Use of space-based tropospheric NO2 observations in regional air quality modeling
Abstract
Environmental policy makers employ regional air quality models to estimate the impacts of regulated reductions in emitted pollutants. Evaluating and improving these models is challenging, because air quality measurements are spatially disparate and temporally infrequent. Space-based observations can provide nearly global coverage; however, it can be difficult to interpret these data for the troposphere and surface layer. The relationship between local NOx emissions and the observed NO2 column density varies based on chemical and meteorological conditions. Using a photochemical model, direct sensitivity calculation, and inverse modeling technique, we have developed a method for evaluating the NOx emissions based on the observed NO2 column. We have applied this technique using SCIAMACHY data over the southeast United States. This presentation will include an evaluation of this technique using surface and aircraft measurements and its use for tracking year to year trends in emission changes. Finally, we will discuss some key improvements to satellite datasets that could be especially helpful to regional air quality modeling: finer horizontal and vertical resolution, consistency in retrieval algorithms to assess multi-year trends, harmonizing the use of fine-scale air quality models in the retrieval processes, and the value of multiple observations per day.
- Publication:
-
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUSM.A24A..01P
- Keywords:
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- 0322 Constituent sources and sinks;
- 0345 Pollution: urban and regional (0305;
- 0478;
- 4251);
- 0368 Troposphere: constituent transport and chemistry