Articles | Volume 17, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-4983-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-4983-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Methods for assessment of models
| 
26 Jun 2024
Methods for assessment of models |
| 26 Jun 2024
| 26 Jun 2024
Can TROPOMI NO2 satellite data be used to track the drop in and resurgence of NOx emissions in Germany between 2019–2021 using the multi-source plume method (MSPM)?
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Princetonlaan 6, 3584 CB, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Janot Tokaya
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Princetonlaan 6, 3584 CB, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Christian Mielke
Umweltbundesamt (UBA), Wörlitzer Pl. 1, 06844, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
Kevin Hausmann
Umweltbundesamt (UBA), Wörlitzer Pl. 1, 06844, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
Debora Griffin
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto M3H 5T4, Canada
Chris McLinden
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto M3H 5T4, Canada
Henk Eskes
KNMI, Utrechtseweg 297, 3731 GA, De Bilt, the Netherlands
Renske Timmermans
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Princetonlaan 6, 3584 CB, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Related authors
Lidewij Beatrijs Tijhuis, Tyler Wizenberg, and Enrico Dammers
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2893, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2893, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
Ammonia is an air pollutant that affects human health, ecosystems, and climate, but satellite measurements usually cannot identify emissions from individual facilities. We show that high‑resolution thermal infrared images can detect ammonia plumes at a much finer scale than existing satellites. This enables clearer identification of industrial sources and provides new opportunities for improved emission estimates and the design of future satellite missions.
Beatriz Herrera, Enrico Dammers, Martine De Maziere, Omaira Garcia, Michel Grutter, James W. Hannigan, Dylan B. A. Jones, Nicholas Jones, Emmanuel Mahieu, Maria Makarova, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Isamu Morino, Isao Murata, Ivan Ortega, Mathias Palm, Anatoly Poverovskii, Takashi Sekiya, Dan Smale, Hannah Sill, Wolfgang Stremme, Ralf Sussmann, Geoffrey Toon, Corinne Vigouroux, Wei Wang, Tyler Wizenberg, and Kimberly Strong
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3138, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3138, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
This work investigates how atmospheric ammonia changes over time using long-term observations and simulations at locations around the world. While its main sources are related to agriculture, wildfires, vehicles, and volcanoes also contribute. The results show that ammonia levels vary strongly during the day and across seasons, and are rising at most locations. These findings improve our understanding of air pollution and its impacts.
Felipe Cifuentes, Henk Eskes, Ankie Piters, Julian Gomez, John Douros, Gaia Pinardi, Martina M. Friedrich, Enrico Dammers, Manuel Gebetsberger, and K. Folkert Boersma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 2437–2477, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2437-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2437-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite NO2 data are essential for monitoring air pollution, but they are affected by several sources of uncertainty. This study evaluates the major error contributors in TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) NO2 retrievals by analyzing each retrieval step and comparing with ground-based observations. Key findings include biases in the separation of stratospheric and tropospheric NO2, representation and smoothing errors, and substantial variability among the ground-based instruments used for validation.
Tyler Wizenberg, Enrico Dammers, Arjo Segers, Mark W. Shephard, Pierre Coheur, Lieven Clarisse, Martin Van Damme, Henk Eskes, Roy Wichink Kruit, Shelley van der Graaf, and Martijn Schaap
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5926, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5926, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We combined satellite data on ammonia and nitrogen dioxide concentrations with a regional model to better estimate nitrogen emissions and deposition in the Netherlands. This improved the accuracy of pollution maps and trends, especially in agricultural regions. Our approach helps identify when and where emissions are highest, supporting better air quality management and environmental protection by showing the benefits of using multiple satellite datasets together.
Simeng Li, Enrico Dammers, Arjo Segers, and Jan Willem Erisman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 15593–15611, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15593-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15593-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Between 2019 and 2022, a notable reduction in livestock numbers has been observed on Schiermonnikoog, a small island in the north of the Netherlands. We have assessed ammonia emissions using real-world measurements on the island, demonstrated emission decrease, and proposed a network to improve emission monitoring.
Chris A. McLinden, Debora Griffin, Vitali Fioletov, Junhua Zhang, Enrico Dammers, Cristen Adams, Mallory Loria, Nickolay Krotkov, and Lok N. Lamsal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 6093–6120, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6093-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6093-2025, 2025
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The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) was used to understand the evolution of NOx emissions from the Canadian oil sands. OMI NO2 combined with winds and reported stack emissions found emissions from the heavy-hauler mine fleet have remained flat since 2005, whereas the total oil sands mined have more than doubled. This difference is a result of emissions standards that limit NOx emissions becoming more stringent over this period, confirming the efficacy of the policy enacting these standards.
Tycho Jongenelen, Margreet van Zanten, Enrico Dammers, Roy Wichink Kruit, Arjan Hensen, Leon Geers, and Jan Willem Erisman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4943–4963, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4943-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4943-2025, 2025
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This article compares three ammonia (NH3) deposition models in a dune ecosystem and investigates the uncertainty of these models. The Zhang model aligned best with the measurements, whereas the DEPAC (DEPosition of Acidifying Compounds) and Massad models overestimated and underestimated the NH3 deposition respectively. The study found that NH3 exchange with wet plant leaves was an important but uncertain process. It offers recommendations to improve future models and suggests measurements to lower the existing uncertainty.
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
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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.
Jieying Ding, Ronald van der A, Henk Eskes, Enrico Dammers, Mark Shephard, Roy Wichink Kruit, Marc Guevara, and Leonor Tarrason
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10583–10599, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10583-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10583-2024, 2024
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Here we applied the existing Daily Emissions Constrained by Satellite Observations (DECSO) inversion algorithm to NH3 observations from the CrIS satellite instrument to estimate NH3 emissions. As NH3 in the atmosphere is influenced by NOx, we implemented DECSO to estimate NOx and NH3 emissions simultaneously. The emissions are derived over Europe for 2020 at a spatial resolution of 0.2° using daily observations from CrIS and TROPOMI. Results are compared to bottom-up emission inventories.
Debora Griffin, Jack Chen, Kerry Anderson, Paul Makar, Chris A. McLinden, Enrico Dammers, and Andre Fogal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10159–10186, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10159-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10159-2024, 2024
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Satellite-derived CO emissions provide new insights into the understanding of global CO emission rates from wildfires. We use TROPOMI satellite data to create a global inventory database of wildfire CO emissions. These satellite-derived wildfire emissions are used for the evaluation and improvement of existing fire emission inventories and to examine how the wildfire CO emissions have changed over the past 2 decades.
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
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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.
Marsailidh M. Twigg, Augustinus J. C. Berkhout, Nicholas Cowan, Sabine Crunaire, Enrico Dammers, Volker Ebert, Vincent Gaudion, Marty Haaima, Christoph Häni, Lewis John, Matthew R. Jones, Bjorn Kamps, John Kentisbeer, Thomas Kupper, Sarah R. Leeson, Daiana Leuenberger, Nils O. B. Lüttschwager, Ulla Makkonen, Nicholas A. Martin, David Missler, Duncan Mounsor, Albrecht Neftel, Chad Nelson, Eiko Nemitz, Rutger Oudwater, Celine Pascale, Jean-Eudes Petit, Andrea Pogany, Nathalie Redon, Jörg Sintermann, Amy Stephens, Mark A. Sutton, Yuk S. Tang, Rens Zijlmans, Christine F. Braban, and Bernhard Niederhauser
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6755–6787, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6755-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6755-2022, 2022
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Ammonia (NH3) gas in the atmosphere impacts the environment, human health, and, indirectly, climate. Historic NH3 monitoring was labour intensive, and the instruments were complicated. Over the last decade, there has been a rapid technology development, including “plug-and-play” instruments. This study is an extensive field comparison of the currently available technologies and provides evidence that for routine monitoring, standard operating protocols are required for datasets to be comparable.
