scholarly journals Quantification of CH<sub>4</sub> emissions from waste disposal sites near the city of Madrid using ground- and space-based observations of COCCON, TROPOMI and IASI

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiansi Tu ◽  
Frank Hase ◽  
Matthias Schneider ◽  
Omaira García ◽  
Thomas Blumenstock ◽  
...  

Abstract. The objective is to derive methane (CH4) emissions of the metropolitan city Madrid Spain from the CH4 enhancements seen by the space-borne and the ground-based instruments. This study applies satellite-based measurements from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) together with measurements from the ground-based COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON) instruments. In 2018, a two-week field campaign for measuring the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases was performed in Madrid in the framework of Monitoring greenhousE Gas EmIssions of Madrid city (MEGEI-MAD) project. Five COCCON instruments were deployed at different locations around the Madrid city center enabling the observation of total column averaged CH4 mixing ratios (XCH4). Using available wind data, the differences between CH4 columns observed at these locations allow to estimate the emissions emerging from the surrounded area. In addition, based on the dominating wind direction in the Madrid region, we calculate the difference of the satellite data maps for two opposite wind regimes (northeast – southwest, NE – SW). In the following, we refer to the resultant signal as the wind-assigned anomaly. We use TROPOMI tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) observations as a test to verify our method of wind-assigned anomaly and its implementation, taking advantage of the much better detectability of the plume due to the short lifetime and low background concentrations of NO2. Pronounced bipolar plumes are found along NE and SW wind direction, which implies that our method of wind-assigned anomaly is working as expected. The wind-assigned TROPOMI XCH4 anomaly shows much weaker symmetric plumes than NO2 due to the long lifetime of CH4 and in consequence a high accumulated background of CH4 in the atmosphere. The wind-assigned plume method is also applied to the tropospheric and upper tropospheric/stratospheric column averaged CH4 mixing ratio products (in the following referred to as TXCH4 and UTSXCH4) derived from a-posteriori merged Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) profile and TROPOMI total column data. Based on the NE and SW wind fields, we developed a simple plume model locating the source at three waste disposal sites east of Madrid for CH4. As CH4 emission strength we estimate 7.4 × 1025 ± 6.4 × 1024 molec s−1 from the TROPOMI XCH4 data and 7.1 × 1025 ± 1.0 × 1025 molec s−1 from the TROPOMI&amp;IASI merged TXCH4 data. The COCCON observations indicate a weaker CH4 emission strength of around 3.7 × 1025 molec s−1 from local source (near to the Valdemingómez waste plant) in accordance with observations in a single day and. All emission rates estimated from the different observations are significantly larger than the emission rates provided via the official Spanish Register of Emissions and Pollutant Sources.

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-317
Author(s):  
Qiansi Tu ◽  
Frank Hase ◽  
Matthias Schneider ◽  
Omaira García ◽  
Thomas Blumenstock ◽  
...  

Abstract. The objective of this study is to derive methane (CH4) emissions from three landfills, which are found to be the most significant CH4 sources in the metropolitan area of Madrid in Spain. We derive CH4 emissions from the CH4 enhancements observed by spaceborne and ground-based instruments. We apply satellite-based measurements from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) together with measurements from the ground-based COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON) instruments. In 2018, a 2-week field campaign for measuring the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases was performed in Madrid in the framework of Monitoring of the Greenhouse Gases Concentrations in Madrid (MEGEI-MAD) project. Five COCCON instruments were deployed at different locations around the Madrid city center, enabling the observation of total column-averaged CH4 mixing ratios (XCH4). Considering the prevalent wind regimes, we calculate the wind-assigned XCH4 anomalies for two opposite wind directions. Pronounced bipolar plumes are found when applying the method to NO2, which implies that our method of wind-assigned anomaly is suitable to estimate enhancements of trace gases at the urban level from satellite-based measurements. For quantifying the CH4 emissions, the wind-assigned plume method is applied to the TROPOMI XCH4 and to the lower tropospheric CH4 / dry-air column ratio (TXCH4) of the combined TROPOMI+IASI product. As CH4 emission strength we estimate 7.4 × 1025 ± 6.4 × 1024 molec. s−1 from the TROPOMI XCH4 data and 7.1 × 1025 ± 1.0 × 1025 molec. s−1 from the TROPOMI+IASI merged TXCH4 data. We use COCCON observations to estimate the local source strength as an independent method. COCCON observations indicate a weaker CH4 emission strength of 3.7 × 1025 molec. s−1 from a local source (the Valdemingómez waste plant) based on observations from a single day. This strength is lower than the one derived from the satellite observations, and it is a plausible result. This is because the analysis of the satellite data refers to a larger area, covering further emission sources in the study region, whereas the signal observed by COCCON is generated by a nearby local source. All emission rates estimated from the different observations are significantly larger than the emission rates provided via the official Spanish Register of Emissions and Pollutant Sources.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 935
Author(s):  
Matthew Varnam ◽  
Mike Burton ◽  
Ben Esse ◽  
Giuseppe Salerno ◽  
Ryunosuke Kazahaya ◽  
...  

