scholarly journals Versatile and Targeted Validation of Space-Borne XCO2, XCH4 and XCO Observations by Mobile Ground-Based Direct-Sun Spectrometers

2022 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Butz ◽  
Valentin Hanft ◽  
Ralph Kleinschek ◽  
Matthias Max Frey ◽  
Astrid Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Use Cases ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Mobile System ◽  
Concentration Gradients ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Continental Outflow ◽  
Atmospheric Concentrations

Satellite measurements of the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) require careful validation. In particular for the greenhouse gases CO2 and CH4, concentration gradients are minute challenging the ultimate goal to quantify and monitor anthropogenic emissions and natural surface-atmosphere fluxes. The upcoming European Copernicus Carbon Monitoring mission (CO2M) will focus on anthropogenic CO2 emissions, but it will also be able to measure CH4. There are other missions such as the Sentinel-5 Precursor and the Sentinel-5 series that target CO which helps attribute the CO2 and CH4 variations to specific processes. Here, we review the capabilities and use cases of a mobile ground-based sun-viewing spectrometer of the type EM27/SUN. We showcase the performance of the mobile system for measuring the column-average dry-air mole fractions of CO2 (XCO2), CH4 (XCH4) and CO (XCO) during a recent deployment (Feb./Mar. 2021) in the vicinity of Japan on research vessel Mirai which adds to our previous campaigns on ships and road vehicles. The mobile EM27/SUN has the potential to contribute to the validation of 1) continental-scale background gradients along major ship routes on the open ocean, 2) regional-scale gradients due to continental outflow across the coast line, 3) urban or other localized emissions as mobile part of a regional network and 4) emissions from point sources. Thus, operationalizing the mobile EM27/SUN along these use cases can be a valuable asset to the validation activities for CO2M, in particular, and for various upcoming satellite missions in general.

scholarly journals Satellite-based survey of extreme methane emissions in the Permian basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (27) ◽  
pp. eabf4507
Author(s):  
Itziar Irakulis-Loitxate ◽  
Luis Guanter ◽  
Yin-Nian Liu ◽  
Daniel J. Varon ◽  
Joannes D. Maasakkers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
New Class ◽  
Methane Budget

Industrial emissions play a major role in the global methane budget. The Permian basin is thought to be responsible for almost half of the methane emissions from all U.S. oil- and gas-producing regions, but little is known about individual contributors, a prerequisite for mitigation. We use a new class of satellite measurements acquired during several days in 2019 and 2020 to perform the first regional-scale and high-resolution survey of methane sources in the Permian. We find an unexpectedly large number of extreme point sources (37 plumes with emission rates >500 kg hour−1), which account for a range between 31 and 53% of the estimated emissions in the sampled area. Our analysis reveals that new facilities are major emitters in the area, often due to inefficient flaring operations (20% of detections). These results put current practices into question and are relevant to guide emission reduction efforts.

Climate as the great equalizer of continental-scale erosion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilby Jepson ◽  
Barbara Carrapa ◽  
Jack Gillespie ◽  
Ran Feng ◽  
Peter DeCelles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Active Tectonic ◽  
Tectonically Active ◽  
High Precipitation ◽  
Tectonic Boundaries ◽  
Great Equalizer ◽  
Tian Shan

<p>Central Asia is one of the most tectonically active and orographically diverse regions in the world and is the location of the highest topography on Earth resulting from major plate tectonic collisional events. Yet the role of tectonics versus climate on erosion remains one of the greatest debates of our time. We present the first regional scale analysis of 2526 published low-temperature thermochronometric dates from Central Asia spanning the Altai-Sayan, Tian Shan, Tibet, Pamir, and Himalaya. We compare these dates to tectonic processes (proximity to tectonic boundaries, crustal thickness, seismicity) and state-of-the-art paleoclimate simulations in order to constrain the relative influences of climate and tectonics on the topographic architecture and erosion of Central Asia. Predominance of pre-Cenozoic ages in much of the interior of central Asia suggests that significant topography was created prior to the India-Eurasia collision and implies limited subsequent erosion. Increasingly young cooling ages are associated with increasing proximity to active tectonic boundaries, suggesting a first-order control of tectonics on erosion. However, areas that have been sheltered from significant precipitation for extensive periods of time retain old cooling ages. This suggests that ultimately climate is the great equalizer of erosion. Climate plays a key role by enhancing erosion in areas with developed topography and high precipitation such as the Tian Shan and Altai-Sayan during the Mesozoic and the Himalaya during the Cenozoic. Older thermochronometric dates are associated with sustained aridity following more humid periods.</p>

scholarly journals Sources of black carbon aerosols in South Asia and surrounding regions during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, Gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB)

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 5415-5428 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kumar ◽  
M. C. Barth ◽  
V. S. Nair ◽  
G. G. Pfister ◽  
S. Suresh Babu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Mass Concentrations

