Articles | Volume 17, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12071-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12071-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 Oct 2017
Research article |
| 12 Oct 2017
Typical meteorological conditions associated with extreme nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution events over Scandinavia
Research and development department, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Folkborgsvägen 17, 60176 Norrköping, Sweden
Abhay Devasthale
Research and development department, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Folkborgsvägen 17, 60176 Norrköping, Sweden
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Using the satellite-based climate data record CLARA-A3 spanning 1982–2020 and ERA5 reanalysis, we present climate regimes that are favourable or unfavourable for solar energy applications. We show that the favourable climate regimes are emerging over much of Europe during spring and early summer for solar energy exploitation.
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Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5775–5828, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5775-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5775-2022, 2022
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Aerosol–cloud interactions occur at a range of spatio-temporal scales. While evaluating recent developments in EC-Earth3-AerChem, this study aims to understand the extent to which the Twomey effect manifests itself at larger scales. We find a reduction in the warm bias over the Southern Ocean due to model improvements. While we see footprints of the Twomey effect at larger scales, the negative relationship between cloud droplet number and liquid water drives the shortwave radiative effect.
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Using the satellite-based climate data record CLARA-A3 spanning 1982–2020 and ERA5 reanalysis, we present climate regimes that are favourable or unfavourable for solar energy applications. We show that the favourable climate regimes are emerging over much of Europe during spring and early summer for solar energy exploitation.
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Victoria A. Flood, Kimberly Strong, Cynthia H. Whaley, Kaley A. Walker, Thomas Blumenstock, James W. Hannigan, Johan Mellqvist, Justus Notholt, Mathias Palm, Amelie N. Röhling, Stephen Arnold, Stephen Beagley, Rong-You Chien, Jesper Christensen, Makoto Deushi, Srdjan Dobricic, Xinyi Dong, Joshua S. Fu, Michael Gauss, Wanmin Gong, Joakim Langner, Kathy S. Law, Louis Marelle, Tatsuo Onishi, Naga Oshima, David A. Plummer, Luca Pozzoli, Jean-Christophe Raut, Manu A. Thomas, Svetlana Tsyro, and Steven Turnock
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1079–1118, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1079-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1079-2024, 2024
Short summary
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It is important to understand the composition of the Arctic atmosphere and how it is changing. Atmospheric models provide simulations that can inform policy. This study examines simulations of CH4, CO, and O3 by 11 models. Model performance is assessed by comparing results matched in space and time to measurements from five high-latitude ground-based infrared spectrometers. This work finds that models generally underpredict the concentrations of these gases in the Arctic troposphere.
Karl-Göran Karlsson, Martin Stengel, Jan Fokke Meirink, Aku Riihelä, Jörg Trentmann, Tom Akkermans, Diana Stein, Abhay Devasthale, Salomon Eliasson, Erik Johansson, Nina Håkansson, Irina Solodovnik, Nikos Benas, Nicolas Clerbaux, Nathalie Selbach, Marc Schröder, and Rainer Hollmann
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4901–4926, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4901-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4901-2023, 2023
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This paper presents a global climate data record on cloud parameters, radiation at the surface and at the top of atmosphere, and surface albedo. The temporal coverage is 1979–2020 (42 years) and the data record is also continuously updated until present time. Thus, more than four decades of climate parameters are provided. Based on CLARA-A3, studies on distribution of clouds and radiation parameters can be made and, especially, investigations of climate trends and evaluation of climate models.
Cynthia H. Whaley, Kathy S. Law, Jens Liengaard Hjorth, Henrik Skov, Stephen R. Arnold, Joakim Langner, Jakob Boyd Pernov, Garance Bergeron, Ilann Bourgeois, Jesper H. Christensen, Rong-You Chien, Makoto Deushi, Xinyi Dong, Peter Effertz, Gregory Faluvegi, Mark Flanner, Joshua S. Fu, Michael Gauss, Greg Huey, Ulas Im, Rigel Kivi, Louis Marelle, Tatsuo Onishi, Naga Oshima, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Jeff Peischl, David A. Plummer, Luca Pozzoli, Jean-Christophe Raut, Tom Ryerson, Ragnhild Skeie, Sverre Solberg, Manu A. Thomas, Chelsea Thompson, Kostas Tsigaridis, Svetlana Tsyro, Steven T. Turnock, Knut von Salzen, and David W. Tarasick
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 637–661, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-637-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-637-2023, 2023
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This study summarizes recent research on ozone in the Arctic, a sensitive and rapidly warming region. We find that the seasonal cycles of near-surface atmospheric ozone are variable depending on whether they are near the coast, inland, or at high altitude. Several global model simulations were evaluated, and we found that because models lack some of the ozone chemistry that is important for the coastal Arctic locations, they do not accurately simulate ozone there.