SO2 cameras are able to measure rapid changes in volcanic emission rate but require accurate calibrations and corrections to convert optical depth images into slant column densities. We conducted a test at Masaya volcano of two SO2 camera calibration approaches, calibration cells and co-located spectrometer, and corrected both calibrations for light dilution, a process caused by light scattering between the plume and camera. We demonstrate an advancement on the image-based correction that allows the retrieval of the scattering efficiency across a 2D area of an SO2 camera image. When appropriately corrected for the dilution, we show that our two calibration approaches produce final calculated emission rates that agree with simultaneously measured traverse flux data and each other but highlight that the observed distribution of gas within the image is different. We demonstrate that traverses and SO2 camera techniques, when used together, generate better plume speed estimates for traverses and improved knowledge of wind direction for the camera, producing more reliable emission rates. We suggest combining traverses and the SO2 camera should be adopted where possible.


2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 2927-2934 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Carpenter ◽  
D. J. Wevill ◽  
S. O'Doherty ◽  
G. Spain ◽  
P. G. Simmonds

Abstract. In situ atmospheric observations of bromoform (CHBr3) made over a 2.5 year period at Mace Head, Ireland from May 2001- Dec 2003, including during the NAMBLEX (North Atlantic Marine Boundary Layer Experiment) campaign, show broad maxima from spring until autumn and winter minima, with mixing ratios of 5.3+1.0 pptv (mid March - mid October) and 1.8+0.8 pptv (December-February). This indicates that, unlike CHCl3, which has a summer minimum and winter maximum at Mace Head, local biological sources of CHBr3 have a greater influence on the atmospheric data than photochemical decay during long-range transport. The emission sources are predominantly macroalgal, but we find evidence for a small terrestrial flux from peatland ecosystems, which so far has not been accounted for in the CHBr3 budget. Sharp increases in CHCl3 and CHBr3 concentrations and decreases in O3 concentrations occurred at night when the wind direction switched from an ocean- to a land-based sector (land breeze) and the wind speed dropped to below 5 ms-1. These observations infer a shallow atmospheric boundary layer with increased O3 deposition and concentration of local emissions of both CHCl3 and CHBr3. The ratio of ΔCHCl3/ΔCHBr3 varied strongly according to the prevailing wind direction; from 0.60+0.15 in south-easterly (100-170° and northerly (340-20°) air to 2.5+0.4 in north-easterly (40-70°) air. Of these land-sectors, the south-easterly air masses are likely to be strongly influenced by macroalgal beds along the coast and the emission ratios probably reflect those from seaweeds in addition to land sources. The north-easterly airmasses however had an immediate fetch inland, which locally is comprised of coastal peatland ecosystems (peat bogs and coastal conifer plantations), previously identified as being strong sources of atmospheric CHCl3 under these conditions. Although we cannot entirely rule out other local land or coastal sources, our observations also suggest peatland ecosystem emissions of CHBr3. We use correlations between CHCl3 and CHBr3 during the north-easterly land breeze events in conjunction with previous estimates of local wetland CHCl3 release to tentatively deduce a global wetland CHBr3 source of 20.4(0.4-948) Gg yr-1, which is approximately 7% of the total global source.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 10721-10730 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Ran ◽  
W. L. Lin ◽  
Y. Z. Deji ◽  
B. La ◽  
P. M. Tsering ◽  
...  

