Improving OMPS Products Through the Use of Higher Spatial Resolution Data

The Total Column sensor that is part of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) provides total column ozone retrievals that are designed to meet the requirements of the JPSS program. Besides specifying that the sensor must provide full daily global coverage, these requirements also specify that the nadir-looking field-of-view (FOV) of the measurements be no larger than 50 x 50 kilometers. As a result, the nominal operational mode of the sensor was designed to provide such an FOV. However, the OMPS TC sensor can, in fact, take data at higher spatial resolutions, and Suomi-NPP OMPS has been taking such data periodically since the beginning of the mission. These data, with nadir FOVs from 17 x 17 kilometers down to 10 x 10 km, have been used to demonstrate that OMPS can not only provide ozone retrievals that still meet the JPSS requirements at higher spatial resolution, but that retrievals of other quantities, such as SO2 and aerosol, can be enhanced and improved. We will show examples of these products using the nominal resolution data, along with products at the higher resolution that exhibit the improvements. While we are still exploring what changes can be made to the operations of the Suomi-NPP OMPS sensor to provide higher spatial resolution data nominally, we expect that the OMPS flown on J1 will have this as its nominal operating mode.