Airborne and satellite remote sensing air pollution exposure by fusion with in situ emissions estimation

Industrial and agricultural sources emit trace gases with climate change implications, e.g., like methane (CH₄) and ammonia (NH₃), and numerous (hundreds in the case of husbandry) with air quality and health implications; however, most trace gases with health implications are not easily remote sensed. Currently, satellite products are unavailable for most emitted gases.

Combining the spatial imaging spectroscopy maps of a trace gas that can be easily remotely sensed with in situ-derived emission factors of that gas and other gases with health impacts allows exposure derivation from remote sensing data.

The Mako sensor acquired airborne thermal infrared imaging spectroscopy data for NH₃ columns retrieval. AMOG Surveyor collected mobile in situ data during over a dozen surveys spanning 3 yrs. at a 500-head research dairy in coastal central California contemporaneous with Mako and for the 45,000-head Chino Dairy Complex in the Los Angeles Basin. AMOG measured trace gases (13) by CEAS and fluorescence and meteorology on downwind crosswind transects. Emissions were derived by Gaussian plume inversions, with the approach validated by mobile surface upwards remote sensing data collected by MISTIR. IASI satellite retrievals provide seasonal and regional-scale NH₃ and CH₄ context.

Mako dairy NH₃ plumes mapped plume transport and identified sources at the sub-facility scale. In situ data analysis identified underlying husbandry practices. For example, enhanced H₂S was from a partially filled lagoon, while strong NH₃ and CH₄ emissions arose from where cows congregated in a corral. Applying in situ emission factors to Mako data provided H₂S exposure maps, demonstrating this novel remote sensing approach to mapping environmental trace gas health impacts. Satellite data showed strong NH₃ and CH₄ seasonal variations, highlighting the need for seasonal emission factors.