Beatriz Herrera, Alejandro Bezanilla, Thomas Blumenstock, Enrico Dammers, Frank Hase, Lieven Clarisse, Adolfo Magaldi, Claudia Rivera, Wolfgang Stremme, Kimberly Strong, Camille Viatte, Martin Van Damme, and Michel Grutter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 14119–14132, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14119-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14119-2022, 2022
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This work investigates atmospheric ammonia (NH3), a key trace gas with consequences for the environment and human health, in Mexico City. The results from the ground-based and satellite instruments show the variability and spatial distribution of NH3 over this region. NH3 in Mexico City has been increasing for the past 10 years and most of its sources are urban. This work contributes to a better understanding of NH3 sources and variability in urban and remote areas.
Michael Sitwell, Mark W. Shephard, Yves Rochon, Karen Cady-Pereira, and Enrico Dammers
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6595–6624, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6595-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6595-2022, 2022
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Observations of ammonia made using the satellite-borne CrIS instrument were used to improve the ammonia emissions used in the GEM-MACH model. These observations were used to refine estimates of the monthly mean ammonia emissions over North America for May to August 2016. The updated ammonia emissions reduced biases of GEM-MACH surface ammonia fields with surface observations and showed some improvements in the forecasting of species involved in inorganic particulate matter formation.
Shelley van der Graaf, Enrico Dammers, Arjo Segers, Richard Kranenburg, Martijn Schaap, Mark W. Shephard, and Jan Willem Erisman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 951–972, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-951-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-951-2022, 2022
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CrIS NH3 satellite observations are assimilated into the LOTOS-EUROS model using two different methods. In the first method the data are used to fit spatially varying NH3 emission time factors. In the second method a local ensemble transform Kalman filter is used. Compared to in situ observations, combining both methods led to the most significant improvements in the modeled concentrations and deposition, illustrating the usefulness of CrIS NH3 to improve the spatiotemporal distribution of NH3.
Debora Griffin, Chris A. McLinden, Enrico Dammers, Cristen Adams, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Carsten Warneke, Ilann Bourgeois, Jeff Peischl, Thomas B. Ryerson, Kyle J. Zarzana, Jake P. Rowe, Rainer Volkamer, Christoph Knote, Natalie Kille, Theodore K. Koenig, Christopher F. Lee, Drew Rollins, Pamela S. Rickly, Jack Chen, Lukas Fehr, Adam Bourassa, Doug Degenstein, Katherine Hayden, Cristian Mihele, Sumi N. Wren, John Liggio, Ayodeji Akingunola, and Paul Makar
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7929–7957, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7929-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7929-2021, 2021
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Satellite-derived NOx emissions from biomass burning are estimated with TROPOMI observations. Two common emission estimation methods are applied, and sensitivity tests with model output were performed to determine the accuracy of these methods. The effect of smoke aerosols on TROPOMI NO2 columns is estimated and compared to aircraft observations from four different aircraft campaigns measuring biomass burning plumes in 2018 and 2019 in North America.
Jonathan E. Hickman, Niels Andela, Enrico Dammers, Lieven Clarisse, Pierre-François Coheur, Martin Van Damme, Courtney A. Di Vittorio, Money Ossohou, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Kostas Tsigaridis, and Susanne E. Bauer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16277–16291, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16277-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16277-2021, 2021
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Ammonia (NH3) gas emitted from soils and biomass burning contributes to particulate air pollution. We used satellite observations of the atmosphere over Africa to show that declines in NH3 concentrations over South Sudan's Sudd wetland in 2008–2017 are related to variation in wetland extent. We also find NH3 concentrations increased in West Africa as a result of biomass burning and increased in the Lake Victoria region, likely due to agricultural expansion and intensification.
Lidewij Beatrijs Tijhuis, Tyler Wizenberg, and Enrico Dammers
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2893, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2893, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
Ammonia is an air pollutant that affects human health, ecosystems, and climate, but satellite measurements usually cannot identify emissions from individual facilities. We show that high‑resolution thermal infrared images can detect ammonia plumes at a much finer scale than existing satellites. This enables clearer identification of industrial sources and provides new opportunities for improved emission estimates and the design of future satellite missions.
Beatriz Herrera, Enrico Dammers, Martine De Maziere, Omaira Garcia, Michel Grutter, James W. Hannigan, Dylan B. A. Jones, Nicholas Jones, Emmanuel Mahieu, Maria Makarova, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Isamu Morino, Isao Murata, Ivan Ortega, Mathias Palm, Anatoly Poverovskii, Takashi Sekiya, Dan Smale, Hannah Sill, Wolfgang Stremme, Ralf Sussmann, Geoffrey Toon, Corinne Vigouroux, Wei Wang, Tyler Wizenberg, and Kimberly Strong
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3138, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3138, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
This work investigates how atmospheric ammonia changes over time using long-term observations and simulations at locations around the world. While its main sources are related to agriculture, wildfires, vehicles, and volcanoes also contribute. The results show that ammonia levels vary strongly during the day and across seasons, and are rising at most locations. These findings improve our understanding of air pollution and its impacts.
Jinkyul Choi, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Takashi Sekiya, Jinhyeok Yu, Shin-Ya Ogino, Henk Eskes, Pieter Rijdijk, Ryan Bennett, Anke Roiger, Leon Knez, Glenn S. Diskin, Jason A. Miech, Joshua P. DiGangi, Yonghoon Choi, Alessandro Franchin, Changmin Cho, Eric C. Apel, Louisa K. Emmons, Nattamon Maneenoi, Jason M. St. Clair, Reem A. Hannun, Glenn M. Wolfe, Erin Delaria, Abby Sebol, Donald R. Blake, Monica Crippa, Rachel M. Hoesly, Steven J. Smith, Jung-Hun Woo, Le Kuai, and Ronald Macatangay
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2380, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2380, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Asia produces half of the world's air pollution, yet emission estimates from different sources disagree widely. We assimilated satellite observations of six pollutant species to correct both concentrations and emissions. Aircraft measurements from a 2024 NASA campaign across four Asian countries confirmed the improvements. Our results reveal underreported emissions in some countries, overestimated vegetation emissions, unresolved fire estimates, and weather control on cross-border pollution.
Xiaoyi Zhao, Vitali Fioletov, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Voltaire Velazco, Alberto Redondas, Anna Solomatnikova, Corinne Vigouroux, Kimberly Strong, Michel Van Roozendael, Andrea Pazmino, Thomas F. Hanisco, Alexander Cede, Martin Tiefengraber, Gordon Labow, Masatomo Fujiwara, Ronald van der A, Debora Griffin, Chris McLinden, Tom Kralidis, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, and Sum Chi Lee
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2009, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2009, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Total column ozone (TCO) records from six ground-based networks are compiled and evaluated using multiple satellites and reanalysis data. Station performance (1940–2024) is assessed using harmonized metrics. Ground-based annual means agree within ±2 %, while pre-satellite reanalyses show larger biases (up to −5 %). The resulting quality-assessed dataset supports trend analysis and satellite validation.
Takashi Sekiya, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Henk Eskes, Pieter Rijsdijk, Kengo Sudo, and Yugo Kanaya
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1681, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1681, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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This study evaluates the synergistic effects of satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) and trace gas data assimilation on aerosol composition analyses. The simultaneous data assimilation (DA) improved the PM2.5 model biases in Northeast Asia compared to conventional DA run that separately assimilate AOD satellite observations. This coupled aerosol and trace gas DA framework offers significant advantages for improving global aerosol composition analyses.
