Updates on the status of satellite datasets and
resources for AQ managers
Bryan Duncan, Lok Lamsal, Yasuko Yoshida +
many others
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
AQAST9, June 2-4, 2015; SLU, St. Louis
Spatial Coverage is the Primary Advantage of
Satellite Data
OMI NO2
% Difference in OMI NO2: 2005 - 2014
20-40% decrease over US
OMI HCHO/NO2 : A Proxy for Ozone Formation Sensitivity
2005
Isoprene → HCHO
Emissions are T-dependent
2013
Urban areas becoming
less VOC-limited : more
NOx limited.
VOC-limited
NOx limited
Duncan et al. [2010]
Some New & Improved Satellite Data Products
for AQ Applications
Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) megacity measurements
help quantify urban pollution production, transformation & export
Jessica Neu (Jessica.L.Neu@jpl.nasa.gov) & Kevin Bowman (kevin.w.bowman@jpl.nasa.gov)
Since Jan 2013, TES has used its
unique targeting capabilities to
measure a suite of pollutants in
19 of the world’s megacities,
including Mexico City
TES/OMI
0-3 km
Ozone
Surface O3
Monitors
Megacity Pollution: The jointly retrieved
TES/OMI near-surface ozone product shows
very high ozone (~120 ppb) in Mexico City on
a day with stable, stagnant air in the
boundary layer.
TES carbon monoxide, methanol, & formic
acid (ozone precursors) are
also elevated, as is the nitrogen reservoir
peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN)
Mexico City
Wind flow out
of MC basin
Downwind Plume
Chemical Transformation: Downwind,
Wind flow out
of MC basintrace gases
TES data show that most
are diluted in the plume, but formic
acid concentrations are higher than in
the city, which may indicate secondary
production from organic aerosol
Export Potential: PAN drives ozone
production far from source regions, so
the large PAN concentrations suggest
that Mexico City pollution has largerscale impacts
Los Angeles, New York City, Houston
Downwind
Plume
Mexico
City
Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) megacity measurements
identify large biomass burning contribution to urban pollution
Jessica Neu (Jessica.L.Neu@jpl.nasa.gov) & Kevin Bowman (kevin.w.bowman@jpl.nasa.gov)
Mexico City: April-May Biomass burning
on the Yucatan Peninsula
The suite of TES observations allows
quantification of the impact of seasonal
biomass burning pollution on the already
poor air quality of the world’s megacities.
TES megacity measurements show peak
ozone levels during biomass burning season
in Mexico City, Mexico and Lagos, Nigeria.
Concomitant biomass burning products (TES
carbon monoxide, methanol, formic acid,
ammonia) and smoke (from MODIS aerosol
optical depth) suggest that nearby fires
contribute significantly to urban ozone.
Lagos carbon monoxide, formic acid, and
ammonia have higher peak values than
Mexico City, but ozone is lower. These
differences in chemical regime are being
investigated.
Methanol and formic acid are more variable in
Lagos than Mexico City, likely due to large
sources of volatile organic compounds
associated with oil and gas extraction in the
region (Marais et al., 2014).
Lagos: December-March Biomass
burning in Central Africa
AIRS Ammonia (NH3) Data Product (2002 - 2014)
Average Ammonia (ppbv; 2002-2014) @ 918 mb
ppbv
Juying Warner (U. Maryland)
Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)
NO2, SO2, & HCHO data
OMI detects pollution in the
free troposphere & boundary
layer;
footprint = 5-9 square miles.
CEMS
The AQS surface sites only
detect “nose-level”
concentrations.
Plume rise
OMI SO2: New Data Product Release: Based on New PCA Technique
A) Old Algorithm
B) New Algorithm
C) B)+better account of satellite
geometry, clouds, etc.
Daily!
Li et al. (2013), A fast and sensitive new satellite SO2 retrieval algorithm based on principal component analysis: Application to the ozone
monitoring instrument, Geophys. Res.Lett., 40, 1-5, doi:10.1002/2013GL058134.
Fioletov et al. (2015), “Lifetimes and emissions of SO2 from point sources estimated from OMI”, Geophys. Res.Lett, doi : 10.1002/2015GL063148.
