Articles | Volume 11, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3955-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3955-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Jul 2018
Research article |
| 06 Jul 2018
| 06 Jul 2018
Comparing OMI-based and EPA AQS in situ NO2 trends: towards understanding surface NOx emission changes
Ruixiong Zhang
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Charles Smeltzer
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Hang Qu
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
William Koshak
NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, National Space Science & Technology Center, 320 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
K. Folkert Boersma
Meteorology and Air Quality Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, the Netherlands
Related authors
Jianfeng Li, Yuhang Wang, Ruixiong Zhang, Charles Smeltzer, Andrew Weinheimer, Jay Herman, K. Folkert Boersma, Edward A. Celarier, Russell W. Long, James J. Szykman, Ruben Delgado, Anne M. Thompson, Travis N. Knepp, Lok N. Lamsal, Scott J. Janz, Matthew G. Kowalewski, Xiong Liu, and Caroline R. Nowlan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11133–11160, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11133-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11133-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Comprehensive evaluations of simulated diurnal cycles of NO2 and NOy concentrations, vertical profiles, and tropospheric vertical column densities at two different resolutions with various measurements during the DISCOVER-AQ 2011 campaign show potential distribution biases of NOx emissions in the National Emissions Inventory 2011 at both 36 and 4 km resolutions, providing another possible explanation for the overestimation of model results.
Juliëtte C. S. Anema, K. Folkert Boersma, Lieuwe G. Tilstra, Olaf N. E. Tuinder, and Willem W. Verstraeten
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1961–1979, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1961-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1961-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Long-term records of plant fluorescence offer vital insights into changing vegetation activity. The GOME-2A sensor provides extensive global observations but suffers from calibration and instrument degradation, which affects data consistency. This study presents the SIFTER v3 algorithm, which effectively resolves these issues and includes other improvements, resulting in robust, accurate, and consistent GOME-2A fluorescence measurements from 2007 to 2017.
Qianqian Zhang, K. Folkert Boersma, Chiel van der Laan, Alba Mols, Bin Zhao, Shengyue Li, and Yuepeng Pan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3313–3326, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3313-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3313-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate NOx emission estimates are required to better understand air pollution. This study investigates and demonstrates the ability of the superposition column model in combination with TROPOMI tropospheric NO2 column data to estimate city-scale NOx emissions and lifetimes and their variabilities. The results of this work nevertheless confirm the strength of the superposition column model in estimating urban NOx emissions with reasonable accuracy.
Isolde Glissenaar, Klaas Folkert Boersma, Isidora Anglou, Pieter Rijsdijk, Tijl Verhoelst, Steven Compernolle, Gaia Pinardi, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Michel Van Roozendael, and Henk Eskes
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-616, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-616, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new global dataset of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in the lower atmosphere, using data from TROPOMI for 2018–2021. This dataset offers improved accuracy and detail compared to earlier versions, meeting high international standards for climate data. By refining how measurement errors are calculated and reduced over time and space, we provide clearer insights into pollution patterns. This work supports better air quality monitoring and informs actions to address pollution globally.
Felipe Cifuentes, Henk Eskes, Enrico Dammers, Charlotte Bryan, and Folkert Boersma
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 621–649, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-621-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-621-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We tested the capability of the flux divergence approach (FDA) to reproduce known NOx emissions using synthetic NO2 satellite column retrievals from high-resolution model simulations. The FDA accurately reproduced NOx emissions when column observations were limited to the boundary layer and when the variability of the NO2 lifetime, the NOx : NO2 ratio, and NO2 profile shapes were correctly modeled. This introduces strong model dependency, reducing the simplicity of the original FDA formulation.
Pieter Rijsdijk, Henk Eskes, Arlene Dingemans, K. Folkert Boersma, Takashi Sekiya, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, and Sander Houweling
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 483–509, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-483-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-483-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Clustering high-resolution satellite observations into superobservations improves model validation and data assimilation applications. In our paper, we derive quantitative uncertainties for satellite NO2 column observations based on knowledge of the retrievals, including a detailed analysis of spatial error correlations and representativity errors. The superobservations and uncertainty estimates are tested in a global chemical data assimilation system and are found to improve the forecasts.
Alba Mols, Klaas Folkert Boersma, Hugo Denier van der Gon, and Maarten Krol
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-49, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-49, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We created a new method to estimate city air pollution (NOx emissions) using satellite data. Testing showed our approach works well to track how pollution spreads in urban areas. By combining observations with prior knowledge, we improved the accuracy of emission estimates. Applying this method in Paris, we found emissions were 9 % lower than expected and dropped significantly during COVID-19 lockdowns. Our method offers a reliable way to monitor pollution and support environmental policies.
Suvarna Fadnavis, Yasin Elshorbany, Jerald Ziemke, Brice Barret, Alexandru Rap, P. R. Satheesh Chandran, Richard Pope, Vijay Sagar, Domenico Taraborrelli, Eric Le Flochmoen, Juan Cuesta, Catherine Wespes, Folkert Boersma, Isolde Glissenaar, Isabelle De Smedt, Michel Van Roozendael, Hervé Petetin, and Isidora Anglou
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3050, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3050, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Satellites and model simulations show enhancement in tropospheric ozone, which is highly impacted by human-produced Nitrous oxides compared to volatile organic compounds. The increased amount of ozone enhances ozone radiative forcing. The ozone enhancement and associated radiative forcing are highest over South and East Asia. The emissions of Nitrous oxides show a higher influence in shifting ozone photochemical regimes than volatile organic compounds.
Tong Sha, Siyu Yang, Qingcai Chen, Liangqing Li, Xiaoyan Ma, Yan-Lin Zhang, Zhaozhong Feng, K. Folkert Boersma, and Jun Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8441–8455, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8441-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8441-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using an updated soil reactive nitrogen emission scheme in the Unified Inputs for Weather Research and Forecasting coupled with Chemistry (UI-WRF-Chem) model, we investigate the role of soil NO and HONO (Nr) emissions in air quality and temperature in North China. Contributions of soil Nr emissions to O3 and secondary pollutants are revealed, exceeding effects of soil NOx or HONO emission. Soil Nr emissions play an important role in mitigating O3 pollution and addressing climate change.
Maarten Krol, Bart van Stratum, Isidora Anglou, and Klaas Folkert Boersma
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8243–8262, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8243-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8243-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents detailed plume simulations of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide that are emitted from four large industrial facilities world-wide. Results from the high-resolution simulations that include atmospheric chemistry are compared to nitrogen dioxide observations from satellites. We find good performance of the model and show that common assumptions that are used in simplified models need revision. This work is important for the monitoring of emissions using satellite data.
Juliëtte C. S. Anema, Klaas Folkert Boersma, Piet Stammes, Gerbrand Koren, William Woodgate, Philipp Köhler, Christian Frankenberg, and Jacqui Stol
Biogeosciences, 21, 2297–2311, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2297-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2297-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
To keep the Paris agreement goals within reach, negative emissions are necessary. They can be achieved with mitigation techniques, such as reforestation, which remove CO2 from the atmosphere. While governments have pinned their hopes on them, there is not yet a good set of tools to objectively determine whether negative emissions do what they promise. Here we show how satellite measurements of plant fluorescence are useful in detecting carbon uptake due to reforestation and vegetation regrowth.
Yawen Liu, Yun Qian, Philip J. Rasch, Kai Zhang, Lai-yung Ruby Leung, Yuhang Wang, Minghuai Wang, Hailong Wang, Xin Huang, and Xiu-Qun Yang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3115–3128, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3115-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3115-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fire management has long been a challenge. Here we report that spring-peak fire activity over southern Mexico and Central America (SMCA) has a distinct quasi-biennial signal by measuring multiple fire metrics. This signal is initially driven by quasi-biennial variability in precipitation and is further amplified by positive feedback of fire–precipitation interaction at short timescales. This work highlights the importance of fire–climate interactions in shaping fires on an interannual scale.
Peiyang Cheng, Arastoo Pour-Biazar, Yuling Wu, Shi Kuang, Richard T. McNider, and William J. Koshak
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 41–63, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-41-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-41-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Lightning-induced nitrogen monoxide (LNO) emission can be estimated from geostationary satellite observations. The present study uses the LNO emission estimates derived from geostationary satellite observations in an air quality modeling system to investigate the impact of LNO on air quality. Results indicate that significant ozone increase could be due to long-distance chemical transport, lightning activity in the upwind direction, and the mixing of high LNO (or ozone) plumes.
Tobias Christoph Valentin Werner Riess, Klaas Folkert Boersma, Ward Van Roy, Jos de Laat, Enrico Dammers, and Jasper van Vliet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5287–5304, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5287-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5287-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite retrievals of trace gases require prior knowledge of the vertical distribution of the pollutant, which is usually obtained from models. Using aircraft-measured vertical NO2 profiles over the North Sea in summer 2021, we evaluate the Transport Model 5 profiles used in the TROPOMI NO2 retrieval. We conclude that driven by the low horizontal resolution and the overestimated vertical mixing, resulting NO2 columns are 20 % too low. This has important implications for emission estimates.
Chupeng Zhang, Shangfei Hai, Yang Gao, Yuhang Wang, Shaoqing Zhang, Lifang Sheng, Bin Zhao, Shuxiao Wang, Jingkun Jiang, Xin Huang, Xiaojing Shen, Junying Sun, Aura Lupascu, Manish Shrivastava, Jerome D. Fast, Wenxuan Cheng, Xiuwen Guo, Ming Chu, Nan Ma, Juan Hong, Qiaoqiao Wang, Xiaohong Yao, and Huiwang Gao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10713–10730, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10713-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10713-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
New particle formation is an important source of atmospheric particles, exerting critical influences on global climate. Numerical models are vital tools to understanding atmospheric particle evolution, which, however, suffer from large biases in simulating particle numbers. Here we improve the model chemical processes governing particle sizes and compositions. The improved model reveals substantial contributions of newly formed particles to climate through effects on cloud condensation nuclei.
Zhenxin Liu, Yuanhao Chen, Yuhang Wang, Cheng Liu, Shuhua Liu, and Hong Liao
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 4385–4403, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-4385-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-4385-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The heterogeneous layout of urban buildings leads to the complex wind field in and over the urban canopy. Large discrepancies between the observations and the current simulations result from misunderstanding the character of the wind field. The Inhomogeneous Wind Scheme in Urban Street (IWSUS) was developed to simulate the heterogeneity of the wind speed in a typical street and then improve the simulated energy budget in the lower atmospheric layer over the urban canopy.
Chandan Sarangi, Yun Qian, L. Ruby Leung, Yang Zhang, Yufei Zou, and Yuhang Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1769–1783, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1769-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1769-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We show that for air quality, the densely populated eastern US may see even larger impacts of wildfires due to long-distance smoke transport and associated positive climatic impacts, partially compensating the improvements from regulations on anthropogenic emissions. This study highlights the tension between natural and anthropogenic contributions and the non-local nature of air pollution that complicate regulatory strategies for improving future regional air quality for human health.
John Douros, Henk Eskes, Jos van Geffen, K. Folkert Boersma, Steven Compernolle, Gaia Pinardi, Anne-Marlene Blechschmidt, Vincent-Henri Peuch, Augustin Colette, and Pepijn Veefkind
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 509–534, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-509-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-509-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We focus on the challenges associated with comparing atmospheric composition models with satellite products such as tropospheric NO2 columns. The aim is to highlight the methodological difficulties and propose sound ways of doing such comparisons. Building on the comparisons, a new satellite product is proposed and made available, which takes advantage of higher-resolution, regional atmospheric modelling to improve estimates of troposheric NO2 columns over Europe.
Viral Shah, Daniel J. Jacob, Ruijun Dang, Lok N. Lamsal, Sarah A. Strode, Stephen D. Steenrod, K. Folkert Boersma, Sebastian D. Eastham, Thibaud M. Fritz, Chelsea Thompson, Jeff Peischl, Ilann Bourgeois, Ilana B. Pollack, Benjamin A. Nault, Ronald C. Cohen, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jose L. Jimenez, Simone T. Andersen, Lucy J. Carpenter, Tomás Sherwen, and Mat J. Evans
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1227–1257, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1227-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1227-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
NOx in the free troposphere (above 2 km) affects global tropospheric chemistry and the retrieval and interpretation of satellite NO2 measurements. We evaluate free tropospheric NOx in global atmospheric chemistry models and find that recycling NOx from its reservoirs over the oceans is faster than that simulated in the models, resulting in increases in simulated tropospheric ozone and OH. Over the U.S., free tropospheric NO2 contributes the majority of the tropospheric NO2 column in summer.
Qianqian Zhang, K. Folkert Boersma, Bin Zhao, Henk Eskes, Cuihong Chen, Haotian Zheng, and Xingying Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 551–563, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-551-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-551-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We developed an improved superposition column model and used the latest released (v2.3.1) TROPOMI satellite NO2 observations to estimate daily city-scale NOx and CO2 emissions. The results are verified against bottom-up emissions and OCO-2 XCO2 observations. We obtained the day-to-day variation of city NOx and CO2 emissions, allowing policymakers to gain real-time information on spatial–temporal emission patterns and the effectiveness of carbon and nitrogen regulation in urban environments.
Srijana Lama, Sander Houweling, K. Folkert Boersma, Ilse Aben, Hugo A. C. Denier van der Gon, and Maarten C. Krol
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 16053–16071, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-16053-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-16053-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Hydroxyl radical (OH) is the important chemical species that determines the lifetime of some greenhouse gases and trace gases. OH plays a vital role in air pollution chemistry. OH has a short lifetime and is extremely difficult to measure directly. OH concentrations derived from the chemistry transport model (CTM) have uncertainties of >50 %. Therefore, in this study, OH is derived indirectly using satellite date in urban plumes.
