Edward Celarier

Algorithm for NO/sub 2/ vertical column retrieval from the ozone monitoring instrument

We describe the operational algorithm for the retrieval of stratospheric, tropospheric, and total column densities of nitrogen dioxide (NO/sub 2/) from earthshine radiances measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), aboard the EOS-Aura satellite. The algorithm uses the DOAS method for the retrieval of slant column NO/sub 2/ densities. Air mass factors (AMFs) calculated from a stratospheric NO/sub 2/ profile are used to make initial estimates of the vertical column density. Using data collected over a 24-h period, a smooth estimate of the global stratospheric field is constructed. Where the initial vertical column densities exceed the estimated stratospheric field, we infer the presence of tropospheric NO/sub 2/, and recalculate the vertical column density (VCD) using an AMF calculated from an assumed tropospheric NO/sub 2/ profile. The parameters that control the operational algorithm were selected with the aid of a set of data assembled from stratospheric and tropospheric chemical transport models. We apply the optimized algorithm to OMI data and present global maps of NO/sub 2/ VCDs for the first time.

Validation of Ozone Monitoring Instrument nitrogen dioxide columns

[1] We review the standard nitrogen dioxide (NO2) data product (Version 1.0.), which is based on measurements made in the spectral region 415–465 nm by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the NASA Earth Observing System-Aura satellite. A number of ground- and aircraft-based measurements have been used to validate the data product’s three principal quantities: stratospheric, tropospheric, and total NO2 column densities under nearly or completely cloud-free conditions. The validation of OMI NO2 is complicated by a number of factors, the greatest of which is that the OMI observations effectively average the NO2 over its field of view (minimum 340 km 2 ), while a ground-based instrument samples at a single point. The tropospheric NO2 field is often very inhomogeneous, varying significantly over tens to hundreds of meters, and ranges from 10 16 cm � 2 over urban and industrial areas. Because of OMI’s areal averaging, when validation measurements are made near NO2 sources the OMI measurements are expected to underestimate the ground-based, and this is indeed seen. Further, we use several different instruments, both new and mature, which might give inconsistent NO2 amounts; the correlations between nearby instruments is 0.8–0.9. Finally, many of the validation data sets are quite small and span a very short length of time; this limits the statistical conclusions that can be drawn from them. Despite these factors, good agreement is generally seen between the OMI and ground-based measurements, with OMI stratospheric NO2 underestimated by about 14% and total and tropospheric columns underestimated by 15–30%. Typical correlations between OMI NO2 and ground-based measurements are generally >0.6.

Validation of OMI tropospheric NO2 column densities using direct‐Sun mode Brewer measurements at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

[1] This paper presents a comparison of NO 2 data measured with the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board the EOS-AURA satellite with ground-based direct-Sun Brewer measurement data. Since its deployment in July 2004, OMI has provided more than 2 years of daily high-resolution (∼13 x 24 km 2 at nadir) NO 2 vertical column density maps. We describe the retrieval, which includes an estimation of the stratospheric and tropospheric fraction of total NO 2 columns, the air mass factor (AMF) correction based on detected tropospheric NO 2 enhancements, and the generation of the gridded data product. We present a validation study of the gridded NO 2 data set using data from a Brewer MK3 double monochromator in direct-Sun mode located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. Monthly averages of coinciding measurements correlate well (r = 0.9) but OMI data are about 25% lower than the Brewer measurement data (slope 0.75, intercept -0.38 x 10 15 molecules/cm 2 ). We present a detailed uncertainty analysis for both ground and satellite data and discuss the possible reasons for the observed differences.

Revising the slant column density retrieval of nitrogen dioxide observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument

Abstract Nitrogen dioxide retrievals from the Aura/Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) have been used extensively over the past decade, particularly in the study of tropospheric air quality. Recent comparisons of OMI NO2 with independent data sets and models suggested that the OMI values of slant column density (SCD) and stratospheric vertical column density (VCD) in both the NASA OMNO2 and Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute DOMINO products are too large, by around 10–40%. We describe a substantially revised spectral fitting algorithm, optimized for the OMI visible light spectrometer channel. The most important changes comprise a flexible adjustment of the instrumental wavelength shifts combined with iterative removal of the ring spectral features; the multistep removal of instrumental noise; iterative, sequential estimates of SCDs of the trace gases in the 402–465 nm range. These changes reduce OMI SCD(NO2) by 10–35%, bringing them much closer to SCDs retrieved from independent measurements and models. The revised SCDs, submitted to the stratosphere‐troposphere separation algorithm, give tropospheric VCDs ∼10–15% smaller in polluted regions, and up to ∼30% smaller in unpolluted areas. Although the revised algorithm has been optimized specifically for the OMI NO2 retrieval, our approach could be more broadly applicable.

Ground-based validation of EOS-Aura OMI NO2 vertical column data in the midlatitude mountain ranges of Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan) and Alps (France)

Ground-based UV-visible instruments for NO2 vertical column measurements have been operating at Issyk-Kul station, in Kyrgyzstan, and Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP), in France, since 1983 and 1992, respectively. These measurements have already been used for validation of ERS-2 Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) and Envisat Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) NO2 column data. Building upon the successful missions of GOME and SCIAMACHY, the Ozone Monitoring Experiment (OMI) was launched by NASA onboard the EOS Aura satellite in July 2004. Here we present the results of recent comparisons between OMI NO2 operational data (standard product) and correlative ground-based twilight measurements in midlatitudes, at Issyk-Kul and OHP, in 2004–2006. The stratospheric NO2 columns, observed by OMI and our ground-based instruments, have been corrected for NO2 diurnal change and normalized to local noon values using a photochemical box model. According to our comparison, OMI stratospheric NO2 columns underestimate ground-based measurements by (0.3 ± 0.3) × 1015 molecules/cm2 and (0.7 ± 0.6) × 1015 molecules/cm2 at Issyk-Kul and OHP, respectively. The effect of tropospheric pollution on the NO2 measurements in both regions of observations has been identified and discussed.

Applying the OMI NO 2 Retrieval Algorithm to Estimate the Production Efficiency of Lightning NO x

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board the NASA Aura satellite was launched into sun-synchronous low-earth orbit in 2004. Its hyperspectral measurements have been an invaluable tool in determining trace-gas concentrations in the troposphere and stratosphere. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) has a particularly prominent absorption signature in the violet and near-UV regions of the OMI spectrum. This signature can be exploited in retrievals of column amounts of NO2 attributable to both natural and anthropogenic sources. We outline the OMI NO2 retrieval algorithm and demonstrate its utility for inferring NOx (NO + NO2) amounts due to lightning. Lightning is the dominant source of NOx in the free troposphere, and most estimates of the concentration of lightning NOx (LNOx) require knowledge of the amount of this species produced per lightning flash. We present the largest spatial- and temporal-scale investigation of LNOx to date that combines satellite-based NOx estimates and lightning flash data. The study comprises five northern-hemisphere (NH) summers, including much of the mid-latitude regions in North America and Asia and adjacent waters. NO2 measurements are converted to LNOx and compared with flashes preceding OMI overpass by 2 hours. The flash counts are derived from ground-based World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data that are adjusted for detection efficiency. We find reasonable correlation between the number of lightning flashes and the amount of LNOx produced and estimate mean efficiencies for the production of LNOx in various NH regions. Overall results indicate mole/flash values near the low end of those reported in previous LNOx studies, as well as a possible dependence of production efficiency on flash rate. These findings have potential implications in the chemistry of upper tropospheric trace gases and the global NOx budget.