Blueprint Merges Greenhouse Gas, Wind Data to Improve Emissions Monitoring

New KISS report proposes an integrated program to track greenhouse gases and winds for more accurate climate data.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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A new study published by the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS), in collaboration with Caltech, Rutgers University, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, presents a roadmap for simultaneously combining data on the abundance of greenhouse gases with data on winds to better pinpoint emission sources. The findings will help improve the monitoring and mitigation of these gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which drive climate change.

Why it matters

Currently, modeling and data assimilation of wind and atmospheric chemistry data are conducted separately, limiting the ability to accurately trace greenhouse gas plumes back to their sources. By proposing an integrated greenhouse gas and winds program, the report aims to provide a framework for future mission concepts, shared community platforms, and policy-relevant tools that can support climate action worldwide.

The details

The report, "Tracing Greenhouse Gases: A Blueprint for a Joint Meteorology and Atmospheric Composition Program," emerged from a five-day workshop hosted by KISS at Caltech in 2024. The workshop brought together experts in both wind and greenhouse gas observations from 20 institutions to discuss the need for better integration of data from space observatories and ground sensors, in combination with weather models, to offer a clearer picture of greenhouse gas emissions and movement.

  • The KISS workshop was held from October 7-11, 2024.
  • The report was published on February 19, 2026.

The players

Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS)

A research institute at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and advances integrated, space-based approaches to various scientific challenges.

Paul Wennberg

Caltech's R. Stanton Avery Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Science and Engineering, and a co-leader of the KISS report.

Mary Whelan

An environmental scientist at Rutgers University and a co-leader of the KISS workshop.

Nick Parazoo

A terrestrial ecologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and a co-leader of the KISS workshop.

Derek Posselt

A research scientist at JPL and an author of the KISS report.

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What they’re saying

“We have very good data on the abundance of greenhouse gases from space- and ground-based sensors but determining from these data the sources of these gases-estimating both their locations and intensity-depends on understanding how they are dispersed by the winds.”

— Paul Wennberg, Caltech's R. Stanton Avery Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Science and Engineering (Mirage News)

“The complexity of understanding air movement and atmospheric composition has fostered two relatively separate research communities. We can be more effective by bringing them together in a thoughtful way.”

— Mary Whelan, Environmental scientist at Rutgers University (Mirage News)

“If we were to assimilate wind observations and greenhouse gas observations together in the same system, we would likely achieve greater benefits-more accurate weather forecasts and more accurate greenhouse gas transport in the atmosphere-than if we assimilate them in independent systems.”

— Derek Posselt, Research scientist at JPL (Mirage News)

What’s next

The report's proposed integrated greenhouse gas and winds program is expected to be considered as part of the next Earth Science Decadal Survey, facilitated by the National Academy of Sciences, which will set priorities in the field for the next decade.

The takeaway

By combining greenhouse gas and wind data, the KISS report lays the groundwork for future mission concepts, shared community platforms, and policy-relevant tools that can support more accurate monitoring and mitigation of climate-driving greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.