Cheng You, Michael Tjernström, and Abhay Devasthale
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 8037–8057, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8037-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8037-2022, 2022
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In winter when solar radiation is absent in the Arctic, the poleward transport of heat and moisture into the high Arctic becomes the main contribution of Arctic warming. Over completely frozen ocean sectors, total surface energy budget is dominated by net long-wave heat, while over the Barents Sea, with an open ocean to the south, total net surface energy budget is dominated by the surface turbulent heat.
Cynthia H. Whaley, Rashed Mahmood, Knut von Salzen, Barbara Winter, Sabine Eckhardt, Stephen Arnold, Stephen Beagley, Silvia Becagli, Rong-You Chien, Jesper Christensen, Sujay Manish Damani, Xinyi Dong, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Gregory Faluvegi, Mark Flanner, Joshua S. Fu, Michael Gauss, Fabio Giardi, Wanmin Gong, Jens Liengaard Hjorth, Lin Huang, Ulas Im, Yugo Kanaya, Srinath Krishnan, Zbigniew Klimont, Thomas Kühn, Joakim Langner, Kathy S. Law, Louis Marelle, Andreas Massling, Dirk Olivié, Tatsuo Onishi, Naga Oshima, Yiran Peng, David A. Plummer, Olga Popovicheva, Luca Pozzoli, Jean-Christophe Raut, Maria Sand, Laura N. Saunders, Julia Schmale, Sangeeta Sharma, Ragnhild Bieltvedt Skeie, Henrik Skov, Fumikazu Taketani, Manu A. Thomas, Rita Traversi, Kostas Tsigaridis, Svetlana Tsyro, Steven Turnock, Vito Vitale, Kaley A. Walker, Minqi Wang, Duncan Watson-Parris, and Tahya Weiss-Gibbons
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5775–5828, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5775-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5775-2022, 2022
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Manu Anna Thomas, Abhay Devasthale, and Michael Kahnert
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 119–137, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-119-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-119-2022, 2022
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The Southern Ocean (SO) covers a large area of our planet and its boundary layer is dominated by sea salt aerosols during winter. These aerosols have large implications for the regional climate through their direct and indirect effects. Using satellite and reanalysis data, we document if and how the aerosol properties over the SO are dependent on different local meteorological parameters. Such an observational assessment is necessary to improve the understanding of atmospheric aerosol processes.
Manu Anna Thomas, Abhay Devasthale, and Tiina Nygård
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16593–16608, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16593-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16593-2021, 2021
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The impact of transported pollutants and their spatial distribution in the Arctic are governed by the local atmospheric circulation or weather states. Therefore, we investigated eight different atmospheric circulation types observed during the spring season in the Arctic. Using satellite and reanalysis datasets, this study provides a comprehensive assessment of the typical circulation patterns that can lead to enhanced or reduced pollution concentrations in the different sectors of the Arctic.
Ulas Im, Kostas Tsigaridis, Gregory Faluvegi, Peter L. Langen, Joshua P. French, Rashed Mahmood, Manu A. Thomas, Knut von Salzen, Daniel C. Thomas, Cynthia H. Whaley, Zbigniew Klimont, Henrik Skov, and Jørgen Brandt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10413–10438, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10413-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10413-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Future (2015–2050) simulations of the aerosol burdens and their radiative forcing and climate impacts over the Arctic under various emission projections show that although the Arctic aerosol burdens are projected to decrease significantly by 10 to 60 %, regardless of the magnitude of aerosol reductions, surface air temperatures will continue to increase by 1.9–2.6 ℃, while sea-ice extent will continue to decrease, implying reductions of greenhouse gases are necessary to mitigate climate change.
