Canadian Greenhouse Gas Measurement Program

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Greenhouse Gas Measurement Program operates a network of stations to measure atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases at coastal, interior, and arctic regions in Canada. The data are used to:

• Identify trends, seasonal variability, and the spatial distribution of greenhouse gases in Canada.
• Provide a record of the present and past states of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of changing atmospheric transport patterns, emissions from natural sources (such as from wetlands and forests), and emissions to the atmosphere from human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels.
• Provide the scientific and policy-making communities with high quality baseline and trend information that contributes to the development and evaluation of mitigation plans, and tracks the effectiveness of Canadian and international policies and regulations.

Greenhouse gas measurements began in 1975 and constitute Canada’s contribution to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch Program.

This work is integrated with the climate processes research on carbon and water cycles at the Borden Forest Research Station, as well as aerosol studies within the Canadian Aerosol Baseline Measurement (CABM) Program.

Data is available at the World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases. Detailed technical information on the instrumentation, sampling methodologies, calibration and data quality is available by request.