Articles | Volume 15, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4063-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4063-2022
Research article
 | 
08 Jul 2022
Research article |  | 08 Jul 2022

On the influence of underlying elevation data on Sentinel-5 Precursor TROPOMI satellite methane retrievals over Greenland

Jonas Hachmeister, Oliver Schneising, Michael Buchwitz, Alba Lorente, Tobias Borsdorff, John P. Burrows, Justus Notholt, and Matthias Buschmann
Publisher's note: the final revised AMT journal article was published on 8 July 2022. By accident, this version did not include the adjustments made during language copy-editing. This was corrected on 12 July 2022. Other than the language adjustments, no changes have been made to the scientific content of the paper.

Related authors

Reduction of airmass-dependent biases in TCCON XCH4 retrievals during polar vortex conditions
Jonas Hachmeister, Debra Wunch, Erin McGee, Kimberly Strong, Rigel Kivi, Justus Notholt, Thorsten Warneke, and Matthias Buschmann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4055,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4055, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Zonal variability of methane trends derived from satellite data
Jonas Hachmeister, Oliver Schneising, Michael Buchwitz, John P. Burrows, Justus Notholt, and Matthias Buschmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 577–595, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-577-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-577-2024, 2024
Short summary
Determination of the chemical equator from GEOS-Chem model simulation: a focus on the tropical western Pacific region
Xiaoyu Sun, Mathias Palm, Katrin Müller, Jonas Hachmeister, and Justus Notholt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7075–7090, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7075-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7075-2023, 2023
Short summary
Advances in retrieving XCH4 and XCO from Sentinel-5 Precursor: improvements in the scientific TROPOMI/WFMD algorithm
Oliver Schneising, Michael Buchwitz, Jonas Hachmeister, Steffen Vanselow, Maximilian Reuter, Matthias Buschmann, Heinrich Bovensmann, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 669–694, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-669-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-669-2023, 2023
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Gases | Technique: Remote Sensing | Topic: Validation and Intercomparisons
Validation of the version 4.5 MAESTRO ozone and NO2 measurements
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
Advancing CH4 and N2O retrieval strategies for NDACC/IRWG high-resolution direct-sun FTIR Observations
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
Long-term evolution of the calibration constant on a mobile/field campaign water vapour Raman lidar
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
Benchmarking data-driven inversion methods for the estimation of local CO2 emissions from synthetic satellite images of XCO2 and NO2
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
Validation of 12 years (2008–2019) of IASI-A CO with IAGOS aircraft observations
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

Cited articles

Abdalati, W., Zwally, H. J., Bindschadler, R., Csatho, B., Farrell, S. L., Fricker, H. A., Harding, D., Kwok, R., Lefsky, M., Markus, T., Marshak, A., Neumann, T., Palm, S., Schutz, B., Smith, B., Spinhirne, J., and Webb, C.: The ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry Mission, P. IEEE, 98, 735–751, https://doi.org/10.1109/JPROC.2009.2034765, 2010. a
AMAP: AMAP Assessment 2015: Methane as an Arctic climate forcer, https://www.amap.no/documents/doc/amap-assessment-2015-methane-as-an-arctic-climate-forcer/1285, 2015. a
Apituley, A., Pedergnana, M., Sneep, M., Pepijn, V. J., Loyola, D., and Hasekamp, O.: Sentinel-5 precursor/TROPOMI Level 2 Product User Manual Methane, European Space Agency, https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel/data-products/-/asset_publisher/fp37fc19FN8F/content/tropomi-level-2-methane (last access: 4 May 2022), 2017. a, b, c
Bamber, J. L., Ekholm, S., and Krabill, W. B.: A new, high-resolution digital elevation model of Greenland fully validated with airborne laser altimeter data, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 6733–6745, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JB900365, 2001. a, b
Barré, J., Aben, I., Agustí-Panareda, A., Balsamo, G., Bousserez, N., Dueben, P., Engelen, R., Inness, A., Lorente, A., McNorton, J., Peuch, V.-H., Radnoti, G., and Ribas, R.: Systematic detection of local CH4 anomalies by combining satellite measurements with high-resolution forecasts, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 5117–5136, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5117-2021, 2021. a
Download

Please read the editorial note first before accessing the article.

Short summary
Sentinel-5P trace gas retrievals rely on elevation data in their calculations. Outdated or inaccurate data can lead to significant errors in e.g. dry-air mole fractions of methane (XCH4). We show that the use of inadequate elevation data leads to strong XCH4 anomalies in Greenland. Similar problems can be expected for other regions with inaccurate elevation data. However, we expect these to be more localized. We show that updating elevation data used in the retrieval solves this issue.
Share