Erik Johansson, Abhay Devasthale, Michael Tjernström, Annica M. L. Ekman, Klaus Wyser, and Tristan L'Ecuyer
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 4087–4101, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4087-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4087-2021, 2021
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Understanding the coupling of clouds to large-scale circulation is a grand challenge for the climate community. Cloud radiative heating (CRH) is a key parameter in this coupling and is therefore essential to model realistically. We, therefore, evaluate a climate model against satellite observations. Our findings indicate good agreement in the seasonal pattern of CRH even if the magnitude differs. We also find that increasing the horizontal resolution in the model has little effect on the CRH.
Alejandro Baró Pérez, Abhay Devasthale, Frida A.-M. Bender, and Annica M. L. Ekman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6053–6077, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6053-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6053-2021, 2021
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We study the impacts of above-cloud biomass burning plumes on radiation and clouds over the southeast Atlantic using data derived from satellite observations and data-constrained model simulations. A substantial amount of the aerosol within the plumes is not classified as smoke by the satellite. The atmosphere warms more with increasing smoke aerosol loading. No clear influence of aerosol type, loading, or moisture within the overlying aerosol plumes is detected on the cloud top cooling rates.
Manu Anna Thomas, Abhay Devasthale, Tristan L'Ecuyer, Shiyu Wang, Torben Koenigk, and Klaus Wyser
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 3759–3772, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3759-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3759-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Snow cover significantly influences the surface albedo and radiation budget. Therefore, a realistic representation of snowfall in climate models is important. Here, using decade-long estimates of snowfall derived from the satellite sensor, four climate models are evaluated to assess how well they simulate snowfall in the Arctic. It is found that light and median snowfall is overestimated by the models in comparison to the satellite observations, and extreme snowfall is underestimated.
Manu Anna Thomas, Abhay Devasthale, Torben Koenigk, Klaus Wyser, Malcolm Roberts, Christopher Roberts, and Katja Lohmann
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 1679–1702, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1679-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1679-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Cloud processes occur at scales ranging from few micrometres to hundreds of kilometres. Their representation in global climate models and their fidelity are thus sensitive to the choice of spatial resolution. Here, cloud radiative effects simulated by models are evaluated using a satellite dataset, with a focus on investigating the sensitivity to spatial resolution. The evaluations are carried out using two approaches: the traditional statistical comparisons and the process-oriented evaluation.
Quentin Bourgeois, Annica M. L. Ekman, Jean-Baptiste Renard, Radovan Krejci, Abhay Devasthale, Frida A.-M. Bender, Ilona Riipinen, Gwenaël Berthet, and Jason L. Tackett
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 7709–7720, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7709-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7709-2018, 2018
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The altitude of aerosols is crucial as they can impact cloud formation and radiation. In this study, satellite observations have been used to characterize the global aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the boundary layer and the free troposphere. The free troposphere contributes 39 % to the global AOD during daytime. Overall, the results have implications for the description of budgets, sources, sinks and transport of aerosol particles as presently described in the atmospheric model.
Martin Stengel, Stefan Stapelberg, Oliver Sus, Cornelia Schlundt, Caroline Poulsen, Gareth Thomas, Matthew Christensen, Cintia Carbajal Henken, Rene Preusker, Jürgen Fischer, Abhay Devasthale, Ulrika Willén, Karl-Göran Karlsson, Gregory R. McGarragh, Simon Proud, Adam C. Povey, Roy G. Grainger, Jan Fokke Meirink, Artem Feofilov, Ralf Bennartz, Jedrzej S. Bojanowski, and Rainer Hollmann
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 881–904, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-881-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-881-2017, 2017
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We present new cloud property datasets based on measurements from the passive imaging satellite sensors AVHRR, MODIS, ATSR2, AATSR and MERIS. Retrieval systems were developed that include cloud detection and cloud typing followed by optimal estimation retrievals of cloud properties (e.g. cloud-top pressure, effective radius, optical thickness, water path). Special features of all datasets are spectral consistency and rigorous uncertainty propagation from pixel-level data to monthly properties.
Lars Norin, Abhay Devasthale, and Tristan S. L'Ecuyer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 3249–3263, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3249-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3249-2017, 2017
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For a high-latitude country like Sweden snowfall is an important contributor to the regional water cycle. For Sweden, large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, or weather states, are important for precipitation variability. In this work we investigate the sensitivity of snowfall to weather states over Sweden to eight selected weather states. The analysis is based on measurements from ground-based radar, satellite observations, spatially interpolated in situ observations, and reanalysis data.
