scholarly journals Resolution of an important discrepancy between remote and in-situ measurements of tropospheric BrO during Antarctic enhancements

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 5419-5448 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. K. Roscoe ◽  
N. Brough ◽  
A. E. Jones ◽  
F. Wittrock ◽  
A. Richter ◽  
...  

Abstract. Tropospheric BrO was measured by a ground-based remote-sensing spectrometer at Halley in Antarctica, and BrO was measured by remote-sensing spectrometers in space using similar spectral regions and Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) analyses. Near-surface BrO was simultaneously measured at Halley by Chemical Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (CIMS), and in an earlier year near-surface BrO was measured at Halley over a long path by a DOAS spectrometer. During enhancement episodes, total amounts of tropospheric BrO from the ground-based remote-sensor were similar to those from space, but if we assume that the BrO was confined to the boundary layer they were very much larger than values measured by either near-surface technique. This large apparent discrepancy can be resolved if substantial amounts of BrO were in the free troposphere during most enhancement episodes. Amounts observed by the ground-based remote sensor at different elevation angles, and their formal inversions to vertical profiles, also show that much of the BrO was often in the free troposphere. This is consistent with the ~5 day lifetime of Bry, from the enhanced BrO observed during some Antarctic blizzards, and from aircraft measurements of BrO well above the surface in the Arctic.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alden C. Adolph ◽  
Mary R. Albert ◽  
Dorothy K. Hall

Abstract. As rapid warming of the Arctic occurs, it is imperative that climate indicators such as temperature be monitored over large areas to understand and predict the effects of climate changes. Temperatures are traditionally tracked using in situ 2 m air temperatures, but in remote locations where few ground-based measurements exist, such as on the Greenland Ice Sheet, temperatures over large areas are assessed using remote sensing techniques. Because of the presence of surface-based temperature inversions in ice-covered areas, differences between 2 m air temperature and the temperature of the actual snow surface (referred to as skin temperature) can be significant and are particularly relevant when considering validation and application of remote sensing temperature data. We present results from a field campaign extending from 8 June through 18 July 2015, near Summit Station in Greenland to study surface temperature using the following measurements: skin temperature measured by an infrared (IR) sensor, thermochrons, and thermocouples; 2 m air temperature measured by a NOAA meteorological station; and a MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface temperature product. Our data indicate that 2 m air temperature is often significantly higher than snow skin temperature measured in-situ, and this finding may account for apparent biases in previous surface temperature studies of MODIS products that used 2 m air temperature for validation. This inversion is present during summer months when incoming solar radiation and wind speed are both low. As compared to our in-situ IR skin temperature measurements, after additional cloud masking, the MOD/MYD11 Collection 6 surface-temperature standard product has an RMSE of 1.0 °C, spanning a range of temperatures from −35 °C to −5 °C. For our study area and time series, MODIS surface temperature products agree with skin surface temperatures better than previous studies indicated, especially at temperatures below −20 °C where other studies found a significant cold bias. The apparent cold bias present in others’ comparison of 2 m air temperature and MODIS surface temperature is perhaps a result of the near-surface temperature inversion that our data demonstrate. Further investigation of how in-situ IR skin temperatures compare to MODIS surface temperature at lower temperatures (below −35 °C) is warranted to determine if this cold bias does indeed exist.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 14473-14504
Author(s):  
M. Gil-Ojeda ◽  
M. Navarro-Comas ◽  
L. Gómez-Martín ◽  
J. A. Adame ◽  
A. Saiz-Lopez ◽  
...  

