Part of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Climate Change Initiative (CCI) project and the Climate Research Data Package Number 2 (CRDP#2), the BESD XCO2 SCIAMACHY product comprises a level 2, column-averaged dry-air mole fraction (mixing ratio) for carbon dioxide (CO2). The product has been produced using data acquired from the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) on board the European Space Agency's environmental research satellite ENVISAT.

This product has been produced with the Bremen Optimal Estimation DOAS (BESD) algorithm, a full physics algorithm which uses measurements in the O2-A absorption band to retrieve scattering information of clouds and aerosols. This is the GHG CCI baseline algorithm for deriving SCIAMACHY XCO2 data: A product has also been generated from the SCIAMACHY data using an alternative algorithm: the WFMD algorithm, the link to this product's record page being provided in the documentation section. It is advised that users who aren't sure whether to use the baseline or alternative product use this product generated with the BESD baseline algorithm. For more information regarding the differences between baseline and alternative algorithms please see the GHG-CCI data products webpage in the documentation section.

For further information on the product, including details of the BESD algorithm and the SCIAMACHY instrument, please see the associated product user guide (PUG) or the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Documents in the documentation section.