Yutao Chen, Ronald J. van der A, Jieying Ding, Henk Eskes, Felipe Cifuentes, and Pieternel F. Levelt
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 2737–2750, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2737-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2737-2026, 2026
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The SO2 gridded point emissions calculated from satellite measurements appear spread out around the source. This is inherent to the inversion method and the resolution of the satellite measurements. We made a new sharpening algorithm to reverse the spreading and make the emission signal clearer. With this method, the effective resolution is improved. Known sources can be located more precisely, and new ones can be found from space. The same approach also works for other gases like NOx.
Felipe Cifuentes, Henk Eskes, Ankie Piters, Julian Gomez, John Douros, Gaia Pinardi, Martina M. Friedrich, Enrico Dammers, Manuel Gebetsberger, and K. Folkert Boersma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 2437–2477, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2437-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2437-2026, 2026
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Satellite NO2 data are essential for monitoring air pollution, but they are affected by several sources of uncertainty. This study evaluates the major error contributors in TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) NO2 retrievals by analyzing each retrieval step and comparing with ground-based observations. Key findings include biases in the separation of stratospheric and tropospheric NO2, representation and smoothing errors, and substantial variability among the ground-based instruments used for validation.
Jos van Geffen, Henk Eskes, Maarten Sneep, Mark ter Linden, and Pepijn Veefkind
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5836, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5836, 2026
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The Fraunhofer absorption feature at 430 nm, which varies in strength with the solar activity cycle influences the retrieval of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from from Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurements. This study describes the benefits of removing the wavelength range 428–433 nm from the retrieval, which is implemented for TROPOMI retrievals as of v2.9.1.
Tyler Wizenberg, Enrico Dammers, Arjo Segers, Mark W. Shephard, Pierre Coheur, Lieven Clarisse, Martin Van Damme, Henk Eskes, Roy Wichink Kruit, Shelley van der Graaf, and Martijn Schaap
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5926, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5926, 2026
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We combined satellite data on ammonia and nitrogen dioxide concentrations with a regional model to better estimate nitrogen emissions and deposition in the Netherlands. This improved the accuracy of pollution maps and trends, especially in agricultural regions. Our approach helps identify when and where emissions are highest, supporting better air quality management and environmental protection by showing the benefits of using multiple satellite datasets together.
Debora Griffin, Colin Hempel, Chris McLinden, Shailesh Kumar Kharol, Colin Lee, Andre Fogal, Christopher Sioris, Mark Shephard, and Yuan You
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 7497–7511, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-7497-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-7497-2025, 2025
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NO2 surface concentrations are obtained across North America using satellite data and machine learning, and compared to traditional approaches to determine surface NO2 from satellite observations.
Simon Chabrillat, Samuel Rémy, Quentin Errera, Vincent Huijnen, Christine Bingen, Jonas Debosscher, François Hendrick, Swen Metzger, Adrien Mora, Daniele Minganti, Marc Op de beek, Léa Reisenfeld, Jason E. Williams, Henk Eskes, and Johannes Flemming
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 8973–9014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-8973-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-8973-2025, 2025
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We document the forecasts of the composition of the stratosphere by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. The model's predictions are compared with satellite measurements over a recent period, during polar ozone depletion events, and after the Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption. The system performs well for sulfate aerosols, ozone and several other key gases but not as well for several nitrogen-containing gases. Chemical processes in aerosols and polar clouds should be improved.
Simeng Li, Enrico Dammers, Arjo Segers, and Jan Willem Erisman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 15593–15611, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15593-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15593-2025, 2025
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Between 2019 and 2022, a notable reduction in livestock numbers has been observed on Schiermonnikoog, a small island in the north of the Netherlands. We have assessed ammonia emissions using real-world measurements on the island, demonstrated emission decrease, and proposed a network to improve emission monitoring.
Marc Guevara, Augustin Colette, Antoine Guion, Valentin Petiot, Mario Adani, Joaquim Arteta, Anna Benedictow, Robert Bergström, Andrea Bolignano, Paula Camps, Ana C. Carvalho, Jesper Heile Christensen, Florian Couvidat, Ilaria D'Elia, Hugo Denier van der Gon, Gaël Descombes, John Douros, Hilde Fagerli, Yalda Fatahi, Elmar Friese, Lise Frohn, Michael Gauss, Camilla Geels, Risto Hänninen, Kaj Hansen, Oriol Jorba, Jacek W. Kaminski, Rostislav Kouznetsov, Richard Kranenburg, Jeroen Kuenen, Victor Lannuque, Frédérik Meleux, Agnes Nyíri, Yuliia Palamarchuk, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Lennard Robertson, Felicita Russo, Arjo Segers, Mikhail Sofiev, Joanna Struzewska, Renske Timmermans, Andreas Uppstu, Alvaro Valdebenito, and Zhuyun Ye
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 13245–13278, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-13245-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-13245-2025, 2025
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Air quality models require hourly emissions to accurately represent dispersion and physico-chemical processes in the atmosphere. Since emission inventories are typically provided at the annual level, emissions are downscaled to a refined temporal resolution using temporal profiles. This study quantifies the impact of using new anthropogenic temporal profiles on the performance of an European air quality multi-model ensemble. Overall, the findings indicate an improvement of the modelling results.
Augustin Colette, Gaëlle Collin, François Besson, Etienne Blot, Vincent Guidard, Frédérik Meleux, Adrien Royer, Valentin Petiot, Claire Miller, Oihana Fermond, Alizé Jeant, Mario Adani, Joaquim Arteta, Anna Benedictow, Robert Bergström, Dene Bowdalo, Jorgen Brandt, Gino Briganti, Ana C. Carvalho, Jesper Heile Christensen, Florian Couvidat, Ilaria D'Elia, Massimo D'Isidoro, Hugo Denier van der Gon, Gaël Descombes, Enza Di Tomaso, John Douros, Jeronimo Escribano, Henk Eskes, Hilde Fagerli, Yalda Fatahi, Johannes Flemming, Elmar Friese, Lise Frohn, Michael Gauss, Camilla Geels, Guido Guarnieri, Marc Guevara, Antoine Guion, Jonathan Guth, Risto Hänninen, Kaj Hansen, Ulas Im, Ruud Janssen, Marine Jeoffrion, Mathieu Joly, Luke Jones, Oriol Jorba, Evgeni Kadantsev, Michael Kahnert, Jacek W. Kaminski, Rostislav Kouznetsov, Richard Kranenburg, Jeroen Kuenen, Anne Caroline Lange, Joachim Langner, Victor Lannuque, Francesca Macchia, Astrid Manders, Mihaela Mircea, Agnes Nyiri, Miriam Olid, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Yuliia Palamarchuk, Antonio Piersanti, Blandine Raux, Miha Razinger, Lennard Robertson, Arjo Segers, Martijn Schaap, Pilvi Siljamo, David Simpson, Mikhail Sofiev, Anders Stangel, Joanna Struzewska, Carles Tena, Renske Timmermans, Thanos Tsikerdekis, Svetlana Tsyro, Svyatoslav Tyuryakov, Anthony Ung, Andreas Uppstu, Alvaro Valdebenito, Peter van Velthoven, Lina Vitali, Zhuyun Ye, Vincent-Henri Peuch, and Laurence Rouïl
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 6835–6883, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6835-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6835-2025, 2025
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The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service – Regional Production delivers daily forecasts, analyses, and reanalyses of air quality in Europe. The service relies on a distributed modelling production by 11 leading European modelling teams following stringent requirements with an operational design that has no equivalent in the world. All the products are free, open, and quality-assured and disseminated with a high level of reliability.
Bas Mijling, Henk Eskes, Sascha Hofmann, Pau Moreno, David García Falin, and María Encarnación de Vega Pastor
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 6439–6460, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6439-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6439-2025, 2025
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Given the serious health risks of urban air pollution, monitoring local pollution levels is crucial. The Retina v2 algorithm creates high-resolution pollution maps by integrating satellite and local measurements with an air quality model. Easily portable to other cities, it balances accuracy with low computational demands, matching or outperforming complex dispersion models and data-heavy machine learning. Satellite data proves especially valuable in cities with sparse or no monitoring networks.