Abstract. Three years of Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAXDOAS) measurements (2011–2013) have been used for estimating the NO2 mixing ratio along a horizontal line of sight from the high mountain Subtropical observatory of Izaña, at 2370 m a.s.l. (NDACC station, 28.3° N, 16.5° W). The method is based on horizontal path calculation from the O2–O2 collisional complex at the 477 nm absorption band which is measured simultaneously to the NO2, and is applicable under low aerosols loading conditions. The MAXDOAS technique, applied in horizontal mode in the free troposphere, minimizes the impact of the NO2 contamination resulting from the arrival of MBL airmasses from thermally forced upwelling breeze during central hours of the day. Comparisons with in-situ observations show that during most of measuring period the MAXDOAS is insensitive or very little sensitive to the upwelling breeze. Exceptions are found during pollution events under southern wind conditions. On these occasions, evidence of fast efficient and irreversible transport from the surface to the free troposphere is found. Background NO2 vmr, representative of the remote free troposphere, are in the range of 20–45 pptv. The observed seasonal evolution shows an annual wave where the peak is in phase with the solar radiation. Model simulations with the chemistry-climate CAM-Chem model are in good agreement with the NO2 measurements, and are used to further investigate the possible drivers of the NO2 seasonality observed at Izaña.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 495-539
Author(s):  
M. Niwano ◽  
T. Aoki ◽  
S. Matoba ◽  
S. Yamaguchi ◽  
T. Tanikawa ◽  
...  

Abstract. The surface energy balance (SEB) from 30 June to 14 July 2012 at site SIGMA (Snow Impurity and Glacial Microbe effects on abrupt warming in the Arctic)-A, (78°03' N, 67°38' W; 1490 m a.s.l.) on the northwest Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) was investigated by using in situ atmospheric and snow measurements, as well as numerical modeling with a one-dimensional, multi-layered, physical snowpack model called SMAP (Snow Metamorphism and Albedo Process). At SIGMA-A, remarkable near-surface snowmelt and continuous heavy rainfall (accumulated precipitation between 10 and 14 July was estimated to be 100 mm) were observed after 10 July 2012. Application of the SMAP model to the GrIS snowpack was evaluated based on the snow temperature profile, snow surface temperature, surface snow grain size, and shortwave albedo, all of which the model simulated reasonably well. However, comparison of the SMAP-calculated surface snow grain size with in situ measurements during the period when surface hoar with small grain size was observed on-site revealed that it was necessary to input air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed data from two heights to simulate the latent heat flux into the snow surface and subsequent surface hoar formation. The calculated latent heat flux was always directed away from the surface if data from only one height were input to the SMAP model, even if the value for roughness length of momentum was perturbed between the possible maximum and minimum values in numerical sensitivity tests. This result highlights the need to use two-level atmospheric profiles to obtain realistic latent heat flux. Using such profiles, we calculated the SEB at SIGMA-A from 30 June to 14 July 2012. Radiation-related fluxes were obtained from in situ measurements, whereas other fluxes were calculated with the SMAP model. By examining the components of the SEB, we determined that low-level clouds accompanied by a significant temperature increase played an important role in the melt event observed at SIGMA-A. These conditions induced a remarkable surface heating via cloud radiative forcing in the polar region.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 623-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Volkamer ◽  
S. Baidar ◽  
T. L. Campos ◽  
S. Coburn ◽  
J. P. DiGangi ◽  
...  

