Articles | Volume 14, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-7775-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-7775-2021
Model experiment description paper
 | 
23 Dec 2021
Model experiment description paper |  | 23 Dec 2021

How well can inverse analyses of high-resolution satellite data resolve heterogeneous methane fluxes? Observing system simulation experiments with the GEOS-Chem adjoint model (v35)

Xueying Yu, Dylan B. Millet, and Daven K. Henze

Model code and software

Code Updates of GEOS-Chem Adjoint v35 for TROPOMI Methane 4D-Var Inversion Xueying Yu, Dylan B. Millet, and Daven K. Henze https://doi.org/10.13020/g5xc-nj81

Download
Short summary
We conduct observing system simulation experiments to test how well inverse analyses of high-resolution satellite data from sensors such as TROPOMI can quantify methane emissions. Inversions can improve monthly flux estimates at 25 km even with a spatially biased prior or model transport errors, but results are strongly degraded when both are present. We further evaluate a set of alternate formalisms to overcome limitations of the widely used scale factor approach that arise for missing sources.