Articles | Volume 9, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5423-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5423-2016
Research article
 | 
09 Nov 2016
Research article |  | 09 Nov 2016

The operational methane retrieval algorithm for TROPOMI

Haili Hu, Otto Hasekamp, André Butz, André Galli, Jochen Landgraf, Joost Aan de Brugh, Tobias Borsdorff, Remco Scheepmaker, and Ilse Aben

Abstract. This work presents the operational methane retrieval algorithm for the Sentinel 5 Precursor (S5P) satellite and its performance tested on realistic ensembles of simulated measurements. The target product is the column-averaged dry air volume mixing ratio of methane (XCH4), which will be retrieved simultaneously with scattering properties of the atmosphere. The algorithm attempts to fit spectra observed by the shortwave and near-infrared channels of the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) spectrometer aboard S5P.

The sensitivity of the retrieval performance to atmospheric scattering properties, atmospheric input data and instrument calibration errors is evaluated. In addition, we investigate the effect of inhomogeneous slit illumination on the instrument spectral response function. Finally, we discuss the cloud filters to be used operationally and as backup.

We show that the required accuracy and precision of  < 1 % for the XCH4 product are met for clear-sky measurements over land surfaces and after appropriate filtering of difficult scenes. The algorithm is very stable, having a convergence rate of 99 %. The forward model error is less than 1 % for about 95 % of the valid retrievals. Model errors in the input profile of water do not influence the retrieval outcome noticeably. The methane product is expected to meet the requirements if errors in input profiles of pressure and temperature remain below 0.3 % and 2 K, respectively. We further find that, of all instrument calibration errors investigated here, our retrievals are the most sensitive to an error in the instrument spectral response function of the shortwave infrared channel.

Short summary
In 2017, the TROPOMI spectrometer will be launched on board the Sentinel 5 Precursor satellite. It will deliver, among other things, daily global measurements of methane as part of the Copernicus atmospheric services. In this paper, we present the algorithm that is used for operational data processing of the methane product from TROPOMI measurements of the shortwave and near-infrared spectral range, and we discuss its performance using realistic simulated measurements.