Abstract. Tropospheric chemistry of halogens and organic carbon over tropical oceans modifies ozone and atmospheric aerosols, yet atmospheric models remain largely untested for lack of vertically resolved measurements of bromine monoxide (BrO), iodine monoxide (IO), and small oxygenated hydrocarbons like glyoxal (CHOCHO) in the tropical troposphere. BrO, IO, glyoxal, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), water vapor (H2O) and O2-O2 collision complexes (O4) were measured by the CU Airborne Multi AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (CU AMAX-DOAS) instrument, in situ aerosol size distributions by an Ultra High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS), and in situ H2O by Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser hygrometer (VCSEL). Data are presented from two research flights (RF12, RF17) aboard the NSF/NCAR GV aircraft over the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean (tEPO) as part of the "Tropical Ocean tRoposphere Exchange of Reactive halogens and Oxygenated hydrocarbons" (TORERO) project. We assess the accuracy of O4 slant column density (SCD) measurements in the presence and absence of aerosols, and find O4-inferred aerosol extinction profiles at 477 nm agree within 5% with Mie calculations of extinction profiles constrained by UHSAS. CU AMAX-DOAS provides a flexible choice of geometry which we exploit to minimize the SCD in the reference spectrum (SCDREF, maximize signal-to-noise), and to test the robustness of BrO, IO, and glyoxal differential SCDs. The RF12 case study was conducted in pristine marine and free tropospheric air. The RF17 case study was conducted above the NOAA RV Ka'imimoana (TORERO cruise, KA-12-01), and provides independent validation data from ship-based in situ Cavity Enhanced- and MAX-DOAS. Inside the marine boundary layer (MBL) no BrO was detected (smaller than 0.5 pptv), and 0.2–0.55 pptv IO and 32–36 pptv glyoxal were observed. The near surface concentrations agree within 20% (IO) and 10% (glyoxal) between ship and aircraft. The BrO concentration strongly increased with altitude to 3.0 pptv at 14.5 km (RF12, 9.1 to 8.6° N; 101.2 to 97.4° W). At 14.5 km 5–10 pptv NO2 agree with model predictions, and demonstrate good control over separating tropospheric from stratospheric absorbers (NO2 and BrO). Our profile retrievals have 12–20 degrees of freedom (DoF), and up to 500 m vertical resolution. The tropospheric BrO VCD was 1.5 × 1013 molec cm−2 (RF12), and at least 0.5 × 1013 molec cm−2 (RF17, 0–10 km, lower limit). Tropospheric IO VCDs correspond to 2.1 × 1012 molec cm−2 (RF12) and 2.5 × 1012 molec cm−2 (RF17), and glyoxal VCDs of 2.6 × 1014 molec cm−2 (RF12) and 2.7 × 1014 molec cm−2 (RF17). Surprisingly, essentially all BrO, and the dominant IO and glyoxal VCD fraction was located above 2 km (IO: 58 ± 5%, 0.1–0.2 pptv; glyoxal: 52 ± 5%, 3–20 pptv). To our knowledge there are no previous vertically resolved measurements of BrO and glyoxal from aircraft in the tropical free troposphere.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 3547-3602 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Ciais ◽  
A. J. Dolman ◽  
A. Bombelli ◽  
R. Duren ◽  
A. Peregon ◽  
...  

Abstract. A globally integrated carbon observation and analysis system is needed to improve the fundamental understanding of the global carbon cycle, to improve our ability to project future changes, and to verify the effectiveness of policies aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration. Building an integrated carbon observation system requires transformational advances from the existing sparse, exploratory framework towards a dense, robust, and sustained system in all components: anthropogenic emissions, the atmosphere, the ocean, and the terrestrial biosphere. The paper is addressed to scientists, policymakers, and funding agencies who need to have a global picture of the current state of the (diverse) carbon observations. We identify the current state of carbon observations, and the needs and notional requirements for a global integrated carbon observation system that can be built in the next decade. A key conclusion is the substantial expansion of the ground-based observation networks required to reach the high spatial resolution for CO2 and CH4 fluxes, and for carbon stocks for addressing policy-relevant objectives, and attributing flux changes to underlying processes in each region. In order to establish flux and stock diagnostics over areas such as the southern oceans, tropical forests, and the Arctic, in situ observations will have to be complemented with remote-sensing measurements. Remote sensing offers the advantage of dense spatial coverage and frequent revisit. A key challenge is to bring remote-sensing measurements to a level of long-term consistency and accuracy so that they can be efficiently combined in models to reduce uncertainties, in synergy with ground-based data. Bringing tight observational constraints on fossil fuel and land use change emissions will be the biggest challenge for deployment of a policy-relevant integrated carbon observation system. This will require in situ and remotely sensed data at much higher resolution and density than currently achieved for natural fluxes, although over a small land area (cities, industrial sites, power plants), as well as the inclusion of fossil fuel CO2 proxy measurements such as radiocarbon in CO2 and carbon-fuel combustion tracers. Additionally, a policy-relevant carbon monitoring system should also provide mechanisms for reconciling regional top-down (atmosphere-based) and bottom-up (surface-based) flux estimates across the range of spatial and temporal scales relevant to mitigation policies. In addition, uncertainties for each observation data-stream should be assessed. The success of the system will rely on long-term commitments to monitoring, on improved international collaboration to fill gaps in the current observations, on sustained efforts to improve access to the different data streams and make databases interoperable, and on the calibration of each component of the system to agreed-upon international scales.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2774
Author(s):  
Marta Konik ◽  
Piotr Kowalczuk ◽  
Monika Zabłocka ◽  
Anna Makarewicz ◽  
Justyna Meler ◽  
...  

