Characterization of the Regional Carbon Balance Based on Satellite Observations of Carbon Dioxide

A new approach to characterize the regional carbon balance is presented. It involves optimizing the ecosystem carbon exchange model parameters using satellite observations of the CO2 column-average dry-air mole fraction in the atmosphere (XCO2) and simulations with a mesoscale chemistry–transport model. The potential of this proposed approach is demonstrated through its application to estimate ecosystem CO2 fluxes in the Central Siberia region using the XCO2 data from the OCO-2 satellite.