A11G-0114
Aura OMI observations of changes in SO2 and NO2 emissions at local, regional and global scales
Monday, 14 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Nickolay Anatoly Krotkov1, Chris A McLinden2, Can Li1,3, Lok N Lamsal4,5, Edward Abram Celarier4,5, Sergey V Marchenko6, William Swartz7, Eric J Bucsela8, Joanna Joiner9, Bryan N Duncan5, K. Folkert Boersma10, Pepijn Veefkind10, Pieternel Levelt10, Vitali Fioletov11, Russell R Dickerson12, Hao He13, Zifeng Lu14 and David G Streets14, (1)NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (2)Air Quality Research Division, Toronto, ON, Canada, (3)Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, COLLEGE PARK, MD, United States, (4)Universities Space Research Association Columbia, Columbia, MD, United States, (5)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (6)SSAI, Lanham, MD, United States, (7)Johns Hopkins Univ, Laurel, MD, United States, (8)SRI International Menlo Park, Menlo Park, CA, United States, (9)NASA Goddard SFC, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (10)Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, Netherlands, (11)Meteorological Ser Canada ARQX, Downsview, ON, Canada, (12)University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States, (13)University of Maryland College Park, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, College Park, MD, United States, (14)Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, United States
Abstract:
Space-based pollution monitoring from current and planned satellite UV-Vis spectrometers play an increasingly important role in studies of tropospheric chemistry and also air quality applications to help mitigate anthropogenic and natural impacts on sensitive ecosystems, and human health. We present long-term changes in tropospheric SO2 and NO2 over some of the most polluted industrialized regions of the world observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard NASA’s Aura satellite. Using OMI data, we identified about 400 SO2 “hot spots” and estimated emissions from them. In many regions emissions and their ambient pollution levels have decreased significantly, such as over eastern US, Europe and China. OMI observed about 50% reduction in SO2 and NO2 pollution over the North China plain in 2012-2014 that can be attributed to both government efforts to restrain emissions from the power and industrial sectors and the economic slowdown. While much smaller, India’s SO2 and NO2 emissions from coal power plants and smelters are growing at a fast pace, increasing by about 200% and 50% from 2005 to 2014. Over Europe and the US OMI-observed trends agree well with those from available in situ measurements of surface concentrations, deposition and emissions data. However, for some regions (e.g., Mexico, Middle East) the emission inventories may be incomplete and OMI can provide emission estimates for missing sources, such as SO2 sources observed over the Persian Gulf. It is essential to continue long-term overlapping satellite data records of air quality with increased spatial and temporal resolution to resolve point pollution sources using oversampling technique. We discuss how Aura OMI pollution measurements and emission estimates will be continued with the US JPSS and European Sentinel series for the next 20 years and further enhanced by the addition of three geostationary UV-VIS instruments.