Abstract. Through several years of development, the city of Lhasa has become one of the most populated and urbanized areas on the highest plateau in the world. In the process of urbanization, current and potential air quality issues have been gradually concerned. To investigate the current status of air pollution in Lhasa, various gas pollutants including NOx, CO, SO2, and O3, were continuously measured from June 2012 to May 2013 at an urban site (29.40° N, 91.08° E, 3650 m a.s.l.). The seasonal variations of primary gas pollutants exhibited a peak from November to January with a large variability. High mixing ratios of primary trace gases almost exclusively occurred under low wind speed and showed no distinct dependence on wind direction, implying local urban emissions to be predominant. A comparison of NO2, CO, and SO2 mixing ratios in summer between 1998 and 2012 indicated a significant increase in emissions of these gas pollutants and a change in their intercorrelations, as a result of a substantial growth in the demand of energy consumption using fossil fuels instead of previously widely used biomass. The pronounced diurnal double peaks of primary trace gases in all seasons suggested automobile exhaust to be a major emission source in Lhasa. The secondary gas pollutant O3 displayed an average diurnal cycle of a shallow flat peak for about 4–5 h in the afternoon and a minimum in the early morning. Nighttime O3 was sometimes completely consumed by the high level of NOx. Seasonally, the variations of O3 mixing ratios displayed a low valley in winter and a peak in spring. In autumn and winter, transport largely contributed to the observed O3 mixing ratios, given its dependence on wind speed and wind direction, while in spring and summer photochemistry played an important role. A more efficient buildup of O3 mixing ratios in the morning and a higher peak in the afternoon was found in summer 2012 than in 1998. An enhancement in O3 mixing ratios would be expected in the future and more attention should be given to O3 photochemistry in response to increasing precursor emissions in this area.


2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis M. Kelliher ◽  
Harry Clark ◽  
Zheng Li ◽  
Paul C. D. Newton ◽  
Anthony J. Parsons ◽  
...  

Keppler et al. (2006, Nature 439, 187–191) showed that plants produce methane (CH4) in aerobic environments, leading Lowe (2006, Nature 439, 148–149) to postulate that in countries such as New Zealand, where grazed pastures have replaced forests, the forests could have produced as much CH4 as the ruminants currently grazing these areas. Estimating CH4 emissions from up to 85 million ruminants in New Zealand is challenging and, for completeness, the capacity of forest and pastoral soils to oxidise CH4 should be included. On average, the CH4 emission rate of grazing ruminants is estimated to be 9.6 ± 2.6 g m–2 year–1 (±standard deviation), six times the corresponding estimate for an indigenous forest canopy (1.6 ± 1.1 g m–2 year–1). The forest’s soil is estimated to oxidise 0.9 ± 0.2 g m–2 year–1 more CH4 than representative soils beneath grazed pasture. Taking into account plant and animal sources and the soil’s oxidative capacity, the net CH4 emission rates of forest and grazed ecosystems are 0.6 ± 1.1 and 9.8 ± 2.6 g m–2 year–1, respectively.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 12207-12250 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Yurganov ◽  
V. Rakitin ◽  
A. Dzhola ◽  
T. August ◽  
E. Fokeeva ◽  
...  

Abstract. Data are presented from three space sounders and two ground-based spectrometers in Moscow and its suburbs during the forest and peat fires that occurred in Central Russia in July–August 2010. The Moscow area was strongly impacted by the CO plume from these fires. Concurrent satellite- and ground-based observations were used to quantify the errors of CO top-down emission estimates. On certain days, CO total columns retrieved from the data of the space-based sounders were 2–3 times less than those obtained from the ground-based sun-tracking spectrometers. The depth of the polluted layer over Moscow was estimated using total column measurements compared with CO volume mixing ratios in the surface layer and on the TV tower and found to be between 180 and 360 m. The missing CO that is the average difference between the CO total column accurately determined by the ground spectrometer and that retrieved by MOPITT and AIRS, was determined for the Moscow area as ∼3 E18 molec cm−2. This value was extrapolated onto the entire plume; subsequently, the CO burden (total mass) over Russia during the fire event was corrected. A top-down estimate of the total emitted CO, obtained by a simple mass balance model increased by 80%–100% due to this correction (up to 40 Tg).


Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Cazorla ◽  
René Parra ◽  
Edgar Herrera ◽  
Francisco Raimundo da Silva

In this study, we characterize atmospheric ozone over the tropical Andes in the boundary layer, the free troposphere, and the stratosphere; we quantify each contribution to total column ozone, and we evaluate the performance of the multi-sensor reanalysis (MSR2) in the region. Thus, we present data taken in Ecuador and Peru (2014–2019). The contribution from the surface was determined by integrating ozone concentrations measured in Quito and Cuenca (Ecuador) up to boundary layer height. In addition, tropospheric and stratospheric column ozone were quantified from ozone soundings (38) launched from Quito during the study time period. Profiles were compared against soundings at Natal (SHADOZ network) for being the closest observational reference with sufficient data in 2014–2019. Data were also compared against stratospheric mixing ratios from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (Aura MLS). Findings demonstrate that the stratospheric component of total column ozone over the Andes (225.2 ± 8.9 Dobson Units [DU]) is at similar levels as those observed at Natal (223.3 ± 8.6 DU), and observations are comparable to Aura MLS data. In contrast, the tropospheric contribution is lower over the Andes (20.2 ± 4.3 DU) when compared to Natal (35.4 ± 6.4 DU) due to a less deep and cleaner troposphere. From sounding extrapolation of Quito profiles down to sea level, we determined that altitude deducts about 5–7 DU from the total column, which coincides with a 3%–4% overestimation of the MSR2 over Quito and Marcapomacocha (Peru). In addition, when MSR2 data are compared along a transect that crosses from the Amazon over Quito, the Ecuadorian coast side, and into the Pacific, observations are not significantly different among the three first locations. Results point to coarse reanalysis resolution not being suitable to resolve the formidable altitude transition imposed by the Andes mountain chain. This work advances our knowledge of atmospheric ozone over the study region and provides a robust time series of upper air measurements for future evaluations of satellite and reanalysis products.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 7667-7690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moshe Shechner ◽  
Alex Guenther ◽  
Robert Rhew ◽  
Asher Wishkerman ◽  
Qian Li ◽  
...  