Karl-Göran Karlsson, Kati Anttila, Jörg Trentmann, Martin Stengel, Jan Fokke Meirink, Abhay Devasthale, Timo Hanschmann, Steffen Kothe, Emmihenna Jääskeläinen, Joseph Sedlar, Nikos Benas, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, Cornelia Schlundt, Diana Stein, Stefan Finkensieper, Nina Håkansson, and Rainer Hollmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 5809–5828, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5809-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5809-2017, 2017
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The paper presents the second version of a global climate data record based on satellite measurements from polar orbiting weather satellites. It describes the global evolution of cloudiness, surface albedo and surface radiation during the time period 1982–2015. The main improvements of algorithms are described together with some validation results. In addition, some early analysis is presented of some particularly interesting climate features (Arctic albedo and cloudiness + global cloudiness).
L. Norin, A. Devasthale, T. S. L'Ecuyer, N. B. Wood, and M. Smalley
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 5009–5021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-5009-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-5009-2015, 2015
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The ability to estimate snowfall accurately is important for both weather and climate applications. In this work we have intercompared snowfall estimates from two observing systems: the space-based Cloud Profiling Radar on board NASA's CloudSat satellite and Swerad, the ground-based Swedish national weather radar network. The intercomparison shows encouraging agreement between these two observing systems despite their different sensitivities and user applications.
E. Andersson, M. Kahnert, and A. Devasthale
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 3747–3763, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-3747-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-3747-2015, 2015
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This study investigate the representation of hemispheric transport in a regional chemical transport model (CTM) in terms of lateral boundary conditions (LBCs). We evaluate the LBCs both directly with satellite retrievals and indirectly by forcing a regional CTM with LBCs and compare to in-domain observations. We believe that our work makes an important contribution to the methodology of validating LBCs for regional modelling.
E. Johansson, A. Devasthale, T. L'Ecuyer, A. M. L. Ekman, and M. Tjernström
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 11557–11570, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11557-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11557-2015, 2015
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Both radiative and latent heat components of total diabatic heating influence Indian monsoon dynamics. This study investigates radiative component in detail, focusing on various cloud types that have largest radiative impact during summer monsoon over the Indian subcontinent. The vertical structure of radiative heating and its intra-seasonal variability is investigated with particular emphasis on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region.
V. Marécal, V.-H. Peuch, C. Andersson, S. Andersson, J. Arteta, M. Beekmann, A. Benedictow, R. Bergström, B. Bessagnet, A. Cansado, F. Chéroux, A. Colette, A. Coman, R. L. Curier, H. A. C. Denier van der Gon, A. Drouin, H. Elbern, E. Emili, R. J. Engelen, H. J. Eskes, G. Foret, E. Friese, M. Gauss, C. Giannaros, J. Guth, M. Joly, E. Jaumouillé, B. Josse, N. Kadygrov, J. W. Kaiser, K. Krajsek, J. Kuenen, U. Kumar, N. Liora, E. Lopez, L. Malherbe, I. Martinez, D. Melas, F. Meleux, L. Menut, P. Moinat, T. Morales, J. Parmentier, A. Piacentini, M. Plu, A. Poupkou, S. Queguiner, L. Robertson, L. Rouïl, M. Schaap, A. Segers, M. Sofiev, L. Tarasson, M. Thomas, R. Timmermans, Á. Valdebenito, P. van Velthoven, R. van Versendaal, J. Vira, and A. Ung
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 2777–2813, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-2777-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-2777-2015, 2015
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This paper describes the air quality forecasting system over Europe put in place in the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate projects. It provides daily and 4-day forecasts and analyses for the previous day for major gas and particulate pollutants and their main precursors. These products are based on a multi-model approach using seven state-of-the-art models developed in Europe. An evaluation of the performance of the system is discussed in the paper.
M. A. Thomas, M. Kahnert, C. Andersson, H. Kokkola, U. Hansson, C. Jones, J. Langner, and A. Devasthale
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 1885–1898, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1885-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1885-2015, 2015
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We have showed that a coupled modelling system is beneficial in the sense that more complex processes can be included to better represent the aerosol processes starting from their formation, their interactions with clouds and provide better estimate of radiative forcing. Using this model set up, we estimated an annual mean 'indirect' radiative forcing of -0.64W/m2. This means that aerosols, solely by their capability of altering the microphysical properties of clouds can cool the Earth system.