Abstract. This study examines differences in the surface black carbon (BC) aerosol loading between the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea (AS) and identifies dominant sources of BC in South Asia and surrounding regions during March–May 2006 (Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, Gases and Radiation Budget, ICARB) period. A total of 13 BC tracers are introduced in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled with Chemistry to address these objectives. The model reproduced the temporal and spatial variability of BC distribution observed over the AS and the BoB during the ICARB ship cruise and captured spatial variability at the inland sites. In general, the model underestimates the observed BC mass concentrations. However, the model–observation discrepancy in this study is smaller compared to previous studies. Model results show that ICARB measurements were fairly well representative of the AS and the BoB during the pre-monsoon season. Elevated BC mass concentrations in the BoB are due to 5 times stronger influence of anthropogenic emissions on the BoB compared to the AS. Biomass burning in Burma also affects the BoB much more strongly than the AS. Results show that anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions, respectively, accounted for 60 and 37% of the average ± standard deviation (representing spatial and temporal variability) BC mass concentration (1341 ± 2353 ng m−3) in South Asia. BC emissions from residential (61%) and industrial (23%) sectors are the major anthropogenic sources, except in the Himalayas where vehicular emissions dominate. We find that regional-scale transport of anthropogenic emissions contributes up to 25% of BC mass concentrations in western and eastern India, suggesting that surface BC mass concentrations cannot be linked directly to the local emissions in different regions of South Asia.

scholarly journals Detection of Outflow of Formaldehyde and Glyoxal from the African continent to the Atlantic Ocean with a MAX-DOAS Instrument

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa K. Behrens ◽  
Andreas Hilboll ◽  
Andreas Richter ◽  
Enno Peters ◽  
Leonardo M. A. Alvarado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Cape Verde ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Biogenic Emissions ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Spatial Gradients ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Continental Outflow

Abstract. Trace gas maps retrieved from satellite measurements show enhanced levels of the atmospheric volatile organic compounds formaldehyde (HCHO) and glyoxal (CHOCHO) over the Atlantic Ocean. To validate the spatial distribution of this continental outflow, ship-based measurements were taken during the project Continental Outflow of Pollutants towards the MArine tRoposphere (COPMAR). A Multi-AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer (MAX-DOAS) was operated on board the research vessel (RV) Maria S. Merian during the cruise MSM58/2. This cruise was conducted in October 2016 from Ponta Delgada (Azores) to Cape Town (South Africa), crossing between Cape Verde and the African continent. The instrument was continuously scanning the horizon looking towards the African continent. Enhanced levels of HCHO and CHOCHO were found in the area of expected outflow during this cruise. The observed spatial gradients of HCHO and CHOCHO along the cruise track agree with the spatial distributions from satellite measurements and MOZART-4 model simulations. The continental outflow from the African continent is observed in an elevated layer, higher than 1000 m, and probably originates from biogenic emissions or biomass burning according to FLEXPART emission sensitivities.

scholarly journals Analysis of a Regional Scale Chemical-Transport Model to Investigate the Potential Capability of Satellites for Identifying a Widespread Air Pollution Event

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Welsh ◽  
Jack Fishman
Keyword(s):  
Transport Model ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Ozone Production ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Pollution Event ◽  
Surface O3 ◽  
Good Agreement

We use a regional scale photochemical transport model to investigate the surface concentrations and column integrated amounts of ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) during a pollution event that occurred in the St. Louis metropolitan region in 2012. These trace gases will be two of the primary constituents that will be measured by TEMPO, an instrument on a geostationary platform, which will result in a dataset that has hourly temporal resolution during the daytime and ~4 km spatial resolution. Although air quality managers are most concerned with surface concentrations, satellite measurements provide a quantity that reflects a column amount, which may or may not be directly relatable to what is measured at the surface. The model results provide good agreement with observed surface O3 concentrations, which is the only trace gas dataset that can be used for verification. The model shows that a plume of O3 extends downwind from St. Louis and contains an integrated amount of ozone of ~ 16 DU (1 DU = 2.69 x 1016 mol. cm-2), a quantity that is two to three times lower than what was observed by satellite measurements during two massive pollution episodes in the 1980s. Based on the smaller isolatable emissions coming from St. Louis, this quantity is not unreasonable, but may also reflect the reduction of photochemical ozone production due to the implementation of emission controls that have gone into effect in the past few decades.

scholarly journals Assessing the regional surface influence through Backward Lagrangian Dispersion Models for aircraft CO<sub>2</sub> vertical profiles observations in NE Spain

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 8103-8134
Author(s):  
A. Font ◽  
J.-A. Morguí ◽  
X. Rodó
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Particle Dispersion ◽  
Vertical Profiles ◽  
Lagrangian Particle ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Lagrangian Dispersion ◽  
Threshold Criteria ◽  
Ne Spain