Zhenqi Xu, Wei Feng, Yicheng Wang, Haoran Ye, Yuhang Wang, Hong Liao, and Mingjie Xie
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13739–13752, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13739-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13739-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This work uses a solvent (DMF) that can efficiently dissolve low-volatility OC to examine BrC absorption and sources, which will benefit future investigations on the physicochemical properties of large organic molecules. The study results also shed light on potential sources for methanol-insoluble OC. These results highlight the importance of testing different solvents to investigate the structures and light absorption of low-volatility BrC.
Jos van Geffen, Henk Eskes, Steven Compernolle, Gaia Pinardi, Tijl Verhoelst, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Maarten Sneep, Mark ter Linden, Antje Ludewig, K. Folkert Boersma, and J. Pepijn Veefkind
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2037–2060, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2037-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2037-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of the main data products measured by the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on the Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) satellite. This study describes improvements in the TROPOMI NO2 retrieval leading to version v2.2, operational since 1 July 2021. It compares results with previous versions v1.2–v1.4 and with Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and ground-based measurements.
Tobias Christoph Valentin Werner Riess, Klaas Folkert Boersma, Jasper van Vliet, Wouter Peters, Maarten Sneep, Henk Eskes, and Jos van Geffen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1415–1438, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1415-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1415-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper reports on improved monitoring of ship nitrogen oxide emissions by TROPOMI. With its fantastic resolution we can identify lanes of ship nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution not detected from space before. The quality of TROPOMI NO2 data over sea is improved further by recent upgrades in cloud retrievals and the use of sun glint scenes. Lastly, we study the impact of COVID-19 on ship NO2 in European seas and compare the found reductions to emission estimates gained from ship-specific data.
Auke J. Visser, Laurens N. Ganzeveld, Ignacio Goded, Maarten C. Krol, Ivan Mammarella, Giovanni Manca, and K. Folkert Boersma
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 18393–18411, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18393-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18393-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Dry deposition is an important sink for tropospheric ozone that affects ecosystem carbon uptake, but process understanding remains incomplete. We apply a common deposition representation in atmospheric chemistry models and a multi-layer canopy model to multi-year ozone deposition observations. The multi-layer canopy model performs better on diurnal timescales compared to the common approach, leading to a substantially improved simulation of ozone deposition and vegetation ozone impact metrics.
Isabelle De Smedt, Gaia Pinardi, Corinne Vigouroux, Steven Compernolle, Alkis Bais, Nuria Benavent, Folkert Boersma, Ka-Lok Chan, Sebastian Donner, Kai-Uwe Eichmann, Pascal Hedelt, François Hendrick, Hitoshi Irie, Vinod Kumar, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Bavo Langerock, Christophe Lerot, Cheng Liu, Diego Loyola, Ankie Piters, Andreas Richter, Claudia Rivera Cárdenas, Fabian Romahn, Robert George Ryan, Vinayak Sinha, Nicolas Theys, Jonas Vlietinck, Thomas Wagner, Ting Wang, Huan Yu, and Michel Van Roozendael
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12561–12593, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12561-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12561-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper assess the performances of the TROPOMI formaldehyde observations compared to its predecessor OMI at different spatial and temporal scales. We also use a global network of MAX-DOAS instruments to validate both satellite datasets for a large range of HCHO columns. The precision obtained with daily TROPOMI observations is comparable to monthly OMI observations. We present clear detection of weak HCHO column enhancements related to shipping emissions in the Indian Ocean.
Chao Qin, Yafeng Gou, Yuhang Wang, Yuhao Mao, Hong Liao, Qin'geng Wang, and Mingjie Xie
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12141–12153, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12141-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12141-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we found that the aqueous solution in aerosols is an important absorbing phase for gaseous polyols in the atmosphere, indicating that the dissolution in aerosol liquid water should not be ignored when investigating gas–particle partitioning of water-soluble organics. The exponential increase in effective partitioning coefficients of polyol tracers with sulfate ion concentrations could be attributed to organic–inorganic interactions in the particle phase.
Jianfeng Li, Yuhang Wang, Ruixiong Zhang, Charles Smeltzer, Andrew Weinheimer, Jay Herman, K. Folkert Boersma, Edward A. Celarier, Russell W. Long, James J. Szykman, Ruben Delgado, Anne M. Thompson, Travis N. Knepp, Lok N. Lamsal, Scott J. Janz, Matthew G. Kowalewski, Xiong Liu, and Caroline R. Nowlan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11133–11160, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11133-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11133-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Comprehensive evaluations of simulated diurnal cycles of NO2 and NOy concentrations, vertical profiles, and tropospheric vertical column densities at two different resolutions with various measurements during the DISCOVER-AQ 2011 campaign show potential distribution biases of NOx emissions in the National Emissions Inventory 2011 at both 36 and 4 km resolutions, providing another possible explanation for the overestimation of model results.
Mengying Bao, Yan-Lin Zhang, Fang Cao, Yu-Chi Lin, Yuhang Wang, Xiaoyan Liu, Wenqi Zhang, Meiyi Fan, Feng Xie, Robert Cary, Joshua Dixon, and Lihua Zhou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4053–4068, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4053-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4053-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce a two-wavelength method for brown C measurements with a modified Sunset carbon analyzer. We defined the enhanced concentrations and gave the possibility of providing an indicator of brown C. Compared with the strong local sources of organic and elemental C, we found that differences in EC mainly originated from regional transport. Biomass burning emissions significantly contributed to high differences in EC concentrations during the heavy biomass burning periods.
Anteneh Getachew Mengistu, Gizaw Mengistu Tsidu, Gerbrand Koren, Maurits L. Kooreman, K. Folkert Boersma, Torbern Tagesson, Jonas Ardö, Yann Nouvellon, and Wouter Peters
Biogeosciences, 18, 2843–2857, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2843-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2843-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we assess the usefulness of Sun-Induced Fluorescence of Terrestrial Ecosystems Retrieval (SIFTER) data from the GOME-2A instrument and near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv) from MODIS to capture the seasonality and magnitudes of gross primary production (GPP) derived from six eddy-covariance flux towers in Africa in the overlap years between 2007–2014. We also test the robustness of sun-induced fluoresence and NIRv to compare the seasonality of GPP for the major biomes.
Kun Zhang, Ling Huang, Qing Li, Juntao Huo, Yusen Duan, Yuhang Wang, Elly Yaluk, Yangjun Wang, Qingyan Fu, and Li Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 5905–5917, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5905-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5905-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Recently, high O3 concentrations were frequently observed in rural areas of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region under stagnant conditions. Using an online measurement and observation-based model, we investigated the budget of ROx radicals and the influence of isoprene chemistry on O3 formation. Our results underline that isoprene chemistry in the rural atmosphere becomes important with the participation of anthropogenic NOx.
Eloise A. Marais, John F. Roberts, Robert G. Ryan, Henk Eskes, K. Folkert Boersma, Sungyeon Choi, Joanna Joiner, Nader Abuhassan, Alberto Redondas, Michel Grutter, Alexander Cede, Laura Gomez, and Monica Navarro-Comas
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 2389–2408, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2389-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2389-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrogen oxides in the upper troposphere have a profound influence on the global troposphere, but routine reliable observations there are exceedingly rare. We apply cloud-slicing to TROPOMI total columns of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at high spatial resolution to derive near-global observations of NO2 in the upper troposphere and show consistency with existing datasets. These data offer tremendous potential to address knowledge gaps in this oft underappreciated portion of the atmosphere.
Tijl Verhoelst, Steven Compernolle, Gaia Pinardi, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Henk J. Eskes, Kai-Uwe Eichmann, Ann Mari Fjæraa, José Granville, Sander Niemeijer, Alexander Cede, Martin Tiefengraber, François Hendrick, Andrea Pazmiño, Alkiviadis Bais, Ariane Bazureau, K. Folkert Boersma, Kristof Bognar, Angelika Dehn, Sebastian Donner, Aleksandr Elokhov, Manuel Gebetsberger, Florence Goutail, Michel Grutter de la Mora, Aleksandr Gruzdev, Myrto Gratsea, Georg H. Hansen, Hitoshi Irie, Nis Jepsen, Yugo Kanaya, Dimitris Karagkiozidis, Rigel Kivi, Karin Kreher, Pieternel F. Levelt, Cheng Liu, Moritz Müller, Monica Navarro Comas, Ankie J. M. Piters, Jean-Pierre Pommereau, Thierry Portafaix, Cristina Prados-Roman, Olga Puentedura, Richard Querel, Julia Remmers, Andreas Richter, John Rimmer, Claudia Rivera Cárdenas, Lidia Saavedra de Miguel, Valery P. Sinyakov, Wolfgang Stremme, Kimberly Strong, Michel Van Roozendael, J. Pepijn Veefkind, Thomas Wagner, Folkard Wittrock, Margarita Yela González, and Claus Zehner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 481–510, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-481-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-481-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper reports on the ground-based validation of the NO2 data produced operationally by the TROPOMI instrument on board the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite. Tropospheric, stratospheric, and total NO2 columns are compared to measurements collected from MAX-DOAS, ZSL-DOAS, and PGN/Pandora instruments respectively. The products are found to satisfy mission requirements in general, though negative mean differences are found at sites with high pollution levels. Potential causes are discussed.
Gaia Pinardi, Michel Van Roozendael, François Hendrick, Nicolas Theys, Nader Abuhassan, Alkiviadis Bais, Folkert Boersma, Alexander Cede, Jihyo Chong, Sebastian Donner, Theano Drosoglou, Anatoly Dzhola, Henk Eskes, Udo Frieß, José Granville, Jay R. Herman, Robert Holla, Jari Hovila, Hitoshi Irie, Yugo Kanaya, Dimitris Karagkiozidis, Natalia Kouremeti, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Jianzhong Ma, Enno Peters, Ankie Piters, Oleg Postylyakov, Andreas Richter, Julia Remmers, Hisahiro Takashima, Martin Tiefengraber, Pieter Valks, Tim Vlemmix, Thomas Wagner, and Folkard Wittrock
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 6141–6174, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-6141-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-6141-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We validate several GOME-2 and OMI tropospheric NO2 products with 23 MAX-DOAS and 16 direct sun instruments distributed worldwide, highlighting large horizontal inhomogeneities at several sites affecting the validation results. We propose a method for quantification and correction. We show the application of such correction reduces the satellite underestimation in almost all heterogeneous cases, but a negative bias remains over the MAX-DOAS and direct sun network ensemble for both satellites.
Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Kevin Bowman, Takashi Sekiya, Henk Eskes, Folkert Boersma, Helen Worden, Nathaniel Livesey, Vivienne H. Payne, Kengo Sudo, Yugo Kanaya, Masayuki Takigawa, and Koji Ogochi
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2223–2259, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2223-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2223-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the results from the Tropospheric Chemistry Reanalysis version 2 (TCR-2) for 2005–2018 obtained from the assimilation of multiple satellite measurements of ozone, CO, NO2, HNO3, and SO2 from the OMI, SCIAMACHY, GOME-2, TES, MLS, and MOPITT instruments. The evaluation results demonstrate the capability of the reanalysis products to improve understanding of the processes controlling variations in atmospheric composition, including long-term changes in air quality and emissions.
Srijana Lama, Sander Houweling, K. Folkert Boersma, Henk Eskes, Ilse Aben, Hugo A. C. Denier van der Gon, Maarten C. Krol, Han Dolman, Tobias Borsdorff, and Alba Lorente
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 10295–10310, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10295-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10295-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Rapid urbanization has increased the consumption of fossil fuel, contributing the degradation of urban air quality. Burning efficiency is a major factor determining the impact of fuel burning on the environment. We quantify the burning efficiency of fossil fuel use over six megacities using satellite remote sensing data. City governance can use these results to understand air pollution scenarios and to formulate effective air pollution control strategies.
Erik van Schaik, Maurits L. Kooreman, Piet Stammes, L. Gijsbert Tilstra, Olaf N. E. Tuinder, Abram F. J. Sanders, Willem W. Verstraeten, Rüdiger Lang, Alessandra Cacciari, Joanna Joiner, Wouter Peters, and K. Folkert Boersma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 4295–4315, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4295-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4295-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
With our improved algorithm we have generated a stable, long-term dataset of fluorescence measurements from the GOME-2A satellite instrument. In this study we determined a correction for the degradation of GOME-2A in orbit and applied this correction along with other improvements to our SIFTER v2 retrieval algorithm. The result is a coherent dataset of daily and monthly averaged fluorescence values for the period 2007–2018 to track worldwide changes in photosynthetic activity by vegetation.
Mengyao Liu, Jintai Lin, Hao Kong, K. Folkert Boersma, Henk Eskes, Yugo Kanaya, Qin He, Xin Tian, Kai Qin, Pinhua Xie, Robert Spurr, Ruijing Ni, Yingying Yan, Hongjian Weng, and Jingxu Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 4247–4259, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4247-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4247-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) are important air pollutants in the troposphere and play crucial roles in the formation of ozone and particulate matter. The recently launched TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) provides an opportunity to retrieve tropospheric concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at an unprecedented high horizontal resolution. This work presents a new NO2 retrieval product over East Asia and further quantifies key factors affecting the retrieval, including aerosol.