Abstract. Volatile halogenated organic compounds (VHOCs), such as methyl halides (CH3X; X is Br, Cl and I) and very short-lived halogenated substances (VSLSs; bromoform – CHBr3, dibromomethane – CH2Br2, bromodichloromethane – CHBrCl2, trichloroethylene – C2HCl3, chloroform – CHCl3 – and dibromochloromethane – CHBr2Cl) are well known for their significant influence on ozone concentrations and oxidation capacity of the troposphere and stratosphere and for their key role in aerosol formation. Insufficient characterization of the sources and the emission rate of VHOCs limits our ability to understand and assess their impact in both the troposphere and stratosphere. Over the last two decades, several natural terrestrial sources for VHOCs, including soil and vegetation, have been identified, but our knowledge of emission rates from these sources and their responses to changes in ambient conditions remains limited. Here we report measurements of the mixing ratios and fluxes of several chlorinated and brominated VHOCs from different landscapes and natural and agricultural vegetated sites at the Dead Sea during different seasons. Fluxes were generally positive (emission into the atmosphere), corresponding to elevated mixing ratios, but were highly variable. Fluxes (and mixing ratios) for the investigated VHOCs ranged as follows: CHBr3 from −79 to 187 nmol m−2 d−1 (1.9 to 22.6 pptv), CH2Br2 from −55 to 71 nmol m−2 d−1 (0.7 to 19 pptv), CHBr2Cl from −408 to 768 nmol m−2 d−1 (0.4 to 11 pptv), CHBrCl2 from −29 to 45 nmol m−2 d−1 (0.5 to 9.6 pptv), CHCl3 from −577 to 883 nmol m−2 d−1 (15 to 57 pptv), C2HCl3 from −74 to 884 nmol m−2 d−1 (0.4 to 11 pptv), methyl chloride (CH3Cl) from -5300 to 10,800 nmol m−2 d−1 (530 to 730 pptv), methyl bromide (CH3Br) from −111 to 118 nmol m−2 d−1 (7.5 to 14 pptv) and methyl iodide (CH3I) from −25 to 17 nmol m−2 d−1 (0.4 to 2.8 pptv). Taking into account statistical uncertainties, the coastal sites (particularly those where soil is mixed with salt deposits) were identified as sources of all VHOCs, but this was not statistically significant for CHCl3. Further away from the coastal area, the bare soil sites were sources for CHBrCl2, CHBr2Cl, CHCl3, and probably also for CH2Br2 and CH3I, and the agricultural sites were sources for CHBr3, CHBr2Cl and CHBrCl2. In contrast to previous reports, we also observed emissions of brominated trihalomethanes, with net molar fluxes ordered as follows: CHBr2Cl > CHCl3 > CHBr3 > CHBrCl2 and lowest positive flux incidence for CHCl3 among all trihalomethanes; this finding can be explained by the soil's enrichment with Br. Correlation analysis, in agreement with recent studies, indicated common controls for the emission of CHBr2Cl and CHBrCl2 and likely also for CHBr3. There were no indications for correlation of the brominated trihalomethanes with CHCl3. Also in line with previous reports, we observed elevated emissions of CHCl3 and C2HCl3 from mixtures of soil and different salt-deposited structures; the flux correlations between these compounds and methyl halides (particularly CH3I) suggested that at least CH3I is also emitted via similar mechanisms or is subjected to similar controls. Overall, our results indicate elevated emission of VHOCs from bare soil under semiarid conditions. Along with other recent studies, our findings point to the strong emission potential of a suite of VHOCs from saline soils and salt lakes and call for additional studies of emission rates and mechanisms of VHOCs from saline soils and salt lakes.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Viatte ◽  
M. Schneider ◽  
A. Redondas ◽  
F. Hase ◽  
M. Eremenko ◽  
...  

Abstract. An intercomparison of ozone total column measurements derived from various platforms is presented in this work. Satellite data from Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME-2) are compared with data from two ground-based spectrometers (Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer FTIR and Brewer), located at the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) super-site of Izaña (Tenerife), measured during a campaign from March to June 2009. These ground-based observing systems have already been demonstrated to perform consistent, precise and accurate ozone total column measurements. An excellent agreement between ground-based and OMI/GOME-2 data is observed. Results from two different algorithms for deriving IASI ozone total column are also compared: the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT/ESA) operational algorithm and the LISA (Laboratoire Inter-universitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques) algorithm. A better agreement was found with LISA's analytical approach based on an altitude-dependent Tikhonov-Philips regularization: correlations are 0.94 and 0.89 compared to FTIR and Brewer, respectively; while the operational IASI ozone columns (based on neural network analysis) show correlations of 0.90 and 0.85, respectively, compared to the O3 columns obtained from FTIR and Brewer.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 5833-5865
Author(s):  
C. Viatte ◽  
M. Schneider ◽  
A. Redondas ◽  
F. Hase ◽  
M. Eremenko ◽  
...  

Abstract. An intercomparison of ozone total column measurements derived from various platforms is presented in this work. Satellite data from Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME-2) are compared with data from two ground-based spectrometers (Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer FTIR and Brewer), located at the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) super-site of Izaña (Tenerife), measured during a campaign from March to June 2009. These ground-based observing systems have already been demonstrated to perform consistent, precise and accurate ozone total column measurements. An excellent agreement between ground-based and OMI/GOME-2 data is observed. Results from two different algorithms for deriving IASI ozone total column are also compared: the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT/ESA) operational algorithm and the LISA (Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques) algorithm. A better agreement was found with LISA's analytical approach based on an altitude-dependent Tikhonov-Philips regularization: correlations are 0.94 and 0.89 compared to FTIR and Brewer, respectively; while the operational IASI ozone columns (based on neural network analysis) show correlations of 0.90 and 0.85, respectively, compared to the O3 columns obtained from FTIR and Brewer.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document