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, 17, 4627–4650, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4627-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4627-2025, 2025
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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.
Rimal Abeed, Audrey Fortems-Cheiney, Grégoire Broquet, Robin Plauchu, Isabelle Pison, Antoine Berchet, Elise Potier, Bo Zheng, Gaëlle Dufour, Adriana Coman, Dilek Savas, Guillaume Siour, Henk Eskes, Beatriz Revilla-Romero, Antony Delavois, and Philippe Ciais
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3329, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3329, 2025
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We investigate changes in air pollution from nitrogen oxides NOx (=NO+NO2) across Eastern China from 2019 to 2021, using a satellite-based modelling approach. Our results show a drop in pollution in 2020 in most provinces, and along the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor. The analysis also captures emission variations during the Lunar New Year. By estimating emissions at the provincial level, the study provides insights into how major events and policy measures influence local air quality.
Chris A. McLinden, Debora Griffin, Vitali Fioletov, Junhua Zhang, Enrico Dammers, Cristen Adams, Mallory Loria, Nickolay Krotkov, and Lok N. Lamsal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 6093–6120, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6093-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6093-2025, 2025
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The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) was used to understand the evolution of NOx emissions from the Canadian oil sands. OMI NO2 combined with winds and reported stack emissions found emissions from the heavy-hauler mine fleet have remained flat since 2005, whereas the total oil sands mined have more than doubled. This difference is a result of emissions standards that limit NOx emissions becoming more stringent over this period, confirming the efficacy of the policy enacting these standards.
Audrey Fortems-Cheiney, Grégoire Broquet, Elise Potier, Antoine Berchet, Isabelle Pison, Adrien Martinez, Robin Plauchu, Rimal Abeed, Aurélien Sicsik-Paré, Gaelle Dufour, Adriana Coman, Dilek Savas, Guillaume Siour, Henk Eskes, Hugo A. C. Denier van der Gon, and Stijn N. C. Dellaert
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 6047–6068, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6047-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6047-2025, 2025
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This study assesses the potential of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) satellite observations to inform about the decrease in anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in 2019 compared with 2005 at regional to national scales in Europe. Both the OMI and TROPOMI inversions show decreases in European NOx anthropogenic emission budgets in 2019 compared to 2005 but with different magnitudes.
Ramina Alwarda, Kristof Bognar, Xiaoyi Zhao, Vitali Fioletov, Jonathan Davies, Sum Chi Lee, Debora Griffin, Alexandru Lupu, Udo Frieß, Alexander Cede, Yushan Su, and Kimberly Strong
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 2397–2423, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2397-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2397-2025, 2025
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Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a pollutant with a short lifetime and large variability, but there are limited measurements of its distribution in the lower atmosphere. We present a new 3-year dataset of NO2 vertical profiles in Toronto, Canada, and evaluate it using NO2 from satellite and surface monitoring networks and simulations by an air quality forecast model. We quantify and explain the differences among the datasets to provide information that can be used to understand NO2 variability.
Tycho Jongenelen, Margreet van Zanten, Enrico Dammers, Roy Wichink Kruit, Arjan Hensen, Leon Geers, and Jan Willem Erisman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4943–4963, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4943-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4943-2025, 2025
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This article compares three ammonia (NH3) deposition models in a dune ecosystem and investigates the uncertainty of these models. The Zhang model aligned best with the measurements, whereas the DEPAC (DEPosition of Acidifying Compounds) and Massad models overestimated and underestimated the NH3 deposition respectively. The study found that NH3 exchange with wet plant leaves was an important but uncertain process. It offers recommendations to improve future models and suggests measurements to lower the existing uncertainty.
Yutao Chen, Ronald J. van der A, Jieying Ding, Henk Eskes, Jason E. Williams, Nicolas Theys, Athanasios Tsikerdekis, and Pieternel F. Levelt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1851–1868, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1851-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1851-2025, 2025
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There is a lack of local SO2 top-down emission inventories in India. With the improvement in the divergence method and the derivation of SO2 local lifetime, gridded SO2 emissions over a large area can be estimated efficiently. This method can be applied to any region in the world to derive SO2 emissions. Especially for regions with high latitudes, our methodology has the potential to significantly improve the top-down derivation of SO2 emissions.
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
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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
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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.
Vitali Fioletov, Chris A. McLinden, Debora Griffin, Xiaoyi Zhao, and Henk Eskes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 575–596, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-575-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-575-2025, 2025
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Satellite data were used to estimate urban per capita emissions for 261 major cities worldwide. Three components in tropospheric NO2 data (background NO2, NO2 from urban sources, and NO2 from industrial point sources) were isolated, and then each of these components was analyzed separately. The largest per capita emissions were found in the Middle East and the smallest in India and southern Africa. Urban weekend emissions are 20 %–50 % less than workday emissions for all regions except China.
Xiaoyi Zhao, Vitali Fioletov, Debora Griffin, Chris McLinden, Ralf Staebler, Cristian Mihele, Kevin Strawbridge, Jonathan Davies, Ihab Abboud, Sum Chi Lee, Alexander Cede, Martin Tiefengraber, and Robert Swap
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6889–6912, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6889-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6889-2024, 2024
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This study explores differences between remote sensing and in situ instruments in terms of their vertical, horizontal, and temporal sampling differences. Understanding and resolving these differences are critical for future analyses linking satellite, ground-based remote sensing, and in situ observations in air quality monitoring. It shows that the meteorological conditions (wind directions, speed, and boundary layer conditions) will strongly affect the agreement between the two measurements.
Kerry Anderson, Jack Chen, Peter Englefield, Debora Griffin, Paul A. Makar, and Dan Thompson
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 7713–7749, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-7713-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-7713-2024, 2024
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The Global Forest Fire Emissions Prediction System (GFFEPS) is a model that predicts smoke and carbon emissions from wildland fires. The model calculates emissions from the ground up based on satellite-detected fires, modelled weather and fire characteristics. Unlike other global models, GFFEPS uses daily weather conditions to capture changing burning conditions on a day-to-day basis. GFFEPS produced lower carbon emissions due to the changing weather not captured by the other models.
Jieying Ding, Ronald van der A, Henk Eskes, Enrico Dammers, Mark Shephard, Roy Wichink Kruit, Marc Guevara, and Leonor Tarrason
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10583–10599, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10583-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10583-2024, 2024
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Here we applied the existing Daily Emissions Constrained by Satellite Observations (DECSO) inversion algorithm to NH3 observations from the CrIS satellite instrument to estimate NH3 emissions. As NH3 in the atmosphere is influenced by NOx, we implemented DECSO to estimate NOx and NH3 emissions simultaneously. The emissions are derived over Europe for 2020 at a spatial resolution of 0.2° using daily observations from CrIS and TROPOMI. Results are compared to bottom-up emission inventories.
Can Li, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Joanna Joiner, Vitali Fioletov, Chris McLinden, Debora Griffin, Peter J. T. Leonard, Simon Carn, Colin Seftor, and Alexander Vasilkov
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 4291–4309, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4291-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4291-2024, 2024
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Sulfur dioxide (SO2), a poisonous gas from human activities and volcanoes, causes air pollution, acid rain, and changes to climate and the ozone layer. Satellites have been used to monitor SO2 globally, including remote areas. Here we describe a new satellite SO2 dataset from the OMPS instrument that flies on the N20 satellite. Results show that the new dataset agrees well with the existing ones from other satellites and can help to continue the global monitoring of SO2 from space.