Steven Compernolle, Tijl Verhoelst, Gaia Pinardi, José Granville, Daan Hubert, Arno Keppens, Sander Niemeijer, Bruno Rino, Alkis Bais, Steffen Beirle, Folkert Boersma, John P. Burrows, Isabelle De Smedt, Henk Eskes, Florence Goutail, François Hendrick, Alba Lorente, Andrea Pazmino, Ankie Piters, Enno Peters, Jean-Pierre Pommereau, Julia Remmers, Andreas Richter, Jos van Geffen, Michel Van Roozendael, Thomas Wagner, and Jean-Christopher Lambert
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 8017–8045, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8017-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8017-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Tropospheric and stratospheric NO2 columns from the OMI QA4ECV NO2 satellite product are validated by comparison with ground-based measurements at 11 sites. The OMI stratospheric column has a small negative bias, and the OMI tropospheric column has a stronger negative bias relative to the ground-based data. Discrepancies are attributed to comparison errors (e.g. difference in horizontal smoothing) and measurement errors (e.g. clouds, aerosols, vertical smoothing and a priori profile assumptions).
Yi Ji, L. Gregory Huey, David J. Tanner, Young Ro Lee, Patrick R. Veres, J. Andrew Neuman, Yuhang Wang, and Xinming Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 3683–3696, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3683-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3683-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
A common way of measuring trace gases in the atmosphere is chemical ionization mass spectrometry. One large drawback of these instruments is that they require radioactive ion sources. In this work we demonstrate a simple ion source that uses a small krypton lamp that can be used to replace a radioactive source.
Xiaoyi Zhao, Debora Griffin, Vitali Fioletov, Chris McLinden, Alexander Cede, Martin Tiefengraber, Moritz Müller, Kristof Bognar, Kimberly Strong, Folkert Boersma, Henk Eskes, Jonathan Davies, Akira Ogyu, and Sum Chi Lee
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 2131–2159, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-2131-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-2131-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Pandora NO2 measurements made at three sites located in the Toronto area are used to evaluate the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) NO2 data products, including standard NO2 and research data developed using a high-resolution regional air quality forecast model. TROPOMI pixels located upwind and downwind from the Pandora sites were analyzed by a new wind-based validation method, which revealed the spatial patterns of local and transported emissions and regional air quality changes.
Yufei Zou, Yuhang Wang, Zuowei Xie, Hailong Wang, and Philip J. Rasch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 4999–5017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4999-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4999-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We analyze the relationship between winter air stagnation and pollution extremes over eastern China and preceding Arctic sea ice loss based on climate modeling and dynamic diagnoses. We find significant increases in both the probability and intensity of air stagnation extremes in the modeling result driven by regional sea ice and sea surface temperature changes over the Pacific sector of the Arctic. We reveal the considerable impact of the Arctic climate change on mid-latitude weather extremes.
Jos van Geffen, K. Folkert Boersma, Henk Eskes, Maarten Sneep, Mark ter Linden, Marina Zara, and J. Pepijn Veefkind
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 1315–1335, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1315-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1315-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) provides atmospheric trace gase and cloud and aerosol property measurements at unprecedented spatial resolution. This study focusses on the TROPOMI NO2 slant column density (SCD) retrieval: the retrieval method used, the stability of and uncertainties in the SCDs, and a comparison with Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO2 SCDs. TROPOMI shows a superior performance compared to OMI/QA4ECV and operates as anticipated from instrument specifications.
Aoxing Zhang, Yuhang Wang, Yuzhong Zhang, Rodney J. Weber, Yongjia Song, Ziming Ke, and Yufei Zou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 1901–1920, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1901-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1901-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) are light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols. We developed a module to simulate the emissions, atmospheric processing and direct radiative effect of BrC in the Community Earth System Model (CESM). We found that globally BrC is a significant absorber and is more centered in the tropical free troposphere compared to BC. The contribution of BrC heating to the Hadley circulation and latitudinal expansion of the tropics is comparable to BC heating.
Yufei Zou, Yuhang Wang, Yun Qian, Hanqin Tian, Jia Yang, and Ernesto Alvarado
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 995–1020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-995-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-995-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Fire is a natural phenomenon that has a long history of interactions with the environment and human activity. The complex interactions were less represented in previous fire and climate models. Here we use a new global fire model with improved modeling capability to study how fire responds and contributes to climate change. The modeling results show increased global fire activity in the future driven by climate change, which in turn modulates local and remote climate and ecosystems.
Jianfeng Li and Yuhang Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 15339–15352, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-15339-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-15339-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
NO2 tropospheric vertical columns (TVCDs) and surface concentrations are widely used proxies for NOx emission variations. Through model and observation analyses, we find that satellite NO2 TVCDs provide much better information on anthropogenic NOx emission variations over urban than rural regions. NO2 surface observations, satellite column datasets, and EPA anthropogenic NOx emissions show consistent annual variations over urban regions of the United States with a continuous decrease after 2011.
Mingchen Ma, Yang Gao, Yuhang Wang, Shaoqing Zhang, L. Ruby Leung, Cheng Liu, Shuxiao Wang, Bin Zhao, Xing Chang, Hang Su, Tianqi Zhang, Lifang Sheng, Xiaohong Yao, and Huiwang Gao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12195–12207, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12195-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12195-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Ozone pollution has become severe in China, and extremely high ozone episodes occurred in summer 2017 over the North China Plain. While meteorology impacts are clear, we find that enhanced biogenic emissions, previously ignored by the community, driven by high vapor pressure deficit, land cover change and urban landscape contribute substantially to ozone formation. This study has significant implications for ozone pollution control with more frequent heat waves and urbanization growth in future.
Auke J. Visser, K. Folkert Boersma, Laurens N. Ganzeveld, and Maarten C. Krol
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 11821–11841, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11821-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11821-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Health and ecosystem impacts of O3 generally occur when O3 concentrations are highest, but most air quality models underestimate peak O3. We derived European NOx emissions based on satellite NO2 column data and evaluated the impact on model-simulated NO2 and ozone. We show that a simulation with satellite-derived NOx emissions leads to better agreement with independent in situ observations of surface NO2 and O3, which helps to reduce the model underestimations of peak ozone concentrations.
Run Liu, Lu Mao, Shaw Chen Liu, Yuanhang Zhang, Hong Liao, Huopo Chen, and Yuhang Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8563–8568, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8563-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8563-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The recent paper by Shen et al. (2018; referred to hereafter as SHEN) made a sweeping statement on the winter haze pollution in Beijing by claiming an
Insignificant effect of climate change on winter haze in Beijing. We argue that the paper contains three serious flaws. Any one of the three flaws can nullify the claim of SHEN.
Aristeidis K. Georgoulias, Ronald J. van der A, Piet Stammes, K. Folkert Boersma, and Henk J. Eskes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 6269–6294, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6269-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6269-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, a ∼21-year self-consistent global dataset from four different satellite sensors is compiled for the first time to study the long-term tropospheric NO2 patterns and trends. A novel method capable of detecting the year when a reversal of trends happened shows that tropospheric NO2 concentrations switched from positive to negative trends and vice versa over several regions around the globe during the last 2 decades.
Lei Sun, Likun Xue, Yuhang Wang, Longlei Li, Jintai Lin, Ruijing Ni, Yingying Yan, Lulu Chen, Juan Li, Qingzhu Zhang, and Wenxing Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1455–1469, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1455-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1455-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We quantified the detailed impacts of meteorology and anthropogenic emissions on surface O3 increase in central eastern China between 2003 and 2015 using GEOS-Chem. The emission change plays a more important role than the meteorological change, while the regions with a larger O3 increase are more sensitive to meteorology. NMVOC emission change dominated the O3 increase in eastern CEC, while NOx emission change led to an O3 increase in western and central CEC and O3 decrease in urban areas.
Mengyao Liu, Jintai Lin, K. Folkert Boersma, Gaia Pinardi, Yang Wang, Julien Chimot, Thomas Wagner, Pinhua Xie, Henk Eskes, Michel Van Roozendael, François Hendrick, Pucai Wang, Ting Wang, Yingying Yan, Lulu Chen, and Ruijing Ni
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 1–21, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-1-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-1-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
China has become the world’s largest emitter of NOx, which mainly comes from vehicle exhaust, power plants, etc. However, there are no official ground-based measurements before 2013, so satellites have been widely used to monitor and analyze NOx pollution here. Aerosol is the key factor influencing the accuracy of the satellite NOx product. Our study provides a more accurate way to account for aerosol's influence compared to current widely used products.
K. Folkert Boersma, Henk J. Eskes, Andreas Richter, Isabelle De Smedt, Alba Lorente, Steffen Beirle, Jos H. G. M. van Geffen, Marina Zara, Enno Peters, Michel Van Roozendael, Thomas Wagner, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Ronald J. van der A, Joanne Nightingale, Anne De Rudder, Hitoshi Irie, Gaia Pinardi, Jean-Christopher Lambert, and Steven C. Compernolle
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 6651–6678, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6651-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6651-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes a new, improved data record of 22+ years of coherent nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution measurements from different satellite instruments. Our work helps to ensure that climate data are of sufficient quality to draw reliable conclusions and shape decisions. It shows how dedicated intercomparisons of retrieval sub-steps have led to improved NO2 measurements from the GOME, SCIAMACHY, GOME-2(A), and OMI sensors, and how quality assurance of the new data product is achieved.
Alba Lorente, K. Folkert Boersma, Piet Stammes, L. Gijsbert Tilstra, Andreas Richter, Huan Yu, Said Kharbouche, and Jan-Peter Muller
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 4509–4529, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4509-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4509-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Light reflected by Earth’s surface is different in each direction: it appears brighter or darker in certain viewing directions. Currently this effect is not accounted for in satellite retrievals; thus surface reflectance climatologies and cloud fractions show an east-west bias across orbits (GOME2,OMI). The effect for NO2 measurements in partly cloudy scenes is substantial. We recommend that this effect in UV/Vis sensors coherently accounted for, and will be especially beneficial for TROPOMI.
Marina Zara, K. Folkert Boersma, Isabelle De Smedt, Andreas Richter, Enno Peters, Jos H. G. M. van Geffen, Steffen Beirle, Thomas Wagner, Michel Van Roozendael, Sergey Marchenko, Lok N. Lamsal, and Henk J. Eskes
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 4033–4058, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4033-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4033-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde satellite data are used for air quality and climate studies. We quantify and characterise slant column uncertainties from different research groups. Our evaluation is motivated by recently improved techniques and by a desire to provide fully traceable uncertainty budget for climate records generated within the QA4ECV project. The improved slant columns are in agreement but with substantial differences in the reported uncertainties between groups and instruments.
Isabelle De Smedt, Nicolas Theys, Huan Yu, Thomas Danckaert, Christophe Lerot, Steven Compernolle, Michel Van Roozendael, Andreas Richter, Andreas Hilboll, Enno Peters, Mattia Pedergnana, Diego Loyola, Steffen Beirle, Thomas Wagner, Henk Eskes, Jos van Geffen, Klaas Folkert Boersma, and Pepijn Veefkind
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 2395–2426, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2395-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2395-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This paper introduces the formaldehyde (HCHO) tropospheric vertical column retrieval algorithm implemented in the TROPOMI/Sentinel-5 Precursor operational processor, and comprehensively describes its various retrieval steps. Furthermore, algorithmic improvements developed in the framework of the EU FP7-project QA4ECV are described for future updates of the processor. Detailed error estimates are discussed in the light of Copernicus user requirements and needs for validation are highlighted.
Pieternel F. Levelt, Joanna Joiner, Johanna Tamminen, J. Pepijn Veefkind, Pawan K. Bhartia, Deborah C. Stein Zweers, Bryan N. Duncan, David G. Streets, Henk Eskes, Ronald van der A, Chris McLinden, Vitali Fioletov, Simon Carn, Jos de Laat, Matthew DeLand, Sergey Marchenko, Richard McPeters, Jerald Ziemke, Dejian Fu, Xiong Liu, Kenneth Pickering, Arnoud Apituley, Gonzalo González Abad, Antti Arola, Folkert Boersma, Christopher Chan Miller, Kelly Chance, Martin de Graaf, Janne Hakkarainen, Seppo Hassinen, Iolanda Ialongo, Quintus Kleipool, Nickolay Krotkov, Can Li, Lok Lamsal, Paul Newman, Caroline Nowlan, Raid Suleiman, Lieuwe Gijsbert Tilstra, Omar Torres, Huiqun Wang, and Krzysztof Wargan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 5699–5745, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-5699-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-5699-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The aim of this paper is to highlight the many successes of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) spanning more than 13 years. Data from OMI have been used in a wide range of applications. Due to its unprecedented spatial resolution, in combination with daily global coverage, OMI plays a unique role in measuring trace gases important for the ozone layer, air quality, and climate change. OMI data continue to be used for new research and applications.
Jianzhong Xu, Qi Zhang, Jinsen Shi, Xinlei Ge, Conghui Xie, Junfeng Wang, Shichang Kang, Ruixiong Zhang, and Yuhang Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 427–443, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-427-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-427-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This manuscript presents results from a comprehensive field study using an HR-AMS coupled with a suite of other instruments in central Tibetan Plateau. The study discusses the chemical composition, sources, and processes of submicron aerosol during the transition from pre-monsoon to monsoon. Organic aerosol was overall highly oxidized during the entire study with higher O / C ratios during the pre-monsoon period. Sensitivity of air pollution transport with synoptic process was also evaluated.
