composition, validating space-based sensors, and evaluating Earth system models. Framed around the global Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), this presentation explores atmospheric trace gas variability across two distinct observational scales: global decadal trends and a regional case study.
Beginning at the global scale, decadal FTIR datasets provide critical insights into the trends of carbonyl sulfide (OCS). This presentation shows the analysis of a multi-year record (1986–2025) of atmospheric OCS trends derived from the NDACC. Furthermore, I will outline an initiative to develop a harmonized global OCS dataset, bias-correcting satellite retrievals against ground-based and aircraft observations, to better constrain sensitivity simulations within Earth system models.
Shifting to the regional scale, the presentation will feature observations from Boulder, Colorado. The site's 16-year observational record demonstrates the capability of ground-based FTIR instruments to capture dynamic trace gas variations. While this continuous record reveals significant long-term regional shifts, such as the rapid historical increase and recent decrease in ethane, the primary focus of this section will be highlighting distinct atmospheric events observed locally in 2026.
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