Debora Griffin, Jack Chen, Kerry Anderson, Paul Makar, Chris A. McLinden, Enrico Dammers, and Andre Fogal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10159–10186, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10159-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10159-2024, 2024
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Satellite-derived CO emissions provide new insights into the understanding of global CO emission rates from wildfires. We use TROPOMI satellite data to create a global inventory database of wildfire CO emissions. These satellite-derived wildfire emissions are used for the evaluation and improvement of existing fire emission inventories and to examine how the wildfire CO emissions have changed over the past 2 decades.
Mengyao Liu, Ronald van der A, Michiel van Weele, Lotte Bryan, Henk Eskes, Pepijn Veefkind, Yongxue Liu, Xiaojuan Lin, Jos de Laat, and Jieying Ding
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5261–5277, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5261-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5261-2024, 2024
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A new divergence method was developed and applied to estimate methane emissions from TROPOMI observations over the Middle East, where it is typically challenging for a satellite to measure methane due to its complicated orography and surface albedo. Our results show the potential of TROPOMI to quantify methane emissions from various sources rather than big emitters from space after objectively excluding the artifacts in the retrieval.
Henk Eskes, Athanasios Tsikerdekis, Melanie Ades, Mihai Alexe, Anna Carlin Benedictow, Yasmine Bennouna, Lewis Blake, Idir Bouarar, Simon Chabrillat, Richard Engelen, Quentin Errera, Johannes Flemming, Sebastien Garrigues, Jan Griesfeller, Vincent Huijnen, Luka Ilić, Antje Inness, John Kapsomenakis, Zak Kipling, Bavo Langerock, Augustin Mortier, Mark Parrington, Isabelle Pison, Mikko Pitkänen, Samuel Remy, Andreas Richter, Anja Schoenhardt, Michael Schulz, Valerie Thouret, Thorsten Warneke, Christos Zerefos, and Vincent-Henri Peuch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9475–9514, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9475-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9475-2024, 2024
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The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) provides global analyses and forecasts of aerosols and trace gases in the atmosphere. On 27 June 2023 a major upgrade, Cy48R1, became operational. Comparisons with in situ, surface remote sensing, aircraft, and balloon and satellite observations show that the new CAMS system is a significant improvement. The results quantify the skill of CAMS to forecast impactful events, such as wildfires, dust storms and air pollution peaks.
Robin Plauchu, Audrey Fortems-Cheiney, Grégoire Broquet, Isabelle Pison, Antoine Berchet, Elise Potier, Gaëlle Dufour, Adriana Coman, Dilek Savas, Guillaume Siour, and Henk Eskes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8139–8163, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8139-2024, 2024
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This study uses the Community Inversion Framework and CHIMERE model to assess the potential of TROPOMI-S5P PAL NO2 tropospheric column data to estimate NOx emissions in France (2019–2021). Results show a 3 % decrease in average emissions compared to the 2016 CAMS-REG/INS, lower than the 14 % decrease from CITEPA. The study highlights challenges in capturing emission anomalies due to limited data coverage and error levels but shows promise for local inventory improvements.
Ronald J. van der A, Jieying Ding, and Henk Eskes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7523–7534, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7523-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7523-2024, 2024
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Using observations of the Sentinel-5P satellite and the latest version of the inversion algorithm DECSO, anthropogenic NOx emissions are derived for Europe for the years 2019–2022 with a spatial resolution of 0.2°. The results are compared with European emissions of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
Andrés Yarce Botero, Michiel van Weele, Arjo Segers, Pier Siebesma, and Henk Eskes
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 3765–3781, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-3765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-3765-2024, 2024
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HARMONIE WINS50 reanalysis data with 0.025° × 0.025° resolution from 2019 to 2021 were coupled with the LOTOS-EUROS Chemical Transport Model. HARMONIE and ECMWF meteorology configurations against Cabauw observations (52.0° N, 4.9° W) were evaluated as simulated NO2 concentrations with ground-level sensors. Differences in crucial meteorological input parameters (boundary layer height, vertical diffusion coefficient) between the hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic models were analysed.
Adrianus de Laat, Jos van Geffen, Piet Stammes, Ronald van der A, Henk Eskes, and J. Pepijn Veefkind
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4511–4535, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4511-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4511-2024, 2024
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Removal of stratospheric nitrogen oxides is crucial for the formation of the ozone hole. TROPOMI satellite measurements of nitrogen dioxide reveal the presence of a not dissimilar "nitrogen hole" that largely coincides with the ozone hole. Three very distinct regimes were identified: inside and outside the ozone hole and the transition zone in between. Our results introduce a valuable and innovative application highly relevant for Antarctic ozone hole and ozone layer recovery.
Lukas Fehr, Chris McLinden, Debora Griffin, Daniel Zawada, Doug Degenstein, and Adam Bourassa
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 7491–7507, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-7491-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-7491-2023, 2023
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This work highlights upgrades to SASKTRAN, a model that simulates sunlight interacting with the atmosphere to help measure trace gases. The upgrades were verified by detailed comparisons between different numerical methods. A case study was performed using SASKTRAN’s multidimensional capabilities, which found that ignoring horizontal variation in the atmosphere (a common practice in the field) can introduce non-negligible errors where there is snow or high pollution.
Vitali E. Fioletov, Chris A. McLinden, Debora Griffin, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Can Li, Joanna Joiner, Nicolas Theys, and Simon Carn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5575–5592, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5575-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5575-2023, 2023
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Snow-covered terrain, with its high reflectance in the UV, typically enhances satellite sensitivity to boundary layer pollution. However, a significant fraction of high-quality cloud-free measurements over snow is currently excluded from analyses. In this study, we investigated how satellite SO2 measurements over snow-covered surfaces can be used to improve estimations of annual SO2 emissions.
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
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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.
Xiaojuan Lin, Ronald van der A, Jos de Laat, Henk Eskes, Frédéric Chevallier, Philippe Ciais, Zhu Deng, Yuanhao Geng, Xuanren Song, Xiliang Ni, Da Huo, Xinyu Dou, and Zhu Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6599–6611, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6599-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6599-2023, 2023
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Satellite observations provide evidence for CO2 emission signals from isolated power plants. We use these satellite observations to quantify emissions. We found that for power plants with multiple observations, the correlation of estimated and reported emissions is significantly improved compared to a single observation case. This demonstrates that accurate estimation of power plant emissions can be achieved by monitoring from future satellite missions with more frequent observations.
Anna Agustí-Panareda, Jérôme Barré, Sébastien Massart, Antje Inness, Ilse Aben, Melanie Ades, Bianca C. Baier, Gianpaolo Balsamo, Tobias Borsdorff, Nicolas Bousserez, Souhail Boussetta, Michael Buchwitz, Luca Cantarello, Cyril Crevoisier, Richard Engelen, Henk Eskes, Johannes Flemming, Sébastien Garrigues, Otto Hasekamp, Vincent Huijnen, Luke Jones, Zak Kipling, Bavo Langerock, Joe McNorton, Nicolas Meilhac, Stefan Noël, Mark Parrington, Vincent-Henri Peuch, Michel Ramonet, Miha Razinger, Maximilian Reuter, Roberto Ribas, Martin Suttie, Colm Sweeney, Jérôme Tarniewicz, and Lianghai Wu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3829–3859, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3829-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3829-2023, 2023
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We present a global dataset of atmospheric CO2 and CH4, the two most important human-made greenhouse gases, which covers almost 2 decades (2003–2020). It is produced by combining satellite data of CO2 and CH4 with a weather and air composition prediction model, and it has been carefully evaluated against independent observations to ensure validity and point out deficiencies to the user. This dataset can be used for scientific studies in the field of climate change and the global carbon cycle.
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
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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.
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
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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.
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
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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.