Zhe Jiang, Helen Worden, John R. Worden, Daven K. Henze, Dylan B. A. Jones, Avelino F. Arellano, Emily V. Fischer, Liye Zhu, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, K. Folkert Boersma, and Vivienne H. Payne
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2017-382, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2017-382, 2017
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the variation of US tropospheric NO2 in the past decade. We demonstrated significant divergence between the time variation in tropospheric NO2 columns from OMI retrievals and surface measurements. Our analysis suggests limited contributions from local effects such as fossil fuel emissions, lightning, or instrument artifacts, and indicates possible important contributions from long-range transport of Asian emissions that are modulated by ENSO.
Alba Lorente, K. Folkert Boersma, Huan Yu, Steffen Dörner, Andreas Hilboll, Andreas Richter, Mengyao Liu, Lok N. Lamsal, Michael Barkley, Isabelle De Smedt, Michel Van Roozendael, Yang Wang, Thomas Wagner, Steffen Beirle, Jin-Tai Lin, Nickolay Krotkov, Piet Stammes, Ping Wang, Henk J. Eskes, and Maarten Krol
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 759–782, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-759-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-759-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Choices and assumptions made to represent the state of the atmosphere introduce an uncertainty of 42 % in the air mass factor calculation in trace gas satellite retrievals in polluted regions. The AMF strongly depends on the choice of a priori trace gas profile, surface albedo data set and the correction method to account for clouds and aerosols. We call for well-designed validation exercises focusing on situations when AMF structural uncertainty has the highest impact on satellite retrievals.
Ruixiong Zhang, Yuhang Wang, Qiusheng He, Laiguo Chen, Yuzhong Zhang, Hang Qu, Charles Smeltzer, Jianfeng Li, Leonardo M. A. Alvarado, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Andreas Richter, Folkard Wittrock, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 3083–3095, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3083-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3083-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We use short-lived reactive aromatics as proxies to diagnose transport of pollutants to Tibet. In situ observations of short-lived reactive aromatics across the Tibetan Plateau are analyzed using a regional chemistry and transport model. Our results suggest that the cut-off low system is a major pathway for long-range transport of pollutants such as black carbon. The modeling analysis reveals that even the state-of-the-science reanalysis cannot simulate this cut-off system accurately.
Jason E. Williams, K. Folkert Boersma, Phillipe Le Sager, and Willem W. Verstraeten
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 721–750, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-721-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-721-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The launch of Earth-orbiting satellites with small footprints necessitates the development of global chemistry transport models which are able to differentiate between high- and low-emission regimes and provide dedicated a priori tropospheric columns of trace gas species for the purpose of deriving accurate retrievals of integrated columns. We focus on the effects introduced with respect to global trace gas distributions in TM5-MP when increasing horizontal resolution from 3 × 2 to 1 × 1 degrees.
Yiquan Jiang, Zheng Lu, Xiaohong Liu, Yun Qian, Kai Zhang, Yuhang Wang, and Xiu-Qun Yang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 14805–14824, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14805-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14805-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosols from open fires could significantly perturb the global radiation balance and induce climate change. In this study, the CAM5 global climate model is used to investigate the spatial and seasonal characteristics of radiative effects due to fire aerosol–radiation interactions, fire aerosol-cloud interactions and fire aerosol-surface albedo interactions, including radiative effects from all fire aerosols, fire black carbon and fire particulate organic matter.
Dasa Gu, Yuhang Wang, Ran Yin, Yuzhong Zhang, and Charles Smeltzer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5193–5201, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5193-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5193-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We show in this study that the non-linearity of NOx chemistry implies that the local derivative (of a first-order Taylor expansion) is better suited in the inverse modelling of NOx emissions over eastern China. We used single-grid-cell-based perturbation sensitivity calculation. The method leads to smaller NOx emission over highly polluted regions and higher NOx emission over rural regions. There are also more consistent results from using two different satellite instruments.
Iolanda Ialongo, Jay Herman, Nick Krotkov, Lok Lamsal, K. Folkert Boersma, Jari Hovila, and Johanna Tamminen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5203–5212, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5203-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5203-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We present the comparison between satellite- and ground-based atmospheric NO2 observations in Helsinki (Finland). The results show that, despite some limitations due to cloud contamination and low solar angles, satellite data are able to describe urban air quality features such as the weekly and seasonal cycles. The results support air quality satellite data exploitation at high latitudes and prepare for similar applications for future missions.
K. F. Boersma, G. C. M. Vinken, and H. J. Eskes
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 875–898, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-875-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-875-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite measurements of pollutants and greenhouse gases are useful to test and improve atmospheric models. But this requires that modellers account for the spatial and temporal representativeness and the vertical sensitivity of the satellite measurements. This paper provides guidelines on how to carry out a faithful model-satellite comparison for species such as nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and formaldehyde that play a key role in air pollution studies.
P. Castellanos, K. F. Boersma, O. Torres, and J. F. de Haan
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 3831–3849, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-3831-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-3831-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Inaccuracies in the retrieval of NO2 tropospheric columns due to the radiative effects of light-absorbing aerosols are not well understood. Here we explicitly account for the effects of aerosols in the Dutch OMI NO2 (DOMINO) tropospheric AMF calculation by including aerosol observations collocated with OMI pixels. The AMF calculations that included aerosol absorption and scattering were on average 10% higher than traditional AMFs. Errors can reach a factor of 2 for individual pixels.
J. H. G. M. van Geffen, K. F. Boersma, M. Van Roozendael, F. Hendrick, E. Mahieu, I. De Smedt, M. Sneep, and J. P. Veefkind
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 1685–1699, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-1685-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-1685-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The paper describes improvements to the algorithm for the retrieval of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration from measurements of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), launched on board NASA's EOS-Aura satellite in 2004. With these improvements - updates of the wavelength calibration and the reference spectra - the OMI results are consistent with independent NO2 measurements and the overall quality of the spectral fit is improved considerably.
G. C. M. Vinken, K. F. Boersma, J. D. Maasakkers, M. Adon, and R. V. Martin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 10363–10381, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10363-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10363-2014, 2014
M. Belmonte Rivas, P. Veefkind, F. Boersma, P. Levelt, H. Eskes, and J. Gille
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 2203–2225, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2203-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2203-2014, 2014
P. Castellanos, K. F. Boersma, and G. R. van der Werf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 3929–3943, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-3929-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-3929-2014, 2014
G. C. M. Vinken, K. F. Boersma, A. van Donkelaar, and L. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 1353–1369, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1353-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1353-2014, 2014
T. Stavrakou, J.-F. Müller, K. F. Boersma, R. J. van der A, J. Kurokawa, T. Ohara, and Q. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 9057–9082, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9057-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9057-2013, 2013
W. W. Verstraeten, K. F. Boersma, J. Zörner, M. A. F. Allaart, K. W. Bowman, and J. R. Worden
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 1413–1423, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1413-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1413-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Gases | Technique: Remote Sensing | Topic: Validation and Intercomparisons
Atmospheric horizontal gradients measured with eight co-located GNSS stations and a microwave radiometer
Validation of the version 4.5 MAESTRO ozone and NO2 measurements
Advancing CH4 and N2O retrieval strategies for NDACC/IRWG high-resolution direct-sun FTIR Observations
Performance assessment of the IASI-O3 KOPRA product for observing midlatitude tropospheric ozone evolution for 15 years: validation with ozone sondes and consistency of the three IASI instruments
Long-term evolution of the calibration constant on a mobile/field campaign water vapour Raman lidar
Benchmarking data-driven inversion methods for the estimation of local CO2 emissions from synthetic satellite images of XCO2 and NO2
Validation of 12 years (2008–2019) of IASI-A CO with IAGOS aircraft observations
Assessment of laboratory O4 absorption cross-sections at 360 nm using atmospheric long-path DOAS observations
Diurnal variations of NO2 tropospheric vertical column density over the Seoul metropolitan area from the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS): seasonal differences and the influence of the a priori NO2 profile
Inter-comparison of tropospheric ozone column datasets from combined nadir and limb satellite observations
Validation of ACE-FTS version 5.2 ozone data with ozonesonde measurements
Intercomparison of long-term ground-based measurements of total, tropospheric, and stratospheric ozone at Lauder, New Zealand
First evaluation of the GEMS glyoxal products against TROPOMI and ground-based measurements
Validation of GEMS tropospheric NO2 columns and their diurnal variation with ground-based DOAS measurements
Using open-path dual-comb spectroscopy to monitor methane emissions from simulated grazing cattle
Greenhouse gas column observations from a portable spectrometer in Uganda
Independent validation of IASI/MetOp-A LMD and RAL CH4 products using CAMS model, in situ profiles, and ground-based FTIR measurements
Joint spectral retrievals of ozone with Suomi NPP CrIS augmented by S5P/TROPOMI
An evaluation of atmospheric absorption models at millimetre and sub-millimetre wavelengths using airborne observations
Applicability of the inverse dispersion method to measure emissions from animal housings
5 years of Sentinel-5P TROPOMI operational ozone profiling and geophysical validation using ozonesonde and lidar ground-based networks
Using a portable FTIR spectrometer to evaluate the consistency of Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) measurements on a global scale: the Collaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON) travel standard
Comparison of the H2O, HDO and δD stratospheric climatologies between the MIPAS-ESA V8, MIPAS-IMK V5 and ACE-FTS V4.1/4.2 satellite datasets
TROPESS-CrIS CO single-pixel vertical profiles: intercomparisons with MOPITT and model simulations for 2020 western US wildfires
TOLNet validation of satellite ozone profiles in the troposphere: impact of retrieval wavelengths
An uncertainty methodology for solar occultation flux measurements: ammonia emissions from livestock production
Validation of Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere
First validation of high-resolution satellite-derived methane emissions from an active gas leak in the UK
Ship- and aircraft-based XCH4 over oceans as a new tool for satellite validation
Single-blind test of nine methane-sensing satellite systems from three continents
Water vapor measurements inside clouds and storms using a differential absorption radar
Evaluation of the first year of Pandora NO2 measurements over Beijing and application to satellite validation
Validation of MUSES NH3 observations from AIRS and CrIS against aircraft measurements from DISCOVER-AQ and a surface network in the Magic Valley
Performance and sensitivity of column-wise and pixel-wise methane retrievals for imaging spectrometers
Methane point source quantification using MethaneAIR: a new airborne imaging spectrometer
Evaluation of total ozone measurements from Geostationary Environmental Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS)
To new heights by flying low: comparison of aircraft vertical NO2 profiles to model simulations and implications for TROPOMI NO2 retrievals
Local comparisons of tropospheric ozone: vertical soundings at two neighbouring stations in southern Bavaria
Ground-based Multi-AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) observations of NO2 and H2CO at Kinshasa and comparisons with TROPOMI observations
Total column ozone trends from the NASA Merged Ozone time series 1979 to 2021 showing latitude-dependent ozone recovery dates (1994 to 1998)
The SPARC water vapour assessment II: biases and drifts of water vapour satellite data records with respect to frost point hygrometer records
Vicarious calibration of the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) short-wave infrared (SWIR) module over the Railroad Valley Playa
First-time comparison between NO2 vertical columns from Geostationary Environmental Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) and Pandora measurements
A blended TROPOMI+GOSAT satellite data product for atmospheric methane using machine learning to correct retrieval biases
Evaluating the consistency between OCO-2 and OCO-3 XCO2 estimates derived from the NASA ACOS version 10 retrieval algorithm
OLCI-A/B tandem phase: evaluation of FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX)-like radiances and estimation of systematic differences between OLCI-A and OLCI-FLEX
Multi-parameter dynamical diagnostics for upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric studies
An approach to track instrument calibration and produce consistent products with the version-8 total column ozone algorithm (V8TOZ)
Satellite remote-sensing capability to assess tropospheric-column ratios of formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide: case study during the Long Island Sound Tropospheric Ozone Study 2018 (LISTOS 2018) field campaign
Validation of Sentinel-5P TROPOMI tropospheric NO2 products by comparison with NO2 measurements from airborne imaging DOAS, ground-based stationary DOAS, and mobile car DOAS measurements during the S5P-VAL-DE-Ruhr campaign
Tong Ning and Gunnar Elgered
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 2069–2082, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2069-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2069-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed signal delays in the atmosphere, using eight co-located global navigation satellite system (GNSS) stations, and compared linear horizontal gradients with microwave radiometer data. A weak constraint applied when estimating gradients in the GNSS data processing, enhancing short-lived gradient tracking but increasing noise, which can be mitigated by averaging gradients from the eight stations. This approach may enhance GNSS-based atmospheric monitoring for use in weather nowcasting.
Paul S. Jeffery, James R. Drummond, C. Thomas McElroy, Kaley A. Walker, and Jiansheng Zou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 569–602, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-569-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-569-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The MAESTRO instrument has been monitoring ozone and NO2 since February 2004. A new version of these data products has recently been released; however, these new products must be validated against other datasets to ensure their validity. This study presents such an assessment, using measurements from 11 satellite instruments to characterize the new MAESTRO products. In the stratosphere, good agreement is found for ozone and acceptable agreement is found for NO2 with these other datasets.
Ivan Ortega, James W. Hannigan, Bianca C. Baier, Kathryn McKain, and Dan Smale
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3815, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3815, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The study evaluates retrieval strategies for atmospheric CH4 and N2O using high-resolution FTIR observations and comparing results with long-term AirCore and aircraft measurements. Updated a priori data and spectroscopic databases (HITRAN 2020, ATM 2020) improve accuracy. Findings highlight low biases within a few percent, quantified uncertainties, and consistent retrievals for Boulder, Colorado, extended to Lauder, New Zealand, advancing harmonized approaches for NDACC sites.
