Scientists have provided an ultra-high-resolution simulation of a year's worth of global carbon dioxide emissions courtesy of a NASA computer model.

The NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite launched in July helped produce the clearest view of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. It also gathered real emissions data.

Like Us on Facebook

The visualizations are the work of a NASA computer model called GEOS-5 that has a resolution 64 times greater than most global climate models. NASA said emissions data were fed into the model and simulated the movement of carbon dioxide throughout the Earth's atmosphere from May 2005 to June 2007.

"While the presence of carbon dioxide has dramatic global consequences, it's fascinating to see how local emission sources and weather systems produce gradients of its concentration on a very regional scale," says Bill Putman, lead project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Putman added the combination of the observed data will help us better understand the human emissions of carbon dioxide and natural fluxes across the globe.

The NASA computer model discovered there are noticeable changes in global CO2 concentrations and differences in levels between the Earth's northern and southern hemispheres.

NASA stated the colors represent a range of carbon dioxide concentrations, from 375 parts per million (ppm) in dark blue to 395 ppm in light purple. The red represents about 385 ppm, while the white plumes signify carbon monoxide emissions.

TagsNASA, carbon dioxide, CO2, CO2 emissions, NASA computer model, GEOS-5