C. Andersson, R. Bergström, C. Bennet, L. Robertson, M. Thomas, H. Korhonen, K. E. J. Lehtinen, and H. Kokkola
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 171–189, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-171-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-171-2015, 2015
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We have integrated the sectional aerosol dynamics model SALSA into the European scale chemistry-transport model MATCH. The combined model reproduces observed higher particle number concentration (PNCs) in central Europe and lower concentrations in remote regions; however, the total PNC is underestimated. The low nucleation rate coefficient used in this study is an important reason for the underestimation.
M. A. Thomas and A. Devasthale
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 11545–11555, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-11545-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-11545-2014, 2014
A. Devasthale and L. Norin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 1605–1617, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1605-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1605-2014, 2014
T. Koenigk, A. Devasthale, and K.-G. Karlsson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 1987–1998, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1987-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1987-2014, 2014
A. Devasthale, J. Sedlar, T. Koenigk, and E. J. Fetzer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 7441–7450, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7441-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7441-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Gases | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Quantifying large methane emissions from the Nord Stream pipeline gas leak of September 2022 using IASI satellite observations and inverse modelling
Automated detection of regions with persistently enhanced methane concentrations using Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite data
Biomass burning CO emissions: exploring insights through TROPOMI-derived emissions and emission coefficients
Measurement report: Combined use of MAX-DOAS and AERONET ground-based measurements in Montevideo, Uruguay, for the detection of distant biomass burning
Development of high spatial resolution annual emission inventory of greenhouse gases from open straw burning in Northeast China from 2001 to 2020
Quantifying CH4 emissions from coal mine aggregation areas in Shanxi, China, using TROPOMI observations and the wind-assigned anomaly method
Identifying episodic carbon monoxide emission events in the MOPITT measurement dataset
Quantifying effects of long-range transport of NO2 over Delhi using back trajectories and satellite data
Measurement report: Ammonia in Paris derived from ground-based open-path and satellite observations
Anthropogenic CO2 emission estimates in the Tokyo metropolitan area from ground-based CO2 column observations
Characterizing the tropospheric water vapor spatial variation and trend using 2007–2018 COSMIC radio occultation and ECMWF reanalysis data
Detecting nitrogen oxide emissions in Qatar and quantifying emission factors of gas-fired power plants – a 4-year study
Identifying and accounting for the Coriolis effect in satellite NO2 observations and emission estimates
Characterisations of Europe's integrated water vapour and assessments of atmospheric reanalyses using more than 2 decades of ground-based GPS
Ground-level gaseous pollutants (NO2, SO2, and CO) in China: daily seamless mapping and spatiotemporal variations
NH3 spatiotemporal variability over Paris, Mexico City, and Toronto, and its link to PM2.5 during pollution events
Multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) observations of formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide at three sites in Asia and comparison with the global chemistry transport model CHASER
Quantifying CH4 emissions in hard coal mines from TROPOMI and IASI observations using the wind-assigned anomaly method
Estimation of surface ammonia concentrations and emissions in China from the polar-orbiting Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer and the FY-4A Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder
Interannual variability in the Australian carbon cycle over 2015–2019, based on assimilation of Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite data
Source and variability of formaldehyde (HCHO) at northern high latitudes: an integrated satellite, aircraft, and model study
Volcanic SO2 layer height by TROPOMI/S5P: evaluation against IASI/MetOp and CALIOP/CALIPSO observations
Spaceborne tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) observations from 2005–2020 over the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China: variabilities, implications, and drivers
Novel assessment of numerical forecasting model relative humidity with satellite probabilistic estimates
Influence of springtime atmospheric circulation types on the distribution of air pollutants in the Arctic
Technical note: Evaluation of profile retrievals of aerosols and trace gases for MAX-DOAS measurements under different aerosol scenarios based on radiative transfer simulations
Diurnal evolution of total column and surface atmospheric ammonia in the megacity of Paris, France, during an intense springtime pollution episode
The reduction in C2H6 from 2015 to 2020 over Hefei, eastern China, points to air quality improvement in China
Mapping the drivers of formaldehyde (HCHO) variability from 2015 to 2019 over eastern China: insights from Fourier transform infrared observation and GEOS-Chem model simulation