Gaëlle Dufour, Maxim Eremenko, Juan Cuesta, Gérard Ancellet, Michael Gill, Eliane Maillard Barras, and Roeland Van Malderen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4096, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4096, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The IASI-O3 KOPRA v3.0 product shows strong consistency (<1 %) for the three IASI instruments. The validation against homogenized ozone sondes reveals an overall good agreement with slight biases (3–6 %) in tropospheric ozone and a possible temporal drift but difficult to assess due to the limited number of sites. No specific trends are estimated for the tropospheric ozone column for 2008–2022, but persistent negative trends are observed in the lower troposphere.
Patrick Chazette, Julien Totems, and Frédéric Laly
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3583, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3583, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The use of active remote sensing instruments to sample the atmospheric environment requires accurate calibration that is stable over time so that measurements are reproducible. This is the case for measurements of atmospheric water vapour using Raman lidar, which are of growing interest in the context of climate risks such as extreme precipitation. This study addresses this issue. It is based on 6 campaigns spread over a period of 7 years between 2016 and 2022.
Diego Santaren, Janne Hakkarainen, Gerrit Kuhlmann, Erik Koene, Frédéric Chevallier, Iolanda Ialongo, Hannakaisa Lindqvist, Janne Nurmela, Johanna Tamminen, Laia Amorós, Dominik Brunner, and Grégoire Broquet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 211–239, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-211-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-211-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study evaluates data-driven inversion methods for estimating CO2 emissions from local sources, such as power plants and cities, using meteorological data and XCO2 and NO2 satellite images rather than atmospheric transport modeling. We assess and compare the performance of five different methods using simulations of 1 year of satellite images, taken from the upcoming Copernicus CO2 Monitoring Mission, covering 15 power plants and the city of Berlin, Germany.
Brice Barret, Pierre Loicq, Eric Le Flochmoën, Yasmine Bennouna, Juliette Hadji-Lazaro, Daniel Hurtmans, and Bastien Sauvage
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 129–149, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-129-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-129-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Profiles of carbon monoxide (CO) retrieved from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) with the SOftware for a Fast Retrieval of IASI Data (SOFRID) and Fast Optimal Retrievals on Layers for IASI (FORLI) are validated with 8500 observations at 33 airports from the In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) for 2008–2019. IASI retrievals underestimate CO, with stronger bias in the middle to upper troposphere for SOFRID and in the lower troposphere for FORLI.
Bianca Lauster, Udo Frieß, Jan-Marcus Nasse, Ulrich Platt, and Thomas Wagner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3881, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3881, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Remote sensing measurements of scattered sunlight use the atmospheric absorption of O4 (oxygen dimer) to derive cloud and aerosol properties. However, inconsistencies between measurements and radiative transfer simulations were found recently and, so far, there is no consensus on how to deal with these appropriately. In this study, long-term long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) observations are analysed and very good agreement with laboratory measurements was found.
Seunghwan Seo, Si-Wan Kim, Kyoung-Min Kim, Andreas Richter, Kezia Lange, John P. Burrows, Junsung Park, Hyunkee Hong, Hanlim Lee, Ukkyo Jeong, Jung-Hun Woo, and Jhoon Kim
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 115–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-115-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-115-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Over the Seoul metropolitan area, tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities from the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer show distinct seasonal features. Also, varying a priori data have substantial impacts on the observed NO2 columns. The a priori data from different chemical transport models resulted in differences of up to −18.3 %. Notably, diurnal patterns of observed NO2 columns are similar for all datasets, although their a priori data exhibit contrasting diurnal patterns.
Carlo Arosio, Viktoria Sofieva, Andrea Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf, Alexei Rozanov, Klaus-Peter Heue, Edward Malina, Ryan M. Stauffer, David Tarasick, Roeland Van Malderen, Jerry R. Ziemke, and Mark Weber
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3737, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3737, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Tropospheric ozone affects air quality and climate, being a pollutant and a greenhouse gas. We analysed satellite data of tropospheric ozone that combine two types of observations: one providing stratospheric ozone and another measuring total ozone. We compare common climatological features and study the influence of the tropopause (troposphere to stratosphere boundary) on the results. We also examine trends over the last 20 years and compare satellite data with ozonesondes to identify drifts.
Jiansheng Zou, Kaley A. Walker, Patrick E. Sheese, Chris D. Boone, Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, and David W. Tarasick
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6983–7005, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6983-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6983-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ozone measurements from the ACE-FTS satellite instrument have been compared to worldwide balloon-borne ozonesonde profiles using pairs of closely spaced profiles and monthly averaged profiles. ACE-FTS typically measures more ozone in the stratosphere by up to 10 %. The long-term stability of the ACE-FTS ozone data is good, exhibiting small (but non-significant) drifts of less than 3 % per decade in the stratosphere. Lower in the profiles, the calculated drifts are larger (up to 10 % per decade).
Robin Björklund, Corinne Vigouroux, Peter Effertz, Omaira E. García, Alex Geddes, James Hannigan, Koji Miyagawa, Michael Kotkamp, Bavo Langerock, Gerald Nedoluha, Ivan Ortega, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Deniz Poyraz, Richard Querel, John Robinson, Hisako Shiona, Dan Smale, Penny Smale, Roeland Van Malderen, and Martine De Mazière
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6819–6849, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6819-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6819-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Different ground-based ozone measurements from the last 2 decades at Lauder are compared to each other. We want to know why different trends have been observed in the stratosphere. Also, the quality and relevance of tropospheric datasets need to be evaluated. While remaining drifts are still present, our study explains roughly half of the differences in observed trends in previous studies and shows the necessity for continuous review and improvement of the measurements.
Eunjo S. Ha, Rokjin J. Park, Hyeong-Ahn Kwon, Gitaek T. Lee, Sieun D. Lee, Seunga Shin, Dong-Won Lee, Hyunkee Hong, Christophe Lerot, Isabelle De Smedt, Thomas Danckaert, Francois Hendrick, and Hitoshi Irie
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6369–6384, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6369-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6369-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we evaluated the GEMS glyoxal products by comparing them with TROPOMI and MAX-DOAS measurements. GEMS and TROPOMI VCDs present similar spatial distributions. Monthly variations in GEMS VCDs and TROPOMI and MAX-DOAS VCDs differ in northeastern Asia, which we attributed to a polluted reference spectrum and high NO2 concentrations. GEMS glyoxal products with unparalleled temporal resolution would enrich our understanding of VOC emissions and diurnal variation.
Kezia Lange, Andreas Richter, Tim Bösch, Bianca Zilker, Miriam Latsch, Lisa K. Behrens, Chisom M. Okafor, Hartmut Bösch, John P. Burrows, Alexis Merlaud, Gaia Pinardi, Caroline Fayt, Martina M. Friedrich, Ermioni Dimitropoulou, Michel Van Roozendael, Steffen Ziegler, Simona Ripperger-Lukosiunaite, Leon Kuhn, Bianca Lauster, Thomas Wagner, Hyunkee Hong, Donghee Kim, Lim-Seok Chang, Kangho Bae, Chang-Keun Song, Jong-Uk Park, and Hanlim Lee
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6315–6344, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6315-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6315-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Instruments for air quality observations on geostationary satellites provide multiple observations per day and allow for the analysis of the diurnal variation of important air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over large areas. The South Korean instrument GEMS, launched in February 2020, is the first instrument in geostationary orbit and covers a large part of Asia. Our investigations show the observed diurnal evolution of NO2 at different measurement sites.
Chinthaka Weerasekara, Lindsay C. Morris, Nathan A. Malarich, Fabrizio R. Giorgetta, Daniel I. Herman, Kevin C. Cossel, Nathan R. Newbury, Clenton E. Owensby, Stephen M. Welch, Cosmin Blaga, Brett D. DePaola, Ian Coddington, Brian R. Washburn, and Eduardo A. Santos
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6107–6117, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6107-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6107-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Most methane emissions during the life cycle of beef cattle occur during the grazing phase. Measuring methane in grazing systems is difficult due to the high mobility and low density of animals. This work investigates if dual-comb spectroscopy can measure methane emissions from small cattle herds. An enhancement of 10 nmol mol-1 methane above the atmospheric background was measured, equivalent to 20 head located 60 m away. The calculated methane flux was within 5 % of the actual release rate.
Neil Humpage, Hartmut Boesch, William Okello, Jia Chen, Florian Dietrich, Mark F. Lunt, Liang Feng, Paul I. Palmer, and Frank Hase
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5679–5707, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5679-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5679-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We used a Bruker EM27/SUN spectrometer within an automated weatherproof enclosure to measure greenhouse gas column concentrations over a 3-month period in Jinja, Uganda. The portability of the EM27/SUN allows us to evaluate satellite and model data in locations not covered by traditional validation networks. This is of particular value in tropical Africa, where extensive terrestrial ecosystems are a significant store of carbon and play a key role in the atmospheric budgets of CO2 and CH4.
Bart Dils, Minqiang Zhou, Claude Camy-Peyret, Martine De Mazière, Yannick Kangah, Bavo Langerock, Pascal Prunet, Carmine Serio, Richard Siddans, and Brian Kerridge
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5491–5524, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5491-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5491-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The paper discusses two very distinct methane products from the IASI instrument aboard the MetOp-A satellite. One (referred to as LMD NLISv8.3) uses a machine-learning approach, while the other (RALv2.0) uses a more conventional optimal estimation approach. We used a variety of model and independent reference measurement data to assess both products' overall quality, their differences, and specific aspects of each product that would benefit from further analysis by the product development teams.
Edward Malina, Kevin W. Bowman, Valentin Kantchev, Le Kuai, Thomas P. Kurosu, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Vijay Natraj, Gregory B. Osterman, Fabiano Oyafuso, and Matthew D. Thill
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5341–5371, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5341-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5341-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Characterizing the distribution of ozone in the atmosphere is a challenging problem, with current Earth observation satellites using either thermal infrared (TIR) or ultraviolet (UV) instruments, sensitive to different portions of the atmosphere, making it difficult to gain a full picture. In this work, we combine measurements from the TIR and UV instruments Suomi NPP CrIS and Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI to improve sensitivity through the whole atmosphere and improve knowledge of ozone distribution.
Stuart Fox, Vinia Mattioli, Emma Turner, Alan Vance, Domenico Cimini, and Donatello Gallucci
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4957–4978, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4957-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4957-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Airborne observations are used to evaluate two models for absorption and emission by atmospheric gases, including water vapour and oxygen, at microwave and sub-millimetre wavelengths. These models are needed for the Ice Cloud Imager (ICI) on the next generation of European polar-orbiting weather satellites, which measures at frequencies up to 664 GHz. Both models can provide a good match to measurements from airborne radiometers and are sufficiently accurate for use with ICI.
Marcel Bühler, Christoph Häni, Albrecht Neftel, Patrice Bühler, Christof Ammann, and Thomas Kupper
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4649–4658, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4649-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4649-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Methane was released from an artificial source inside a barn to test the applicability of the inverse dispersion method (IDM). Multiple open-path concentration devices and ultrasonic anemometers were used at the site. It is concluded that, for the present study case, the effect of a building and a tree in the main wind axis led to a systematic underestimation of the IDM-derived emission rate probably due to deviations in the wind field and turbulent dispersion from the ideal assumptions.
Arno Keppens, Serena Di Pede, Daan Hubert, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Pepijn Veefkind, Maarten Sneep, Johan De Haan, Mark ter Linden, Thierry Leblanc, Steven Compernolle, Tijl Verhoelst, José Granville, Oindrila Nath, Ann Mari Fjæraa, Ian Boyd, Sander Niemeijer, Roeland Van Malderen, Herman G. J. Smit, Valentin Duflot, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Bryan J. Johnson, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, David W. Tarasick, Debra E. Kollonige, Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, Angelika Dehn, and Claus Zehner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3969–3993, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3969-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3969-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Sentinel-5P satellite operated by the European Space Agency has carried the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) around the Earth since October 2017. This mission also produces atmospheric ozone profile data which are described in detail for May 2018 to April 2023. Independent validation using ground-based reference measurements demonstrates that the operational ozone profile product mostly fully and at least partially complies with all mission requirements.
Benedikt Herkommer, Carlos Alberti, Paolo Castracane, Jia Chen, Angelika Dehn, Florian Dietrich, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Matthias Max Frey, Jochen Groß, Lawson Gillespie, Frank Hase, Isamu Morino, Nasrin Mostafavi Pak, Brittany Walker, and Debra Wunch
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3467–3494, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3467-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3467-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Total Carbon Column Observing Network is a network of ground-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers used mainly for satellite validation. To ensure the highest-quality validation data, the network needs to be highly consistent. This is a major challenge, which so far is solved by site comparisons with airborne in situ measurements. In this work, we describe the use of a portable FTIR spectrometer as a travel standard for evaluating the consistency of TCCON sites.
Karen De Los Ríos, Paulina Ordoñez, Gabriele P. Stiller, Piera Raspollini, Marco Gai, Kaley A. Walker, Cristina Peña-Ortiz, and Luis Acosta
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3401–3418, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3401-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3401-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines newer versions of H2O and HDO retrievals from Envisat/MIPAS and SCISAT/ACE-FTS. Results reveal a better agreement in stratospheric H2O profiles than in HDO profiles. The H2O tape recorder signal is consistent across databases, but δD tape recorder composites show differences that impact the interpretation of water vapour transport. These findings enhance the need for intercomparisons to refine our insights.