Formaldehyde: An Improved Data Product & a New One
Improved:
OMI HCHO: González Abad, (2015), Updated Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory Ozone Monitoring Instrument (SAO OMI) formaldehyde retrieval,
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 19-32, doi:10.5194/amt-8-19-2015.
New:
OMPS HCHO: Li, C, J. Joiner, N. A. Krotkov, and L. Dunlap (2015), A new method for
global retrievals of HCHO total columns from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting
Partnership Ozone Monitoring and Profiler Suite, Geophys. Res. Lett., accepted.
First demonstration of formaldehyde (HCHO) retrieval with Suomi NPP OMPS
Can Li, Joanna Joiner, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Laura Dunlap
Code 614, NASA/GSFC and University of Maryland
•
•
HCHO retrievals provide insights into the sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to smog
and haze.
While HCHO was not an anticipated OMPS product, a new principal component analysis technique produces
retrievals of comparable quality to those from other sensors which allows for the continuation of a long-term
record started by the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI).
OMI NO2: Year-specific a priori NO2 profiles from a highresolution model simulation better capture huge US NO2 reduction
% OMI NO2 Reduction (2010-2005)
Lok N. Lamsal, Bryan N. Duncan, Yasuko Yoshida, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Kenneth E. Pickering, David G Streets, Zifeng Lu,
U.S. NO2 trends (2005–2013): EPA Air Quality System (AQS) data versus improved observations from the Ozone
Monitoring Instrument (OMI), Atmos. Env., 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.03.055, 2015.
OMI NO2: High bias addressed
• Current operational SCD from KNMI is biased high (25-40%). Affects both KNMI and NASA
products, primarily stratospheric NO2.
• KNMI modified their SCD retrieval algorithm to address this. NASA team developed its own
algorithm.
• NASA SCD retrievals compare well with independent retrieval from Bremen, has less stripes,
and smaller errors.
S. Marchenko, N.A. Krotkov, L.N. Lamsal, E.A. Celarier, W.H. Swartz, E.J. Bucsela, Revising the slant- column density
retrieval of nitrogen dioxide observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument, J. Geophys. Res., 2015 (In Press).
A New OMI NO2 Website for AQ Managers
*This work was done as part of David Streets’ Tiger Team:
“Relationships and trends among satellite NO2 columns, NOx
emissions, and air quality in North America”
*Thanks to Susannah Pearce, web developer!
Downloaded, pre-made plots of US cities:
St. Louis as an example
Power Plants
Metropolitan Areas
Ready-made plots are available for download (examples)
Two Important & Free NASA Resources
1) Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (AQAST; aqast.org)
Goal: to serve the needs of US air quality management through the use of Earth Science
satellite data, suborbital data, and models.
2) Applied Remote SEnsing Training (ARSET; arset.gsfc.nasa.gov)
Goal: to increase the utility of NASA earth science and model data for policy makers,
regulatory agencies, and other applied science professionals in the areas of Health and Air
Quality, Water Resources, Eco Forecasting, and Disaster Management.
Two AQAST Review Articles
Satellite Data of Atmospheric Pollution for U.S. Air Quality Applications:
Examples of Applications, Summary of Data End-User Resources, Answers to
FAQs, and Common Mistakes to Avoid
Duncan et al., Atmospheric Environment, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.05.061, 2014.
→ This article is “open access” so it’s free to download!
Emissions Estimation from Satellite Retrievals: A Review of Current Capability
Streets et al., Atmos. Environ., doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.05.051, 2013.
How do trends and variations in AQS NO2 & CEMS NOx
relate to OMI NO2?
OMI NO2 & AQS data
Lamsal, L., B. Duncan, Y. Yoshida et al., U.S. NO2 variations and trends (2005-2013)
estimated from an improved Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) tropospheric column
data product mirror those estimated from AQS surface observations, doi: 10.1016/
j.atmosenv.2015.03.055, Atmos. Environ., 2015.
OMI NO2 & CEMS data
Duncan, B., Y. Yoshida, B. de Foy, L. Lamsal, D. Streets, Z. Lu, K. Pickering, and N. Krotkov,
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,
p. 102-111, doi:10.1016/jatmosenv.2013.08.068, 2013.
→ These articles are “open access” so they are free to download!