The impact of Los Angeles Basin pollution and stratospheric intrusions on the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains as seen by surface measurements, lidar, and numerical models
Sudden changes in nitrogen dioxide emissions over Greece due to lockdown after the outbreak of COVID-19
Monitoring CO emissions of the metropolis Mexico City using TROPOMI CO observations
Pollution trace gas distributions and their transport in the Asian monsoon upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere during the StratoClim campaign 2017
Spatial distribution of enhanced BrO and its relation to meteorological parameters in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice regions
Trends of atmospheric water vapour in Switzerland from ground-based radiometry, FTIR and GNSS data
A Raman lidar tropospheric water vapour climatology and height-resolved trend analysis over Payerne, Switzerland
The potential of Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 data to reduce the uncertainties in CO2 surface fluxes over Australia using a variational assimilation scheme
Observing carbon dioxide emissions over China's cities and industrial areas with the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2
Observational evidence of moistening the lowermost stratosphere via isentropic mixing across the subtropical jet
Fourier transform infrared time series of tropospheric HCN in eastern China: seasonality, interannual variability, and source attribution
NH3 emissions from large point sources derived from CrIS and IASI satellite observations
Diurnal cycle of short-term fluctuations of integrated water vapour above Switzerland
Retrieval of total column and surface NO2 from Pandora zenith-sky measurements
MAX-DOAS measurements of tropospheric NO2 and HCHO in Nanjing and a comparison to ozone monitoring instrument observations
Consistency and representativeness of integrated water vapour from ground-based GPS observations and ERA-Interim reanalysis
Towards monitoring localized CO2 emissions from space: co-located regional CO2 and NO2 enhancements observed by the OCO-2 and S5P satellites
Variability of bulk water vapor content in the marine cloudy boundary layers from microwave and near-infrared imagery
Trends and trend reversal detection in 2 decades of tropospheric NO2 satellite observations
Satellite-derived sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from the 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption (Iceland)
Emissions of methane in Europe inferred by total column measurements
Chris Wilson, Brian J. Kerridge, Richard Siddans, David P. Moore, Lucy J. Ventress, Emily Dowd, Wuhu Feng, Martyn P. Chipperfield, and John J. Remedios
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10639–10653, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10639-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10639-2024, 2024
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The leaks from the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 released a large amount of methane (CH4) into the atmosphere. We provide observational data from a satellite instrument that shows a large CH4 plume over the North Sea off the coast of Scandinavia. We use this together with atmospheric models to quantify the CH4 leaked into the atmosphere from the pipelines. We find that 219–427 Gg CH4 was emitted, making this the largest individual fossil-fuel-related CH4 leak on record.
Steffen Vanselow, Oliver Schneising, Michael Buchwitz, Maximilian Reuter, Heinrich Bovensmann, Hartmut Boesch, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10441–10473, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10441-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10441-2024, 2024
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We developed an algorithm to automatically detect persistent methane source regions, to quantify their emissions and to determine their source types, by analyzing TROPOMI data from 2018–2021. The over 200 globally detected natural and anthropogenic source regions include small-scale point sources such as individual coal mines and larger-scale source regions such as wetlands and large oil and gas fields.
Debora Griffin, Jack Chen, Kerry Anderson, Paul Makar, Chris A. McLinden, Enrico Dammers, and Andre Fogal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10159–10186, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10159-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10159-2024, 2024
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Satellite-derived CO emissions provide new insights into the understanding of global CO emission rates from wildfires. We use TROPOMI satellite data to create a global inventory database of wildfire CO emissions. These satellite-derived wildfire emissions are used for the evaluation and improvement of existing fire emission inventories and to examine how the wildfire CO emissions have changed over the past 2 decades.
Matías Osorio, Alejandro Agesta, Tim Bösch, Nicolás Casaballe, Andreas Richter, Leonardo M. A. Alvarado, and Erna Frins
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7447–7465, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7447-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7447-2024, 2024
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This study concerns the detection and quantification of long-transport emissions of a biomass burning event, which represents a major source of air pollutants, due to the release of large amounts of aerosols and chemical species into the atmosphere. The quantification was done using ground-based observations (which play an important role in assessing the abundance of trace gases and aerosols) over Montevideo (Uruguay) and using satellite observations.