Ming Luo, Helen M. Worden, Robert D. Field, Kostas Tsigaridis, and Gregory S. Elsaesser
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2611–2624, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2611-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2611-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The TROPESS CrIS single-pixel CO profile retrievals are compared to the MOPITT CO products in steps of adjusting them to the common a priori assumptions. The two data sets are found to agree within 5 %. We also demonstrated and analyzed the proper steps in evaluating GISS ModelE CO simulations using satellite CO retrieval products for the western US wildfire events in September 2020.
Matthew S. Johnson, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, Nora Mettig, John Sullivan, Michael J. Newchurch, Shi Kuang, Thierry Leblanc, Fernando Chouza, Timothy A. Berkoff, Guillaume Gronoff, Kevin B. Strawbridge, Raul J. Alvarez, Andrew O. Langford, Christoph J. Senff, Guillaume Kirgis, Brandi McCarty, and Larry Twigg
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2559–2582, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2559-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2559-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Monitoring tropospheric ozone (O3), a harmful pollutant negatively impacting human health, is primarily done using ground-based measurements and ozonesondes. However, these observation types lack the coverage to fully understand tropospheric O3. Satellites can retrieve tropospheric ozone with near-daily global coverage; however, they are known to have biases and errors. This study uses ground-based lidars to validate multiple satellites' ability to observe tropospheric O3.
Johan Mellqvist, Nathalia T. Vechi, Charlotte Scheutz, Marc Durif, Francois Gautier, John Johansson, Jerker Samuelsson, Brian Offerle, and Samuel Brohede
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2465–2479, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2465-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2465-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The solar occultation flux method retrieves ammonia gas columns from the solar spectrum. Emissions are obtained by multiplying the integrated plume concentration by the wind speed profile. The methodology for uncertainty estimation was established considering an error budget with systematic and random components, resulting in an expanded uncertainty in the range of 20 % to 30 %. The method was validated in a controlled release, and its application was demonstrated in different farms.
Felicia Kolonjari, Patrick E. Sheese, Kaley A. Walker, Chris D. Boone, David A. Plummer, Andreas Engel, Stephen A. Montzka, David E. Oram, Tanja Schuck, Gabriele P. Stiller, and Geoffrey C. Toon
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2429–2449, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2429-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2429-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Canadian Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer (ACE-FTS) satellite instrument is currently providing the only vertically resolved chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22) measurements from space. This study assesses the most current ACE-FTS HCFC-22 data product in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, as well as modelled HCFC-22 from a 39-year run of the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM39) in the same region.
Emily Dowd, Alistair J. Manning, Bryn Orth-Lashley, Marianne Girard, James France, Rebecca E. Fisher, Dave Lowry, Mathias Lanoisellé, Joseph R. Pitt, Kieran M. Stanley, Simon O'Doherty, Dickon Young, Glen Thistlethwaite, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Emanuel Gloor, and Chris Wilson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1599–1615, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1599-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1599-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We provide the first validation of the satellite-derived emission estimates using surface-based mobile greenhouse gas surveys of an active gas leak detected near Cheltenham, UK. GHGSat’s emission estimates broadly agree with the surface-based mobile survey and steps were taken to fix the leak, highlighting the importance of satellite data in identifying emissions and helping to reduce our human impact on climate change.
Astrid Müller, Hiroshi Tanimoto, Takafumi Sugita, Prabir K. Patra, Shin-ichiro Nakaoka, Toshinobu Machida, Isamu Morino, André Butz, and Kei Shiomi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1297–1316, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1297-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1297-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite CH4 observations with high accuracy are needed to understand changes in atmospheric CH4 concentrations. But over oceans, reference data are limited. We combine various ship and aircraft observations with the help of atmospheric chemistry models to derive observation-based column-averaged mixing ratios of CH4 (obs. XCH4). We discuss three different approaches and demonstrate the applicability of the new reference dataset for carbon cycle studies and satellite evaluation.
Evan D. Sherwin, Sahar H. El Abbadi, Philippine M. Burdeau, Zhan Zhang, Zhenlin Chen, Jeffrey S. Rutherford, Yuanlei Chen, and Adam R. Brandt
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 765–782, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-765-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Countries and companies increasingly rely on a growing fleet of satellites to find large emissions of climate-warming methane, particularly from oil and natural gas systems across the globe. We independently assessed the performance of nine such systems by releasing controlled, undisclosed amounts of methane as satellites passed overhead. The tested systems produced reliable detection and quantification results, including the smallest-ever emission detected from space in such a test.
Luis F. Millán, Matthew D. Lebsock, Ken B. Cooper, Jose V. Siles, Robert Dengler, Raquel Rodriguez Monje, Amin Nehrir, Rory A. Barton-Grimley, James E. Collins, Claire E. Robinson, Kenneth L. Thornhill, and Holger Vömel
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 539–559, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-539-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-539-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we describe and validate a new technique in which three radar tones are used to estimate the water vapor inside clouds and precipitation. This instrument flew on board NASA's P-3 aircraft during the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) campaign and the Synergies Of Active optical and Active microwave Remote Sensing Experiment (SOA2RSE) campaign.
Ouyang Liu, Zhengqiang Li, Yangyan Lin, Cheng Fan, Ying Zhang, Kaitao Li, Peng Zhang, Yuanyuan Wei, Tianzeng Chen, Jiantao Dong, and Gerrit de Leeuw
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 377–395, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-377-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-377-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a trace gas which is important for atmospheric chemistry and may affect human health. To understand processes leading to harmful concentrations, it is important to monitor NO2 concentrations near the surface and higher up. To this end, a Pandora instrument has been installed in Beijing. An overview of the first year of data shows the large variability on diurnal to seasonal timescales and how this is affected by wind speed and direction and chemistry.
Karen E. Cady-Pereira, Xuehui Guo, Rui Wang, April B. Leytem, Chase Calkins, Elizabeth Berry, Kang Sun, Markus Müller, Armin Wisthaler, Vivienne H. Payne, Mark W. Shephard, Mark A. Zondlo, and Valentin Kantchev
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 15–36, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-15-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-15-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ammonia is a significant precursor of PM2.5 particles and thus contributes to poor air quality in many regions. Furthermore, ammonia concentrations are rising due to the increase of large-scale, intensive agricultural activities. Here we evaluate satellite measurements of ammonia against aircraft and surface network data, and show that there are differences in magnitude, but the satellite data are spatially and temporally well correlated with the in situ data.
Alana K. Ayasse, Daniel Cusworth, Kelly O'Neill, Justin Fisk, Andrew K. Thorpe, and Riley Duren
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 6065–6074, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-6065-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-6065-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and a significant portion of methane comes from large individual plumes. Recently, airplane-mounted infrared technologies have proven very good at detecting and quantifying these plumes. In order to extract the methane signal from the infrared image, there are two widely used approaches. In this study, we assess the performance of both approaches using controlled-release experiments. We also examine the minimum detection limit of the infrared technology.
Apisada Chulakadabba, Maryann Sargent, Thomas Lauvaux, Joshua S. Benmergui, Jonathan E. Franklin, Christopher Chan Miller, Jonas S. Wilzewski, Sébastien Roche, Eamon Conway, Amir H. Souri, Kang Sun, Bingkun Luo, Jacob Hawthrone, Jenna Samra, Bruce C. Daube, Xiong Liu, Kelly Chance, Yang Li, Ritesh Gautam, Mark Omara, Jeff S. Rutherford, Evan D. Sherwin, Adam Brandt, and Steven C. Wofsy
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5771–5785, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5771-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5771-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We show that MethaneAIR, a precursor to the MethaneSAT satellite, demonstrates accurate point source quantification during controlled release experiments and regional observations in 2021 and 2022. Results from our two independent quantification methods suggest the accuracy of our sensor and algorithms is better than 25 % for sources emitting 200 kg h−1 or more. Insights from these measurements help establish the capabilities of MethaneSAT and MethaneAIR.
Kanghyun Baek, Jae Hwan Kim, Juseon Bak, David P. Haffner, Mina Kang, and Hyunkee Hong
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5461–5478, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5461-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5461-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The GEMS mission was the first mission of the geostationary satellite constellation for hourly atmospheric composition monitoring. The GEMS ozone measurements were cross-compared to those of Pandora, OMPS, and TROPOMI satellite sensors and excellent agreement was found. GEMS has proven to be a powerful new instrument for monitoring and assessing the diurnal variation in atmospheric ozone. This experience can be used to advance research with future geostationary environmental satellite missions.
Tobias Christoph Valentin Werner Riess, Klaas Folkert Boersma, Ward Van Roy, Jos de Laat, Enrico Dammers, and Jasper van Vliet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5287–5304, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5287-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5287-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite retrievals of trace gases require prior knowledge of the vertical distribution of the pollutant, which is usually obtained from models. Using aircraft-measured vertical NO2 profiles over the North Sea in summer 2021, we evaluate the Transport Model 5 profiles used in the TROPOMI NO2 retrieval. We conclude that driven by the low horizontal resolution and the overestimated vertical mixing, resulting NO2 columns are 20 % too low. This has important implications for emission estimates.
Thomas Trickl, Martin Adelwart, Dina Khordakova, Ludwig Ries, Christian Rolf, Michael Sprenger, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, and Hannes Vogelmann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5145–5165, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5145-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5145-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Tropospheric ozone have been measured for more than a century. Highly quantitative ozone measurements have been made at monitoring stations. However, deficits have been reported for vertical sounding systems. Here, we report a thorough intercomparison effort between a differential-absorption lidar system and two types of balloon-borne ozone sondes, also using ozone sensors at nearby mountain sites as references. The sondes agree very well with the lidar after offset corrections.
Rodriguez Yombo Phaka, Alexis Merlaud, Gaia Pinardi, Martina M. Friedrich, Michel Van Roozendael, Jean-François Müller, Trissevgeni Stavrakou, Isabelle De Smedt, François Hendrick, Ermioni Dimitropoulou, Richard Bopili Mbotia Lepiba, Edmond Phuku Phuati, Buenimio Lomami Djibi, Lars Jacobs, Caroline Fayt, Jean-Pierre Mbungu Tsumbu, and Emmanuel Mahieu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5029–5050, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5029-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5029-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present air quality measurements in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, performed with a newly developed instrument which was installed on a roof of the University of Kinshasa in November 2019. The instrument records spectra of the scattered sunlight, from which we derive the abundances of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde, two important pollutants. We compare our ground-based measurements with those of the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI).
Jay Herman, Jerald Ziemke, and Richard McPeters
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4693–4707, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4693-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4693-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Fourier series multivariate linear regression trends (% per decade) in ozone were estimated from the Merged Ozone Data Set (MOD) from 1979 to 2021 in two different regimes, from 1979 to TA (the date when ozone stopped decreasing) and TA to 2021. The derived TA is a latitude-dependent date, ranging from 1994 to 1998. TA(θ) is a marker for photochemistry dynamics models attempting to represent ozone change over the past 42 years.
Michael Kiefer, Dale F. Hurst, Gabriele P. Stiller, Stefan Lossow, Holger Vömel, John Anderson, Faiza Azam, Jean-Loup Bertaux, Laurent Blanot, Klaus Bramstedt, John P. Burrows, Robert Damadeo, Bianca Maria Dinelli, Patrick Eriksson, Maya García-Comas, John C. Gille, Mark Hervig, Yasuko Kasai, Farahnaz Khosrawi, Donal Murtagh, Gerald E. Nedoluha, Stefan Noël, Piera Raspollini, William G. Read, Karen H. Rosenlof, Alexei Rozanov, Christopher E. Sioris, Takafumi Sugita, Thomas von Clarmann, Kaley A. Walker, and Katja Weigel
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4589–4642, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4589-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4589-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We quantify biases and drifts (and their uncertainties) between the stratospheric water vapor measurement records of 15 satellite-based instruments (SATs, with 31 different retrievals) and balloon-borne frost point hygrometers (FPs) launched at 27 globally distributed stations. These comparisons of measurements during the period 2000–2016 are made using robust, consistent statistical methods. With some exceptions, the biases and drifts determined for most SAT–FP pairs are < 10 % and < 1 % yr−1.
Tim A. van Kempen, Tim J. Rotmans, Richard M. van Hees, Carol Bruegge, Dejian Fu, Ruud Hoogeveen, Thomas J. Pongetti, Robert Rosenberg, and Ilse Aben
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4507–4527, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4507-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4507-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Validation of satellite measurements is essential for providing reliable and consistent products. In this paper, a validation method for TROPOMI-SWIR (Tropospheric Measurement Instrument in the short-wavelength infrared) is explored. TROPOMI-SWIR has been shown to be exceptionally stable, a necessity to explore the methodology. Railroad Valley, Nevada, is a prime location to perform the necessary measurements to validate the satellite measurements of TROPOMI-SWIR.
Serin Kim, Daewon Kim, Hyunkee Hong, Lim-Seok Chang, Hanlim Lee, Deok-Rae Kim, Donghee Kim, Jeong-Ah Yu, Dongwon Lee, Ukkyo Jeong, Chang-Kuen Song, Sang-Woo Kim, Sang Seo Park, Jhoon Kim, Thomas F. Hanisco, Junsung Park, Wonei Choi, and Kwangyul Lee
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3959–3972, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3959-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3959-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A first evaluation of the Geostationary Environmental Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) NO2 was carried out via comparison with the NO2 data obtained from the ground-based Pandora direct-sun measurements at four sites in Seosan, Republic of Korea. Comparisons between GEMS NO2 and Pandora NO2 were performed according to GEMS cloud fraction. GEMS NO2 showed good agreement with that of Pandora NO2 under less cloudy conditions.