The Nordic Seas and the Fram Strait regions are a melting pot of a number of water masses characterized by distinct optical water properties. The warm Atlantic Waters transported from the south and the Arctic Waters from the north, combined with the melt waters contributing to the Polar Waters, mediate the dynamic changes of the year-to-year large-scale circulation patterns in the area, which often form complex frontal zones. In the last decade, moreover, a significant shift in phytoplankton phenology in the area has been observed, with a certain northward expansion of temperate phytoplankton communities into the Arctic Ocean which could lead to a deterioration in the performance of remote sensing algorithms. In this research, we exploited the capability of the satellite sensors to monitor those inter-annual changes at basin scales. We propose locally adjusted algorithms for retrieving chlorophyll a concentrations Chla, absorption by particles ap at 443 and 670 nm, and total absorption atot at 443 and 670 nm developed on the basis of intensive field work conducted in 2013–2015. Measured in situ hyper spectral remote sensing reflectance has been used to reconstruct the MODIS and OLCI spectral channels for which the proposed algorithms have been adapted. We obtained MNB ≤ 0.5% for ap(670) and ≤3% for atot(670) and Chla. RMS was ≤30% for most of the retrieved optical water properties except ap(443) and Chla. The mean monthly mosaics of ap(443) computed on the basis of the proposed algorithm were used for reconstructing the spatial and temporal changes of the phytoplankton biomass in 2013–2015. The results corresponded very well with in situ measurements.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Wang ◽  
Steffen Dörner ◽  
Sebastian Donner ◽  
Sebastian Böhnke ◽  
Isabelle De Smedt ◽  
...  

Abstract. A Multi Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instrument was deployed in May and June 2016 at a monitoring station (37.18° N, 114.36° E) in the suburban area of Xingtai (one of the most polluted cities in China) during the Atmosphere-Aerosol-Boundary Layer-Cloud (A2BC) and Air chemistry Research In Asia (ARIAs) joint experiments to derive tropospheric vertical profiles of NO2, SO2, HONO, HCHO, CHOCHO and aerosols. Aerosol optical depths derived from MAX-DOAS were found to be consistent with collocated sun-photometer measurements. Also the derived near-surface aerosol extinction and HCHO mixing ratio agree well with coincident visibility meter and in situ HCHO measurements, with mean HCHO near-surface mixing ratios of ~ 3.5 ppb. Underestimates of MAX-DOAS results compared to in situ measurements of NO2 (~ 60 %), SO2 (~ 20 %) are found expectedly due to vertical and horizontal inhomogeneity of trace gases. Vertical profiles of aerosols and NO2, SO2 are reasonably consistent with those measured by a collocated Raman Lidar and aircraft spirals over the station. The deviations can be attributed to differences in sensitivity as a function of altitude and substantial horizontal gradients of pollutants. Aerosols, HCHO, and CHOCHO profiles typically extended to higher altitudes (with 75 % integrated column located below ~ 1.4 km) than did NO2, SO2, and HONO (with 75 % integrated column below ~ 0.5 km) under polluted condition. Lifted layers were systematically observed for all species, (except HONO), indicating accumulation, secondary formation, or long-range transport of the pollutants at higher altitudes. Maximum values routinely occurred in the morning for NO2, SO2, and HONO, but around noon for aerosols, HCHO, and CHOCHO, mainly dominated by photochemistry, characteristic upslope/downslope circulation and PBL dynamics. Significant day-to-day variations are found for all species due to the effect of regional transport and changes in synoptic pattern analysed with HYSPLIT trajectories. Low pollution was often observed for air masses from the north-west (behind cold fronts), and high pollution from the southern areas such as industrialized Wuan. The contribution of regional transport for the pollutants measured at the site during the observation period was estimated to be about 20 % to 30 % for trace gases, and about 50 % for aerosols. In addition, agricultural burning events impacted the day-to-day variations of HCHO, CHOCHO and aerosols.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuukka Petäjä ◽  
Ella-Maria Duplissy ◽  
Ksenia Tabakova ◽  
Julia Schmale ◽  
Barbara Altstädter ◽  
...  