Vitali E. Fioletov, Chris A. McLinden, Debora Griffin, Ihab Abboud, Nickolay Krotkov, Peter J. T. Leonard, Can Li, Joanna Joiner, Nicolas Theys, and Simon Carn
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 75–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-75-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-75-2023, 2023
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Sulfur dioxide (SO2) measurements from three satellite instruments were used to update and extend the previously developed global catalogue of large SO2 emission sources. This version 2 of the global catalogue covers the period of 2005–2021 and includes a total of 759 continuously emitting point sources. The catalogue data show an approximate 50 % decline in global SO2 emissions between 2005 and 2021, although emissions were relatively stable during the last 3 years.
Marsailidh M. Twigg, Augustinus J. C. Berkhout, Nicholas Cowan, Sabine Crunaire, Enrico Dammers, Volker Ebert, Vincent Gaudion, Marty Haaima, Christoph Häni, Lewis John, Matthew R. Jones, Bjorn Kamps, John Kentisbeer, Thomas Kupper, Sarah R. Leeson, Daiana Leuenberger, Nils O. B. Lüttschwager, Ulla Makkonen, Nicholas A. Martin, David Missler, Duncan Mounsor, Albrecht Neftel, Chad Nelson, Eiko Nemitz, Rutger Oudwater, Celine Pascale, Jean-Eudes Petit, Andrea Pogany, Nathalie Redon, Jörg Sintermann, Amy Stephens, Mark A. Sutton, Yuk S. Tang, Rens Zijlmans, Christine F. Braban, and Bernhard Niederhauser
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6755–6787, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6755-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6755-2022, 2022
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Ammonia (NH3) gas in the atmosphere impacts the environment, human health, and, indirectly, climate. Historic NH3 monitoring was labour intensive, and the instruments were complicated. Over the last decade, there has been a rapid technology development, including “plug-and-play” instruments. This study is an extensive field comparison of the currently available technologies and provides evidence that for routine monitoring, standard operating protocols are required for datasets to be comparable.
Beatriz Herrera, Alejandro Bezanilla, Thomas Blumenstock, Enrico Dammers, Frank Hase, Lieven Clarisse, Adolfo Magaldi, Claudia Rivera, Wolfgang Stremme, Kimberly Strong, Camille Viatte, Martin Van Damme, and Michel Grutter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 14119–14132, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14119-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14119-2022, 2022
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This work investigates atmospheric ammonia (NH3), a key trace gas with consequences for the environment and human health, in Mexico City. The results from the ground-based and satellite instruments show the variability and spatial distribution of NH3 over this region. NH3 in Mexico City has been increasing for the past 10 years and most of its sources are urban. This work contributes to a better understanding of NH3 sources and variability in urban and remote areas.
Miriam Latsch, Andreas Richter, Henk Eskes, Maarten Sneep, Ping Wang, Pepijn Veefkind, Ronny Lutz, Diego Loyola, Athina Argyrouli, Pieter Valks, Thomas Wagner, Holger Sihler, Michel van Roozendael, Nicolas Theys, Huan Yu, Richard Siddans, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6257–6283, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6257-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6257-2022, 2022
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The article investigates different S5P TROPOMI cloud retrieval algorithms for tropospheric trace gas retrievals. The cloud products show differences primarily over snow and ice and for scenes under sun glint. Some issues regarding across-track dependence are found for the cloud fractions as well as for the cloud heights.
Can Li, Joanna Joiner, Fei Liu, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Vitali Fioletov, and Chris McLinden
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5497–5514, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5497-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5497-2022, 2022
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Satellite observations provide information on the sources of SO2, an important pollutant that affects both air quality and climate. However, these observations suffer from relatively poor data quality due to weak signals of SO2. Here, we use a machine learning technique to analyze satellite SO2 observations in order to reduce the noise and artifacts over relatively clean areas while keeping the signals near pollution sources. This leads to significant improvement in satellite SO2 data.
Katherine L. Hayden, Shao-Meng Li, John Liggio, Michael J. Wheeler, Jeremy J. B. Wentzell, Amy Leithead, Peter Brickell, Richard L. Mittermeier, Zachary Oldham, Cristian M. Mihele, Ralf M. Staebler, Samar G. Moussa, Andrea Darlington, Mengistu Wolde, Daniel Thompson, Jack Chen, Debora Griffin, Ellen Eckert, Jenna C. Ditto, Megan He, and Drew R. Gentner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12493–12523, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12493-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12493-2022, 2022
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In this study, airborne measurements provided the most detailed characterization, to date, of boreal forest wildfire emissions. Measurements showed a large diversity of air pollutants expanding the volatility range typically reported. A large portion of organic species was unidentified, likely comprised of complex organic compounds. Aircraft-derived emissions improve wildfire chemical speciation and can support reliable model predictions of pollution from boreal forest wildfires.
Pieternel F. Levelt, Deborah C. Stein Zweers, Ilse Aben, Maite Bauwens, Tobias Borsdorff, Isabelle De Smedt, Henk J. Eskes, Christophe Lerot, Diego G. Loyola, Fabian Romahn, Trissevgeni Stavrakou, Nicolas Theys, Michel Van Roozendael, J. Pepijn Veefkind, and Tijl Verhoelst
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10319–10351, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10319-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10319-2022, 2022
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Using the COVID-19 lockdown periods as an example, we show how Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI trace gas data (NO2, SO2, CO, HCHO and CHOCHO) can be used to understand impacts on air quality for regions and cities around the globe. We also provide information for both experienced and inexperienced users about how we created the data using state-of-the-art algorithms, where to get the data, methods taking meteorological and seasonal variability into consideration, and insights for future studies.
Francisco J. Pérez-Invernón, Heidi Huntrieser, Thilo Erbertseder, Diego Loyola, Pieter Valks, Song Liu, Dale J. Allen, Kenneth E. Pickering, Eric J. Bucsela, Patrick Jöckel, Jos van Geffen, Henk Eskes, Sergio Soler, Francisco J. Gordillo-Vázquez, and Jeff Lapierre
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3329–3351, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3329-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3329-2022, 2022
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Lightning, one of the major sources of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, contributes to the tropospheric concentration of ozone and to the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. In this work, we contribute to improving the estimation of lightning-produced nitrogen oxides in the Ebro Valley and the Pyrenees by using two different TROPOMI products and comparing the results.
Michael Sitwell, Mark W. Shephard, Yves Rochon, Karen Cady-Pereira, and Enrico Dammers
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6595–6624, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6595-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6595-2022, 2022
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Observations of ammonia made using the satellite-borne CrIS instrument were used to improve the ammonia emissions used in the GEM-MACH model. These observations were used to refine estimates of the monthly mean ammonia emissions over North America for May to August 2016. The updated ammonia emissions reduced biases of GEM-MACH surface ammonia fields with surface observations and showed some improvements in the forecasting of species involved in inorganic particulate matter formation.
Xin Zhang, Yan Yin, Ronald van der A, Henk Eskes, Jos van Geffen, Yunyao Li, Xiang Kuang, Jeff L. Lapierre, Kui Chen, Zhongxiu Zhen, Jianlin Hu, Chuan He, Jinghua Chen, Rulin Shi, Jun Zhang, Xingrong Ye, and Hao Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5925–5942, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5925-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5925-2022, 2022
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The importance of convection to the ozone and nitrogen oxides (NOx) produced from lightning has long been an open question. We utilize the high-resolution chemistry model with ozonesondes and space observations to discuss the effects of convection over southeastern China, where few studies have been conducted. Our results show the transport and chemistry contributions for various storms and demonstrate the ability of TROPOMI to estimate the lightning NOx production over small-scale convection.
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
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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.
Vitali Fioletov, Chris A. McLinden, Debora Griffin, Nickolay Krotkov, Fei Liu, and Henk Eskes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 4201–4236, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4201-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4201-2022, 2022
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The COVID-19 lockdown had a large impact on anthropogenic emissions and particularly on nitrogen dioxide (NO2). A new method of isolation of background, urban, and industrial components in NO2 is applied to estimate the lockdown impact on each of them. From 16 March to 15 June 2020, urban NO2 declined by −18 % to −28 % in most regions of the world, while background NO2 typically declined by less than −10 %.