Abstract. A weekly climatology for 2006 composed of 96-h-backward Lagrangian Particle Dispersion simulations is presented for nine aircraft sites measuring vertical profiles of atmospheric CO2 mixing ratios along the 42° N parallel in NE Spain to assess the surface influence at a regional scale (102–103 km) at different altitudes in the vertical profile (600, 1200, 2500 and 4000 meters above the sea level, m a.s.l.). The Potential Surface Influence (PSI) area for the 96-h-backward simulations, defined as the air layer above ground with a thickness of 300 m, are reduced from the continental scale (~107 km2) to the watershed one (~104 km2), when a Residence Time Threshold Criteria (Rttc) greater than 500 s is imposed for each grid cell. In addition, this regional restricted information is confined during 50 h before the arrival for simulations centered at 600 and 1200 m a.s.l. At higher altitudes (2500 and 4000 m a.s.l.), the regional surface influence is only recovered during spring and summer months. For simulations centered at 600 and 1200 m a.s.l. sites separated by ~60 km may overlap 20–50% of the regional surface influences whereas sites separated by ~350 km as such do not overlap. The overlap for sites separated by ~60 km decreases to 8–40% at higher altitudes (2500 and 4000 m a.s.l.). A dense network of sampling sites below 2200 m a.s.l. (whether aircraft sites or tall tower ones) guarantees an appropriate regional coverage to properly assess the dynamics of the regional carbon cycle at a watershed scale (102–103 km length scale).

scholarly journals Interdecadal Variability of the South American Precipitation in the Monsoon Season

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 755-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice M. Grimm ◽  
João P. J. Saboia
Keyword(s):  
Function Analysis ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The Other ◽  
Interdecadal Variability ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Monsoon Precipitation ◽  
Climatic Indices ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract Interdecadal variability modes of monsoon precipitation over South America (SA) are provided by a continental-scale rotated empirical orthogonal function analysis, and their connections to well-known climatic indices and SST anomalies are examined. The analysis, carried out for austral spring and summer, uses a comprehensive set of station data assembled and verified for the period 1950–2000. The presented modes are robust, consistent with previous regional-scale studies and with modes obtained from longer time series over smaller domains. Opposite phases of the main modes show differences around 50% in monthly precipitation. There are significant relationships between the interdecadal variability in spring and summer, indicating local and remote influences. The first modes for both seasons are dipole-like, displaying opposite anomalies in central-east and southeast SA. They tend to reverse polarity from spring to summer. Yet the summer second mode and its related spring fourth mode, which affect the core monsoon region in central Brazil and central-northwestern Argentina, show similar factor loadings, indicating persistence of anomalies from one season to the other, contrary to the first modes. The other presented modes describe the variability in different regions with great monsoon precipitation. Significant connections with different combinations of climatic indices and SST anomalies provide physical basis for the presented modes: three show the strongest connections with SST-based indices, and two have the strongest connections with atmospheric indices. However, the main modes show connections with more than one climatic index and more than one oceanic region, stressing the importance of combined influence.

Estimates of anthropogenic CO2 emissions from satellite and ground based measurements

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yury Timofeyev ◽  
George Nerobelov ◽  
Sergey Smyshlyaev ◽  
Ivan Berezin ◽  
Yana Virolainen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Errors ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Experimental Information ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Plume Dispersion ◽  
Satellite Measurements

&lt;p&gt;In recent years, satellite methods have played an important role in CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; monitoring. Various satellite instruments (SCIAMACHY, AIRS, GOSAT, OCO-2, etc.) validated by ground-based and aircraft measurements allow to retrieving the column averaged CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; mixing ratio (X&lt;sub&gt;CO2&lt;/sub&gt;) with high accuracy (0.25&amp;#8211;1.0%). The relatively high spatial resolution of a number of instruments (for example, OCO-2) allows studies of spatial and temporal CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; variations, that, under appropriate conditions, makes it possible to estimate anthropogenic emissions from different cities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Various techniques (source pixel mass balance method, plume dispersion model and atmospheric inversion system) for determining anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from data of satellite measurements are considered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the basis of three-dimensional modeling and comparison with the results of various local and remote measurements, numerical models of the atmosphere were adapted to different megacities of Russia. Based on numerical experiments, the errors of various satellite techniques for determining emissions caused by various factors (measurement errors, quality of used a priori and additional experimental information, adequacy of used numerical atmospheric model, etc.) were evaluated. Anthropogenic CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; emissions in St. Petersburg, Moscow and other cities of Russia are estimated using various satellite measurements. These estimates of anthropogenic emissions are compared with data obtained by different methods and for different cities.&lt;/p&gt;

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