Nicholas Balasus, Daniel J. Jacob, Alba Lorente, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Robert J. Parker, Hartmut Boesch, Zichong Chen, Makoto M. Kelp, Hannah Nesser, and Daniel J. Varon
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3787–3807, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3787-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3787-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We use machine learning to remove biases in TROPOMI satellite observations of atmospheric methane, with GOSAT observations serving as a reference. We find that the TROPOMI biases relative to GOSAT are related to the presence of aerosols and clouds, the surface brightness, and the specific detector that makes the observation aboard TROPOMI. The resulting blended TROPOMI+GOSAT product is more reliable for quantifying methane emissions.
Thomas E. Taylor, Christopher W. O'Dell, David Baker, Carol Bruegge, Albert Chang, Lars Chapsky, Abhishek Chatterjee, Cecilia Cheng, Frédéric Chevallier, David Crisp, Lan Dang, Brian Drouin, Annmarie Eldering, Liang Feng, Brendan Fisher, Dejian Fu, Michael Gunson, Vance Haemmerle, Graziela R. Keller, Matthäus Kiel, Le Kuai, Thomas Kurosu, Alyn Lambert, Joshua Laughner, Richard Lee, Junjie Liu, Lucas Mandrake, Yuliya Marchetti, Gregory McGarragh, Aronne Merrelli, Robert R. Nelson, Greg Osterman, Fabiano Oyafuso, Paul I. Palmer, Vivienne H. Payne, Robert Rosenberg, Peter Somkuti, Gary Spiers, Cathy To, Brad Weir, Paul O. Wennberg, Shanshan Yu, and Jia Zong
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3173–3209, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3173-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3173-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 and 3 (OCO-2 and OCO-3, respectively) provide complementary spatiotemporal coverage from a sun-synchronous and precession orbit, respectively. Estimates of total column carbon dioxide (XCO2) derived from the two sensors using the same retrieval algorithm show broad consistency over a 2.5-year overlapping time record. This suggests that data from the two satellites may be used together for scientific analysis.
Lena Katharina Jänicke, Rene Preusker, Marco Celesti, Marin Tudoroiu, Jürgen Fischer, Dirk Schüttemeyer, and Matthias Drusch
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3101–3121, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3101-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3101-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
To compare two top-of-atmosphere radiances measured by instruments with different spectral characteristics, a transfer function has been developed. It is applied to a tandem data set of Sentinel-3A and B, for which OLCI-B mimicked the ESA’s eighth Earth Explorer FLEX. We found that OLCI-A measured radiances about 2 % brighter than OLCI-FLEX. Only at larger wavelengths were OLCI-A measurements about 5 % darker. The method is thus successful, being sensitive to calibration and processing issues.
Luis F. Millán, Gloria L. Manney, Harald Boenisch, Michaela I. Hegglin, Peter Hoor, Daniel Kunkel, Thierry Leblanc, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Kaley Walker, Krzysztof Wargan, and Andreas Zahn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2957–2988, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2957-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2957-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The determination of atmospheric composition trends in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) is still highly uncertain. We present the creation of dynamical diagnostics to map several ozone datasets (ozonesondes, lidars, aircraft, and satellite measurements) in geophysically based coordinate systems. The diagnostics can also be used to analyze other greenhouse gases relevant to surface climate and UTLS chemistry.
Zhihua Zhang, Jianguo Niu, Lawrence E. Flynn, Eric Beach, and Trevor Beck
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2919–2941, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2919-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2919-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study mainly focused on addressing stability and improvement when using a broadband approach, establishing soft-calibration adjustments for both OMPS S-NPP and N20, analyzing error biases based on multi-sensor bias correction, and comparing total column ozone and aerosol index retrievals from NOAA OMPS with those from other products.
Matthew S. Johnson, Amir H. Souri, Sajeev Philip, Rajesh Kumar, Aaron Naeger, Jeffrey Geddes, Laura Judd, Scott Janz, Heesung Chong, and John Sullivan
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2431–2454, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2431-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2431-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Satellites provide vital information for studying the processes controlling ozone formation. Based on the abundance of particular gases in the atmosphere, ozone formation is sensitive to specific human-induced and natural emission sources. However, errors and biases in satellite retrievals hinder this data source’s application for studying ozone formation sensitivity. We conducted a thorough statistical evaluation of two commonly applied satellites for investigating ozone formation sensitivity.
Kezia Lange, Andreas Richter, Anja Schönhardt, Andreas C. Meier, Tim Bösch, André Seyler, Kai Krause, Lisa K. Behrens, Folkard Wittrock, Alexis Merlaud, Frederik Tack, Caroline Fayt, Martina M. Friedrich, Ermioni Dimitropoulou, Michel Van Roozendael, Vinod Kumar, Sebastian Donner, Steffen Dörner, Bianca Lauster, Maria Razi, Christian Borger, Katharina Uhlmannsiek, Thomas Wagner, Thomas Ruhtz, Henk Eskes, Birger Bohn, Daniel Santana Diaz, Nader Abuhassan, Dirk Schüttemeyer, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1357–1389, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1357-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1357-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present airborne imaging DOAS and ground-based stationary and car DOAS measurements conducted during the S5P-VAL-DE-Ruhr campaign in the Rhine-Ruhr region. The measurements are used to validate spaceborne NO2 data products from the Sentinel-5 Precursor TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). Auxiliary data of the TROPOMI NO2 retrieval, such as spatially higher resolved a priori NO2 vertical profiles, surface reflectivity, and cloud treatment are investigated to evaluate their impact.
Cited articles
Bey, I., Jacob, D. J., Yantosca, R. M., Logan, J. A., Field, B. D., Fiore, A.
M., Li, Q. B., Liu, H. G. Y., Mickley, L. J., and Schultz, M. G.: Global
modeling of tropospheric chemistry with assimilated meteorology: Model
description and evaluation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 106, 23073–23095,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2001jd000807, 2001.
Boersma, K. F., Eskes, H. J., and Brinksma, E. J.: Error analysis for
tropospheric NO2 retrieval from space, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos.,
109, D04311, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JD003962, 2004.
Boersma, K. F., Eskes, H. J., Dirksen, R. J., van der A, R. J., Veefkind, J.
P., Stammes, P., Huijnen, V., Kleipool, Q. L., Sneep, M., Claas, J.,
Leitão, J., Richter, A., Zhou, Y., and Brunner, D.: An improved
tropospheric NO2 column retrieval algorithm for the Ozone
Monitoring Instrument, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 4, 1905–1928,
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-4-1905-2011, 2011.
Bucsela, E. J., Pickering, K. E., Huntemann, T. L., Cohen, R. C., Perring,
A., Gleason, J. F., Blakeslee, R. J., Albrecht, R. I., Holzworth, R.,
Cipriani, J. P., Vargas-Navarro, D., Mora-Segura, I., Pacheco-Hernández,
A., and Laporte-Molina, S.: Lightning-generated NOx seen by
the Ozone Monitoring Instrument during NASA's Tropical Composition, Cloud and
Climate Coupling Experiment (TC4), J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D00J10,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD013118, 2010.
Castellanos, P. and Boersma, K. F.: Reductions in nitrogen oxides over Europe
driven by environmental policy and economic recession, Sci. Rep., 2, 265,
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00265, 2012.
Cheng, Y., Wang, Y., Zhang, Y., Chen, G., Crawford, J. H., Kleb, M. M.,
Diskin, G. S., and Weinheimer, A. J.: Large biogenic contribution to boundary
layer O3-CO regression slope in summer, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44,
7061–7068, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074405, 2017.
Choi, Y., Wang, Y., Zeng, T., Martin, R. V., Kurosu, T. P., and Chance, K.:
Evidence of lightning NOx and convective transport of
pollutants in satellite observations over North America, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
32, L02805, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021436, 2005.
Choi, Y., Wang, Y., Zeng, T., Cunnold, D., Yang, E.-S., Martin, R., Chance,
K., Thouret, V., and Edgerton, E.: Springtime transitions of NO2,
CO, and O3 over North America: Model evaluation and analysis, J.
Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 113, D20311, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009632, 2008a.
Choi, Y., Wang, Y., Yang, Q., Cunnold, D., Zeng, T., Shim, C., Luo, M.,
Eldering, A., Bucsela, E., and Gleason, J.: Spring to summer northward
migration of high O3 over the western North Atlantic, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 35, L04818, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL032276, 2008b.
Cui, Y., Lin, J., Song, C., Liu, M., Yan, Y., Xu, Y., and Huang, B.: Rapid
growth in nitrogen dioxide pollution over Western China, 2005–2013, Atmos.
Chem. Phys., 16, 6207–6221, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6207-2016, 2016.
Cummins, K. L. and Murphy, M. J.: An Overview of Lightning Locating Systems:
History, Techniques, and Data Uses, With an In-Depth Look at the U.S. NLDN,
IEEE T. Electromagn. C., 51, 499–518, https://doi.org/10.1109/TEMC.2009.2023450, 2009.
Cummins, K. L., Burnett, R. O., Hiscox, W. L., and Pifer, A. E.: Line
reliability and fault analysis using the National lightning detection
network, Preprints, Precise Measurements in Power Conference, 27–29 October
1993, Arlington, VA, USA, 1993.
de Foy, B., Lu, Z., and Streets, D. G.: Satellite NO2 retrievals
suggest China has exceeded its NOx reduction goals from the
twelfth Five-Year Plan, Sci. Rep., 6, 35912, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep35912, 2016a.
de Foy, B., Lu, Z., and Streets, D. G.: Impacts of control strategies, the
Great Recession and weekday variations on NO2 columns above North
American cities, Atmos. Environ., 138, 74–86,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.04.038, 2016b.
Demerjian, K. L.: A review of national monitoring networks in North America,
Atmos. Environ., 34, 1861–1884, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(99)00452-5, 2000.
Dirksen, R. J., Boersma, K. F., Eskes, H. J., Ionov, D. V., Bucsela, E. J.,
Levelt, P. F., and Kelder, H. M.: Evaluation of stratospheric NO2
retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument: Intercomparison, diurnal
cycle, and trending, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 116, D08305,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD014943, 2011.
Duncan, B. N., Yoshida, Y., de Foy, B., Lamsal, L. N., Streets, D. G., Lu, Z.
F., Pickering, K. E., and Krotkov, N. A.: The observed response of Ozone
Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO2 columns to NOx
emission controls on power plants in the United States: 2005–2011, Atmos.
Environ., 81, 102–111, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.08.068, 2013.
Duncan, B. N., Lamsal, L. N., Thompson, A. M., Yoshida, Y., Lu, Z., Streets,
D. G., Hurwitz, M. M., and Pickering, K. E.: A space-based, high-resolution
view of notable changes in urban NOx pollution around the
world (2005–2014), J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 976–996,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024121, 2016.
Eskes, H. J. and Boersma, K. F.: Averaging kernels for DOAS total-column
satellite retrievals, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 3, 1285–1291,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-3-1285-2003, 2003.
Gu, D., Wang, Y., Smeltzer, C., and Liu, Z.: Reduction in
NOx Emission Trends over China: Regional and Seasonal
Variations, Environ. Sci. Technol., 47, 12912–12919,
https://doi.org/10.1021/es401727e, 2013.
Gu, D., Wang, Y., Smeltzer, C., and Boersma, K. F.: Anthropogenic emissions
of NOx over China: Reconciling the difference of inverse
modeling results using GOME-2 and OMI measurements, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos.,
119, 7732–7740, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD021644, 2014.
Gu, D., Wang, Y., Yin, R., Zhang, Y., and Smeltzer, C.: Inverse modelling of
NOx emissions over eastern China: uncertainties due to
chemical non-linearity, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5193–5201,
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5193-2016, 2016.
Guenther, A. B., Jiang, X., Heald, C. L., Sakulyanontvittaya, T., Duhl, T.,
Emmons, L. K., and Wang, X.: The Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols
from Nature version 2.1 (MEGAN2.1): an extended and updated framework for
modeling biogenic emissions, Geosci. Model Dev., 5, 1471–1492,
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-5-1471-2012, 2012.
Heckel, A., Kim, S.-W., Frost, G. J., Richter, A., Trainer, M., and Burrows,
J. P.: Influence of low spatial resolution a priori data on tropospheric
NO2 satellite retrievals, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 4, 1805–1820,
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-4-1805-2011, 2011.
Kain, J. S. and Fritsch, J. M.: Convective Parameterization for Mesoscale
Models: The Kain-Fritsch Scheme, in: The Representation of Cumulus Convection
in Numerical Models, edited by: Emanuel, K. A., and Raymond, D. J., Am.
Meteorol. Soc., Boston, MA, USA, 165–170, 1993.
Kendall, M. G.: Rank correlation methods, Rank correlation methods, Griffin,
Oxford, UK, 1948.
Kleipool, Q. L., Dobber, M. R., de Haan, J. F., and Levelt, P. F.: Earth
surface reflectance climatology from 3 years of OMI data, J. Geophys.
Res.-Atmos., 113, D18308, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD010290, 2008.
Koshak, W. J.: Lightning NOx estimates from space-based
lightning imagers, 16th Annual Community Modeling and Analysis System (CMAS)
Conference, 23–25 October 2017, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, 2017.
Koshak, W. J., Cummins, K. L., Buechler, D. E., Vant-Hull, B., Blakeslee, R.
J., Williams, E. R., and Peterson, H. S.: Variability of CONUS Lightning in
2003–12 and Associated Impacts, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 54, 15–41,
https://doi.org/10.1175/jamc-d-14-0072.1, 2015.