Takashi Sekiya, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Henk Eskes, Kengo Sudo, Masayuki Takigawa, and Yugo Kanaya
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1703–1728, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1703-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1703-2022, 2022
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This study gives a systematic comparison of TROPOMI version 1.2 and OMI QA4ECV tropospheric NO2 column through global chemical data assimilation (DA) integration for April–May 2018. DA performance is controlled by measurement sensitivities, retrieval errors, and coverage. Due to reduced errors in TROPOMI, agreements against assimilated and independent observations were improved by TROPOMI DA compared to OMI DA. These results demonstrate that TROPOMI DA improves global analyses of NO2 and ozone.
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
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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.
Shelley van der Graaf, Enrico Dammers, Arjo Segers, Richard Kranenburg, Martijn Schaap, Mark W. Shephard, and Jan Willem Erisman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 951–972, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-951-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-951-2022, 2022
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CrIS NH3 satellite observations are assimilated into the LOTOS-EUROS model using two different methods. In the first method the data are used to fit spatially varying NH3 emission time factors. In the second method a local ensemble transform Kalman filter is used. Compared to in situ observations, combining both methods led to the most significant improvements in the modeled concentrations and deposition, illustrating the usefulness of CrIS NH3 to improve the spatiotemporal distribution of NH3.
Mahtab Majdzadeh, Craig A. Stroud, Christopher Sioris, Paul A. Makar, Ayodeji Akingunola, Chris McLinden, Xiaoyi Zhao, Michael D. Moran, Ihab Abboud, and Jack Chen
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 219–249, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-219-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-219-2022, 2022
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A new lookup table for aerosol optical properties based on a Mie scattering code was calculated and adopted within an improved version of the photolysis module in the GEM-MACH in-line chemical transport model. The modified version of the photolysis module makes use of online interactive aerosol feedback and applies core-shell parameterizations to the black carbon absorption efficiency based on Bond et al. (2006) to the size bins with black carbon mass fraction of less than 40 %.
Debora Griffin, Chris A. McLinden, Enrico Dammers, Cristen Adams, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Carsten Warneke, Ilann Bourgeois, Jeff Peischl, Thomas B. Ryerson, Kyle J. Zarzana, Jake P. Rowe, Rainer Volkamer, Christoph Knote, Natalie Kille, Theodore K. Koenig, Christopher F. Lee, Drew Rollins, Pamela S. Rickly, Jack Chen, Lukas Fehr, Adam Bourassa, Doug Degenstein, Katherine Hayden, Cristian Mihele, Sumi N. Wren, John Liggio, Ayodeji Akingunola, and Paul Makar
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7929–7957, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7929-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7929-2021, 2021
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Satellite-derived NOx emissions from biomass burning are estimated with TROPOMI observations. Two common emission estimation methods are applied, and sensitivity tests with model output were performed to determine the accuracy of these methods. The effect of smoke aerosols on TROPOMI NO2 columns is estimated and compared to aircraft observations from four different aircraft campaigns measuring biomass burning plumes in 2018 and 2019 in North America.
Nicolas Theys, Vitali Fioletov, Can Li, Isabelle De Smedt, Christophe Lerot, Chris McLinden, Nickolay Krotkov, Debora Griffin, Lieven Clarisse, Pascal Hedelt, Diego Loyola, Thomas Wagner, Vinod Kumar, Antje Innes, Roberto Ribas, François Hendrick, Jonas Vlietinck, Hugues Brenot, and Michel Van Roozendael
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16727–16744, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16727-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16727-2021, 2021
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We present a new algorithm to retrieve sulfur dioxide from space UV measurements. We apply the technique to high-resolution TROPOMI measurements and demonstrate the high sensitivity of the approach to weak SO2 emissions worldwide with an unprecedented limit of detection of 8 kt yr−1. This result has broad implications for atmospheric science studies dealing with improving emission inventories and identifying and quantifying missing sources, in the context of air quality and climate.
Jonathan E. Hickman, Niels Andela, Enrico Dammers, Lieven Clarisse, Pierre-François Coheur, Martin Van Damme, Courtney A. Di Vittorio, Money Ossohou, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Kostas Tsigaridis, and Susanne E. Bauer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16277–16291, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16277-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16277-2021, 2021
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Ammonia (NH3) gas emitted from soils and biomass burning contributes to particulate air pollution. We used satellite observations of the atmosphere over Africa to show that declines in NH3 concentrations over South Sudan's Sudd wetland in 2008–2017 are related to variation in wetland extent. We also find NH3 concentrations increased in West Africa as a result of biomass burning and increased in the Lake Victoria region, likely due to agricultural expansion and intensification.
Steffen Beirle, Christian Borger, Steffen Dörner, Henk Eskes, Vinod Kumar, Adrianus de Laat, and Thomas Wagner
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 2995–3012, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2995-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2995-2021, 2021
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A catalog of point sources of nitrogen oxides was created using satellite observations of NO2. Key for the identification of point sources was the divergence, i.e., the difference between upwind and downwind levels of NO2.
The catalog lists 451 locations, of which 242 could be automatically matched to power plants. Other point sources are metal smelters, cement plants, or industrial areas. The catalog thus allows checking and improving of existing emission inventories.
Cited articles
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Atkinson, R. W., Butland, B. K., Anderson, H. R., and Maynard, R. L.: Long-term concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and mortality: a meta-analysis of cohort studies, Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), 29, 460, 2018. a
Barré, J., Petetin, H., Colette, A., Guevara, M., Peuch, V.-H., Rouil, L., Engelen, R., Inness, A., Flemming, J., Pérez García-Pando, C., Bowdalo, D., Meleux, F., Geels, C., Christensen, J. H., Gauss, M., Benedictow, A., Tsyro, S., Friese, E., Struzewska, J., Kaminski, J. W., Douros, J., Timmermans, R., Robertson, L., Adani, M., Jorba, O., Joly, M., and Kouznetsov, R.: Estimating lockdown-induced European NO2 changes using satellite and surface observations and air quality models, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 7373–7394, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7373-2021, 2021. a
Beirle, S., Borger, C., Dörner, S., Eskes, H., Kumar, V., de Laat, A., and Wagner, T.: Catalog of NOx emissions from point sources as derived from the divergence of the NO2 flux for TROPOMI, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 2995–3012, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2995-2021, 2021. a, b, c, d
Belch, J. J., Fitton, C., Cox, B., and Chalmers, J. D.: Associations between ambient air pollutants and hospital admissions: more needs to be done, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 28, 61848–61852, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16544-0, 2021. a
Bucsela, E. J., Pickering, K. E., Allen, D. J., Holzworth, R. H., and Krotkov, N. A.: Midlatitude Lightning NOx Production Efficiency Inferred From OMI and WWLLN Data, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124, 13475–13497, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030561, 2019. a
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Crippa, M., Guizzardi, D., Muntean, M., Schaaf, E., Lo Vullo, E., Solazzo, E., Monforti-Ferrario, F., Olivier, J., and Vignati, E.: EDGAR v5. 0 global air pollutant emissions, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) [data set], http://data.europa.eu/89h/377801af-b094-4943-8fdc-f79a7c0c2d19 (last access: November 2022), 2019. a
