John K. Creilson

REMOTE SENSING OF TROPOSPHERIC POLLUTION FROM SPACE

We review the progress of tropospheric trace gas observations and address the need for additional measurement capabilities as recommended by the National Research Council. Tropospheric measurements show pollution in the Northern Hemisphere as a result of fossil fuel burning and a strong seasonal dependence with the largest amounts of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide in the winter and spring. In the summer, when photochemistry is most intense, photochemically generated ozone is found in large concentrations over and downwind from where anthropogenic sources are largest, such as the eastern United States and eastern China. In the tropics and the subtropics, where photon flux is strong throughout the year, trace gas concentrations are driven by the abundance of the emissions. The largest single tropical source of pollution is biomass burning, as can be seen readily in carbon monoxide measurements, but lightning and biogenic trace gases may also contribute to trace gas variability. Although substantive pr...

Surface Ozone Measured at GLOBE Schools in the Czech Republic: A Demonstration of the Importance of Student Contribution to the Larger Science Picture

Abstract Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a worldwide, hands-on, primary and secondary school–based education and science program, which is developed to give students a chance to perform real science by making measurements, analyzing data, and participating in research through collaboration with scientists. As part of the GLOBE Surface Ozone Protocol, and with the assistance of the TEREZA Association in the Czech Republic, schools in the Czech Republic have been making and reporting daily measurements of surface ozone and surface meteorological data since 2001. Using a hand-held ozone monitor developed for GLOBE, students at several Czech schools have generated multiyear data records of surface ozone from 2001 to 2005. Analysis of the data shows that surface ozone levels were anomalously high during the summer of 2003 relative to other summers. These findings are consistent with the measurements of the European Environment Agency, which highlight the summer of 2003 as...

Satellite remote sensing of atmospheric pollution: the far-reaching impact of burning in southern Africa

When the first observations of a tropospheric trace gas were obtained in the 1980s, carbon monoxide enhancements from tropical biomass burning dominated the observed features. In 2005, an active remote-sensing system to provide detailed information on the vertical distribution of aerosols and clouds was launched, and again, one of the most imposing features observed was the presence of emissions from tropical biomass burning. This paper presents a brief overview of space-borne observations of the distribution of trace gases and aerosols and how tropical biomass burning, primarily in the Southern Hemisphere, has provided an initially surprising picture of the distribution of these species and how they have evolved from prevailing transport patterns in that hemisphere. We also show how interpretation of these observations has improved significantly as a result of the improved capability of trajectory modeling in recent years and how information from this capability has provided additional insight into previous measurements form satellites.