Krotkov, N. A., McLinden, C. A., Li, C., Lamsal, L. N., Celarier, E. A.,
Marchenko, S. V., Swartz, W. H., Bucsela, E. J., Joiner, J., Duncan, B. N.,
Boersma, K. F., Veefkind, J. P., Levelt, P. F., Fioletov, V. E., Dickerson,
R. R., He, H., Lu, Z., and Streets, D. G.: Aura OMI observations of regional
SO2 and NO2 pollution changes from 2005 to 2015, Atmos.
Chem. Phys., 16, 4605–4629, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4605-2016, 2016.
Lamsal, L. N., Martin, R. V., van Donkelaar, A., Steinbacher, M., Celarier,
E. A., Bucsela, E., Dunlea, E. J., and Pinto, J. P.: Ground-level nitrogen
dioxide concentrations inferred from the satellite-borne Ozone Monitoring
Instrument, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 113, D16308, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009235,
2008.
Lamsal, L. N., Martin, R. V., van Donkelaar, A., Celarier, E. A., Bucsela, E.
J., Boersma, K. F., Dirksen, R., Luo, C., and Wang, Y.: Indirect validation
of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide retrieved from the OMI satellite instrument:
Insight into the seasonal variation of nitrogen oxides at northern
midlatitudes, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D05302,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD013351, 2010.
Lamsal, L. N., Krotkov, N. A., Celarier, E. A., Swartz, W. H., Pickering, K.
E., Bucsela, E. J., Gleason, J. F., Martin, R. V., Philip, S., Irie, H.,
Cede, A., Herman, J., Weinheimer, A., Szykman, J. J., and Knepp, T. N.:
Evaluation of OMI operational standard NO2 column retrievals using
in situ and surface-based NO2 observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14,
11587–11609, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-11587-2014, 2014.
Lamsal, L. N., Duncan, B. N., Yoshida, Y., Krotkov, N. A., Pickering, K. E.,
Streets, D. G., and Lu, Z.: U.S. NO2 trends (2005–2013): EPA Air
Quality System (AQS) data versus improved observations from the Ozone
Monitoring Instrument (OMI), Atmos. Environ., 110, 130–143,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.03.055, 2015.
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC): MODIS/Terra+Aqua
Albedo 16-Day L3 Global 1km SIN Grid V004, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA,
U.S. Geological Survey, V003, available at: https://lpdaac.usgs.gov,
last access: January 2016.
Laughner, J. L., Zare, A., and Cohen, R. C.: Effects of daily meteorology on
the interpretation of space-based remote sensing of NO2, Atmos.
Chem. Phys., 16, 15247–15264, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15247-2016,
2016.
Lin, J.-T. and McElroy, M. B.: Detection from space of a reduction in
anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides during the Chinese economic
downturn, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 8171–8188, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-8171-2011,
2011.
Lin, J.-T., McElroy, M. B., and Boersma, K. F.: Constraint of anthropogenic
NOx emissions in China from different sectors: a new
methodology using multiple satellite retrievals, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10,
63–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-63-2010, 2010.
Lin, J.-T., Liu, Z., Zhang, Q., Liu, H., Mao, J., and Zhuang, G.: Modeling
uncertainties for tropospheric nitrogen dioxide columns affecting
satellite-based inverse modeling of nitrogen oxides emissions, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 12, 12255–12275, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-12255-2012, 2012.
Lin, J.-T., Pan, D., and Zhang, R.: Trend and Interannual Variability of
Chinese Air Pollution since 2000 in Association with Socioeconomic
Development: A Brief Overview, Atmos. Ocean. Sci. Lett., 6, 84–89,
https://doi.org/10.1080/16742834.2013.11447061, 2013.
Lin, J.-T., Martin, R. V., Boersma, K. F., Sneep, M., Stammes, P., Spurr, R.,
Wang, P., Van Roozendael, M., Clémer, K., and Irie, H.: Retrieving
tropospheric nitrogen dioxide from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument: effects
of aerosols, surface reflectance anisotropy, and vertical profile of nitrogen
dioxide, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 1441–1461,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1441-2014, 2014.
Lin, J.-T., Liu, M.-Y., Xin, J.-Y., Boersma, K. F., Spurr, R., Martin, R.,
and Zhang, Q.: Influence of aerosols and surface reflectance on satellite
NO2 retrieval: seasonal and spatial characteristics and
implications for NOx emission constraints, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 15, 11217–11241, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11217-2015, 2015.
Liu, F., Beirle, S., Zhang, Q., van der A, R. J., Zheng, B., Tong, D., and
He, K.: NOx emission trends over Chinese cities estimated
from OMI observations during 2005 to 2015, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17,
9261–9275, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-9261-2017, 2017.
Liu, Z., Wang, Y., Gu, D., Zhao, C., Huey, L. G., Stickel, R., Liao, J.,
Shao, M., Zhu, T., Zeng, L., Liu, S.-C., Chang, C.-C., Amoroso, A., and
Costabile, F.: Evidence of Reactive Aromatics As a Major Source of Peroxy
Acetyl Nitrate over China, Environ. Sci. Technol., 44, 7017–7022,
https://doi.org/10.1021/es1007966, 2010.
Liu, Z., Wang, Y., Vrekoussis, M., Richter, A., Wittrock, F., Burrows, J. P.,
Shao, M., Chang, C.-C., Liu, S.-C., Wang, H., and Chen, C.: Exploring the
missing source of glyoxal (CHOCHO) over China, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39,
L10812, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051645, 2012a.
Liu, Z., Wang, Y., Gu, D., Zhao, C., Huey, L. G., Stickel, R., Liao, J.,
Shao, M., Zhu, T., Zeng, L., Amoroso, A., Costabile, F., Chang, C.-C., and
Liu, S.-C.: Summertime photochemistry during CAREBeijing-2007:
ROx budgets and O3 formation, Atmos. Chem. Phys.,
12, 7737–7752, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-7737-2012, 2012b.
Lu, Z., Streets, D. G., de Foy, B., Lamsal, L. N., Duncan, B. N., and Xing,
J.: Emissions of nitrogen oxides from US urban areas: estimation from Ozone
Monitoring Instrument retrievals for 2005–2014, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15,
10367–10383, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10367-2015, 2015.
Luo, C., Wang, Y., and Koshak, W. J.: Development of a self-consistent
lightning NOx simulation in large-scale 3-D models, J.
Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 3141–3154, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD026225, 2017.
Mann, H. B.: Nonparametric Tests Against Trend, Econometrica, 13, 245–259,
https://doi.org/10.2307/1907187, 1945.
Martin, R. V., Sauvage, B., Folkins, I., Sioris, C. E., Boone, C., Bernath,
P., and Ziemke, J.: Space-based constraints on the production of nitric oxide
by lightning, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 112, D09309,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD007831, 2007.
Ott, L. E., Pickering, K. E., Stenchikov, G. L., Allen, D. J., DeCaria, A.
J., Ridley, B., Lin, R.-F., Lang, S., and Tao, W.-K.: Production of lightning
NOx and its vertical distribution calculated from
three-dimensional cloud-scale chemical transport model simulations, J.
Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D04301, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD011880, 2010.
Pickering, K. E., Wang, Y., Tao, W.-K., Price, C., and Müller, J.-F.:
Vertical distributions of lightning NOx for use in regional
and global chemical transport models, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 103,
31203–31216, https://doi.org/10.1029/98JD02651, 1998.
Rudlosky, S. D. and Fuelberg, H. E.: Pre- and Postupgrade Distributions of
NLDN Reported Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Characteristics in the Contiguous
United States, Mon. Weather Rev., 138, 3623–3633, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010mwr3283.1,
2010.
Russell, A. R., Perring, A. E., Valin, L. C., Bucsela, E. J., Browne, E. C.,
Wooldridge, P. J., and Cohen, R. C.: A high spatial resolution retrieval of
NO2 column densities from OMI: method and evaluation, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 11, 8543–8554, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-8543-2011, 2011.
Russell, A. R., Valin, L. C., and Cohen, R. C.: Trends in OMI NO2
observations over the United States: effects of emission control technology
and the economic recession, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 12197–12209,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-12197-2012, 2012.
Saha, S., Moorthi, S., Pan, H.-L., Wu, X., Wang, J., Nadiga, S., Tripp, P.,
Kistler, R., Woollen, J., Behringer, D., Liu, H., Stokes, D., Grumbine, R.,
Gayno, G., Wang, J., Hou, Y.-T., Chuang, H.-Y., Juang, H.-M. H., Sela, J.,
Iredell, M., Treadon, R., Kleist, D., Van Delst, P., Keyser, D., Derber, J.,
Ek, M., Meng, J., Wei, H., Yang, R., Lord, S., Van Den Dool, H., Kumar, A.,
Wang, W., Long, C., Chelliah, M., Xue, Y., Huang, B., Schemm, J.-K.,
Ebisuzaki, W., Lin, R., Xie, P., Chen, M., Zhou, S., Higgins, W., Zou, C.-Z.,
Liu, Q., Chen, Y., Han, Y., Cucurull, L., Reynolds, R. W., Rutledge, G., and
Goldberg, M.: The NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis, B. Am. Meteorol.
Soc., 91, 1015–1057, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010BAMS3001.1, 2010.
Schaaf, C. B., Gao, F., Strahler, A. H., Lucht, W., Li, X., Tsang, T.,
Strugnell, N. C., Zhang, X., Jin, Y., Muller, J.-P., Lewis, P., Barnsley, M.,
Hobson, P., Disney, M., Roberts, G., Dunderdale, M., Doll, C., d'Entremont,
R. P., Hu, B., Liang, S., Privette, J. L., and Roy, D.: First operational
BRDF, albedo nadir reflectance products from MODIS, Remote Sens. Environ.,
83, 135–148, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(02)00091-3, 2002.
Schenkeveld, V. M. E., Jaross, G., Marchenko, S., Haffner, D., Kleipool, Q.
L., Rozemeijer, N. C., Veefkind, J. P., and Levelt, P. F.: In-flight
performance of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10,
1957–1986, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1957-2017, 2017.
Tang, J., Zhang, A., and He, Z.: The earth surface reflectance retrieval by
exploiting the synergy of TERRA and AQUA MODIS data, 2007 IEEE International
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 23–28 July 2007, Barcelona, Spain,
1697–1700, https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2007.4423144, 2007.
Tong, D. Q., Lamsal, L., Pan, L., Ding, C., Kim, H., Lee, P., Chai, T.,
Pickering, K. E., and Stajner, I.: Long-term NOx trends over
large cities in the United States during the great recession: Comparison of
satellite retrievals, ground observations, and emission inventories, Atmos.
Environ., 107, 70–84, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.01.035, 2015.
Yang, Q., Wang, Y., Zhao, C., Liu, Z., Gustafson, W. I., and Shao, M.:
NOx Emission Reduction and its Effects on Ozone during the
2008 Olympic Games, Environ. Sci. Technol., 45, 6404–6410,
https://doi.org/10.1021/es200675v, 2011.
Zara, M., Boersma, K. F., De Smedt, I., Richter, A., Peters, E., Van Geffen,
J. H. G. M., Beirle, S., Wagner, T., Van Roozendael, M., Marchenko, S.,
Lamsal, L. N., and Eskes, H. J.: Improved slant column density retrieval of
nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde for OMI and GOME-2A from QA4ECV:
intercomparison, uncertainty characterization, and trends, Atmos. Meas. Tech.
Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2017-453, in review, 2018.
Zhang, R., Wang, Y., He, Q., Chen, L., Zhang, Y., Qu, H., Smeltzer, C., Li,
J., Alvarado, L. M. A., Vrekoussis, M., Richter, A., Wittrock, F., and
Burrows, J. P.: Enhanced trans-Himalaya pollution transport to the Tibetan
Plateau by cut-off low systems, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 3083–3095,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3083-2017, 2017.
Zhang, Y. and Wang, Y.: Climate-driven ground-level ozone extreme in the fall
over the Southeast United States, P. Natl. Acad. Sci., 113, 10025-10030,
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1602563113, 2016.
Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Chen, G., Smeltzer, C., Crawford, J., Olson, J.,
Szykman, J., Weinheimer, A. J., Knapp, D. J., Montzka, D. D., Wisthaler, A.,
Mikoviny, T., Fried, A., and Diskin, G.: Large vertical gradient of reactive
nitrogen oxides in the boundary layer: Modeling analysis of DISCOVER-AQ 2011
observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 1922–1934,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024203, 2016.
Zhao, C. and Wang, Y.: Assimilated inversion of NOx
emissions over east Asia using OMI NO2 column measurements,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L06805, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL037123, 2009.
Zhao, C., Wang, Y., Choi, Y., and Zeng, T.: Summertime impact of convective
transport and lightning NOx production over North America:
modeling dependence on meteorological simulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9,
4315–4327, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-4315-2009, 2009.
Zhou, Y., Brunner, D., Boersma, K. F., Dirksen, R., and Wang, P.: An improved
tropospheric NO2 retrieval for OMI observations in the vicinity of
mountainous terrain, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 2, 401–416,
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2-401-2009, 2009.
Short summary
This study focuses on how to improve OMI NO2 retrievals for trend analysis. We retrieve OMI tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) and obtain the NO2 seasonal trends over the United States, which are compared with coincident in situ surface NO2 measurements from the Air Quality System network. We find that three procedures are essential in comparing both datasets, including the ocean trend removal, the albedo update, and the lightning filter.
This study focuses on how to improve OMI NO2 retrievals for trend analysis. We retrieve OMI...