Curier, R., Kranenburg, R., Segers, A., Timmermans, R., and Schaap, M.: Synergistic use of OMI NO2 tropospheric columns and LOTOS–EUROS to evaluate the NOx emission trends across Europe, Remote Sens. Environ., 149, 58–69, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.03.032, 2014. a
Dammers, E., McLinden, C. A., Griffin, D., Shephard, M. W., Van Der Graaf, S., Lutsch, E., Schaap, M., Gainairu-Matz, Y., Fioletov, V., Van Damme, M., Whitburn, S., Clarisse, L., Cady-Pereira, K., Clerbaux, C., Coheur, P. F., and Erisman, J. W.: NH3 emissions from large point sources derived from CrIS and IASI satellite observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12261–12293, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12261-2019, 2019. a, b, c
Dammers, E., Shephard, M., Griffin, D., Chow, E., White, E., Hickman, J., Tokaya, J., Lutsch, E., Kharol, S., van der Graaf, S., Cady-Pereira, K., Bittman, S., Mclinden, C., Erisman, J., and Schaap, M.: County-level ammonia emissions monitored worldwide, Nat. Geosci. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1752718/v1, 2022. a, b, c, d, e
de Foy, B., Wilkins, J. L., Lu, Z., Streets, D. G., and Duncan, B. N.: Model evaluation of methods for estimating surface emissions and chemical lifetimes from satellite data, Atmos. Environ., 98, 66–77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.08.051, 2014. a
de Foy, B., Lu, Z., Streets, D. G., Lamsal, L. N., and Duncan, B. N.: Estimates of power plant NOx emissions and lifetimes from OMI NO2 satellite retrievals, Atmos. Environ., 116, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.05.056, 2015. a
Ding, J., van der A, R. J., Eskes, H. J., Mijling, B., Stavrakou, T., van Geffen, J. H. G. M., and Veefkind, J. P.: NOx Emissions Reduction and Rebound in China Due to the COVID-19 Crisis, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL089912, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089912, 2020. a, b
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Douros, J., Eskes, H., van Geffen, J., Boersma, K. F., Compernolle, S., Pinardi, G., Blechschmidt, A.-M., Peuch, V.-H., Colette, A., and Veefkind, P.: Comparing Sentinel-5P TROPOMI NO2 column observations with the CAMS regional air quality ensemble, Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 509–534, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-509-2023, 2023. a
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Fioletov, V., McLinden, C., Krotkov, N., Moran, M., and Yang, K.: Estimation of SO2 emissions using OMI retrievals, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL049402, 2011. a
Fioletov, V., McLinden, C. A., Kharol, S. K., Krotkov, N. A., Li, C., Joiner, J., Moran, M. D., Vet, R., Visschedijk, A. J. H., and Denier van der Gon, H. A. C.: Multi-source SO2 emission retrievals and consistency of satellite and surface measurements with reported emissions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 12597–12616, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12597-2017, 2017. a, b, c, d, e
Fioletov, V., McLinden, C. A., Griffin, D., Krotkov, N., Liu, F., and Eskes, H.: Quantifying urban, industrial, and background changes in NO2 during the COVID-19 lockdown period based on TROPOMI satellite observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 4201–4236, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4201-2022, 2022. a, b, c, d, e, f
Fioletov, V. E., McLinden, C. A., Krotkov, N., and Li, C.: Lifetimes and emissions of SO2 from point sources estimated from OMI, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 1969–1976, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063148, 2015. a
Galloway, J. N., Aber, J. D., Erisman, J. W., Seitzinger, S. P., Howarth, R. W., Cowling, E. B., and Cosby, B. J.: The nitrogen cascade, Bioscience, 53, 341–356, 2003. a
Goldberg, D. L., Lu, Z., Streets, D. G., de Foy, B., Griffin, D., McLinden, C. A., Lamsal, L. N., Krotkov, N. A., and Eskes, H.: Enhanced Capabilities of TROPOMI NO2: Estimating NOx from North American Cities and Power Plants, Environ. Sci. Technol., 53, 12594–12601, 2019. a
Goldberg, D. L., Anenberg, S. C., Griffin, D., McLinden, C. A., Lu, Z., and Streets, D. G.: Disentangling the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on urban NO2 from natural variability, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL089269, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089269, 2020. a
Goldberg, D. L., Anenberg, S. C., Kerr, G. H., Mohegh, A., Lu, Z., and Streets, D. G.: TROPOMI NO2 in the United States: A Detailed Look at the Annual Averages, Weekly Cycles, Effects of Temperature, and Correlation With Surface NO2 Concentrations, Earth's Future, 9, e2020EF001665, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001665, 2021. a
Granier, C., Darras, H., Denier van der Gon, J., Doubalova, N., Elguindi, B., Galle, M., Gauss, M., Guevara, J., Jalkanen, J., and Kuenen, C.: The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Global and Regional Emissions, Report April 2019 version (Research Report), ECMWF, Reading, UK, Reading, UK [data set], 10, doi10.24380/d0bn-kx16, 2019. a
Griffin, D., McLinden, C. A., Racine, J., Moran, M. D., Fioletov, V., Pavlovic, R., Mashayekhi, R., Zhao, X., and Eskes, H.: Assessing the impact of Corona-Virus-19 on nitrogen dioxide levels over Southern Ontario, Canada, Remote Sens., 12, 4112, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12244112, 2020. a, b, c
Griffin, D., McLinden, C. A., Dammers, E., Adams, C., Stockwell, C. E., Warneke, C., Bourgeois, I., Peischl, J., Ryerson, T. B., Zarzana, K. J., Rowe, J. P., Volkamer, R., Knote, C., Kille, N., Koenig, T. K., Lee, C. F., Rollins, D., Rickly, P. S., Chen, J., Fehr, L., Bourassa, A., Degenstein, D., Hayden, K., Mihele, C., Wren, S. N., Liggio, J., Akingunola, A., and Makar, P.: Biomass burning nitrogen dioxide emissions derived from space with TROPOMI: methodology and validation, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7929–7957, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7929-2021, 2021. a, b, c, d
Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Biavati, G., Horányi, A., Muñoz Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Rozum, I., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Dee, D., and Thépaut, J.-N.: ERA5 hourly data on pressure levels from 1979 to present, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Climate Data Store (CDS) [data set], https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.bd0915c6, 2018. a
Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Hirahara, S., Horányi, A., Muñoz-Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Abdalla, S., Abellan, X., Balsamo, G., Bechtold, P., Biavati, G., Bidlot, J., Bonavita, M., De Chiara, G., Dahlgren, P., Dee, D., Diamantakis, M., Dragani, R., Flemming, J., Forbes, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A., Haimberger, L., Healy, S., Hogan, R. J., Hólm, E., Janisková, M., Keeley, S., Laloyaux, P., Lopez, P., Lupu, C., Radnoti, G., de Rosnay, P., Rozum, I., Vamborg, F., Villaume, S., and Thépaut, J.-N.: The ERA5 global reanalysis, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 146, 1999–2049, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3803, 2020. a, b
Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Biavati, G., Horányi, A., Muñoz Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Rozum, I., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Dee, D., and Thépaut, J.-N.: ERA5 hourly data on pressure levels from 1940 to present, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Climate Data Store (CDS) [data set], https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.bd0915c6, 2023. a
Jamali, S., Klingmyr, D., and Tagesson, T.: Global-Scale Patterns and Trends in Tropospheric NO2 Concentrations, 2005–2018, Remote Sens., 12, 3526, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12213526, 2020. a
Jonson, J. E., Borken-Kleefeld, J., Simpson, D., Nyíri, A., Posch, M., and Heyes, C.: Impact of excess NOx emissions from diesel cars on air quality, public health and eutrophication in Europe, Environ. Res. Lett., 12, 094017, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8850, 2017. a
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Short summary
Nitrogen dioxide (NOx) is produced by sources such as industry and traffic and is directly linked to negative impacts on health and the environment. The current construction of emission inventories to keep track of NOx emissions is slow and time-consuming. Satellite measurements provide a way to quickly and independently estimate emissions. In this study, we apply a consistent methodology to derive NOx emissions over Germany and illustrate the value of having such a method for fast projections.
Nitrogen dioxide (NOx) is produced by sources such as industry and traffic and is directly...