Abstract. The role of polar regions increases in terms of megatrends such as globalization, new transport routes, demography and use of natural resources consequent effects of regional and transported pollutant concentrations. We set up the ERA-PLANET Strand 4 project iCUPE – integrative and Comprehensive Understanding on Polar Environments to provide novel insights and observational data on global grand challenges with an Arctic focus. We utilize an integrated approach combining in situ observations, satellite remote sensing Earth Observations (EO) and multi-scale modeling to synthesize data from comprehensive long-term measurements, intensive campaigns and satellites to deliver data products, metrics and indicators to the stakeholders concerning the environmental status, availability and extraction of natural resources in the polar areas. The iCUPE work consists of thematic state-of-the-art research and provision of novel data in atmospheric pollution, local sources and transboundary transport, characterization of arctic surfaces and their changes, assessment of concentrations and impacts of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants and their cycling, quantification of emissions from natural resource extraction and validation and optimization of satellite Earth Observation (EO) data streams. In this paper we introduce the iCUPE project and summarize initial results arising out of integration of comprehensive in situ observations, satellite remote sensing and multiscale modeling in the Arctic context.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 6741-6755 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Messerschmidt ◽  
H. Chen ◽  
N. M. Deutscher ◽  
C. Gerbig ◽  
P. Grupe ◽  
...  

Abstract. The in situ boundary layer measurement site in Białystok (Poland) has been upgraded with a fully automated observatory for total greenhouse gas column measurements. The automated Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) complements the on-site in situ facilities and FTS solar absorption measurements have been recorded nearly continuously in clear and partially cloudy conditions since March 2009. Here, the FTS measurements are compared with the collocated tall tower data. Additionally, simulations of the Jena CO2 inversion model are evaluated with the Białystok measurement facilities. The simulated seasonal CO2 cycle is slightly overestimated by a mean difference of 1.2 ppm ± 0.9 ppm (1σ) in comparison with the FTS measurements. CO2 concentrations at the surface, measured at the tall tower (5 m, 90 m, 300 m), are slightly underestimated by −1.5 ppm, −1.6 ppm, and −0.7 ppm respectively during the day and by −9.1 ppm, −5.9 ppm, and −1.3 ppm during the night. The comparison of the simulated CO2 profiles with low aircraft profiles shows a slight overestimation of the lower troposphere (by up to 1 ppm) and an underestimation in near-surface heights until 800 m (by up to 2.5 ppm). In an appendix the automated FTS observatory, including the hardware components and the automation software, is described in its basics.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 12671-12700
Author(s):  
R. J. Leigh ◽  
G. K. Corlett ◽  
U. Frieß ◽  
P. S. Monks

Abstract. A novel system using the technique of concurrent multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy system has been developed and applied to the measurement of nitrogen dioxide in an urban environment. Using five fixed telescopes, slant columns of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, water vapour, and the oxygen dimer, O4, are simultaneously retrieved in five vertically separated viewing directions. The application of this remote sensing technique in the urban environment is explored. Through, the application of several simplifying assumptions a tropospheric concentration of NO2 is derived and compared with an urban background in-situ chemiluminescence detector. The remote sensing and in-situ techniques show good agreement. Owing to the high time resolution of the measurements, the ability to image and quantify plumes within the urban environment is demonstrated. The CMAX-DOAS measurements provide a useful measure of overall NO2 concentrations on a city-wide scale.


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