The TCCON measurements have improved the scientific community's understanding of the carbon cycle,[2][3] and urban greenhouse gas emissions.

Every year a meeting is held in a location that rotates between North America, the Western Pacific, and Europe hosted by a participating institution.

[8] The main instrument at each TCCON site is a Bruker IFS 125HR (HR for high resolution, ~0.02 cm−1) or occasionally 120HR Fourier transform spectrometer.

The spectrometers measure the absorption of direct sunlight by atmospheric trace gases primarily in the near infrared region.

This remote sensing technique produces a precise and accurate measurement of the total column abundance of the trace gas.

[9] Current TCCON sites are located in the United States, China, Canada, Germany, Poland, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Réunion, and Ascension Island.

In North America some of these include Caltech, JPL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA Ames, and the University of Toronto.