Zihan Song, Leiming Zhang, Chongguo Tian, Qiang Fu, Zhenxing Shen, Renjian Zhang, Dong Liu, and Song Cui
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-980, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-980, 2024
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1. A novel concept integrating crop cycle information into fire spots extraction was proposed. 2. Spatiotemporal variations of open straw burning in Northeast China were revealed. 3. Open straw burning in Northeast China emitted a total of 221 Tg of CO2-eq during 2001–2020. 4. The policy of banning straw burning effectively reduced greenhouse gases emissions.
Qiansi Tu, Frank Hase, Kai Qin, Jason Blake Cohen, Farahnaz Khosrawi, Xinrui Zou, Matthias Schneider, and Fan Lu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4875–4894, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4875-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4875-2024, 2024
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Four-year satellite observations of XCH4 are used to derive CH4 emissions in three regions of China’s coal-rich Shanxi province. The wind-assigned anomalies for two opposite wind directions are calculated, and the estimated emission rates are comparable to the current bottom-up inventory but lower than the CAMS and EDGAR inventories. This research enhances the understanding of emissions in Shanxi and supports climate mitigation strategies by validating emission inventories.
Paul S. Jeffery, James R. Drummond, Jiansheng Zou, and Kaley A. Walker
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4253–4263, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4253-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4253-2024, 2024
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The MOPITT instrument has been monitoring carbon monoxide (CO) since March 2000. This dataset has been used for many applications; however, episodic emission events, which release large amounts of CO into the atmosphere, are a major source of uncertainty. This study presents a method for identifying these events by determining measurements that are unlikely to have typically arisen. The distribution and frequency of these flagged measurements in the MOPITT dataset are presented and discussed.
Ailish M. Graham, Richard J. Pope, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Sandip S. Dhomse, Matilda Pimlott, Wuhu Feng, Vikas Singh, Ying Chen, Oliver Wild, Ranjeet Sokhi, and Gufran Beig
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 789–806, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-789-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-789-2024, 2024
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Our paper uses novel satellite datasets and high-resolution emissions datasets alongside a back-trajectory model to investigate the balance of local and external sources influencing NOx air pollution changes in Delhi. We find in the post-monsoon season that NOx from local and non-local transport emissions contributes most to poor air quality in Delhi. Therefore, air quality mitigation strategies in Delhi and surrounding regions are used to control this issue.
Camille Viatte, Nadir Guendouz, Clarisse Dufaux, Arjan Hensen, Daan Swart, Martin Van Damme, Lieven Clarisse, Pierre Coheur, and Cathy Clerbaux
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15253–15267, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15253-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15253-2023, 2023
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Ammonia (NH3) is an important air pollutant which, as a precursor of fine particulate matter, raises public health concerns. Models have difficulty predicting events of pollution associated with NH3 since ground-based observations of this gas are still relatively sparse and difficult to implement. We present the first relatively long (2.5 years) and continuous record of hourly NH3 concentrations in Paris to determine its temporal variabilities at different scales to unravel emission sources.
Hirofumi Ohyama, Matthias M. Frey, Isamu Morino, Kei Shiomi, Masahide Nishihashi, Tatsuya Miyauchi, Hiroko Yamada, Makoto Saito, Masanobu Wakasa, Thomas Blumenstock, and Frank Hase
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15097–15119, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15097-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15097-2023, 2023
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We conducted a field campaign for CO2 column measurements in the Tokyo metropolitan area with three ground-based Fourier transform spectrometers. The model simulations using prior CO2 fluxes were generally in good agreement with the observations. We developed an urban-scale inversion system in which spatially resolved CO2 fluxes and a scaling factor of large point source emissions were estimated. The posterior total CO2 emissions agreed with emission inventories within the posterior uncertainty.
Xi Shao, Shu-Peng Ho, Xin Jing, Xinjia Zhou, Yong Chen, Tung-Chang Liu, Bin Zhang, and Jun Dong
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14187–14218, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14187-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14187-2023, 2023
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Atmospheric water vapor plays an essential role in the global energy balance, hydrological cycle, and climate system. This paper characterizes and compares the global, latitudinal, and regional variabilities of COSMIC and ERA5 water vapor distribution, as well as the seasonality and long-term trends at selected pressure levels from 2007 to 2018. Evaluation of spatiotemporal variabilities of atmospheric water vapor ensures the qualities of COSMIC and reanalysis water vapor for climate studies.
Anthony Rey-Pommier, Frédéric Chevallier, Philippe Ciais, Jonilda Kushta, Theodoros Christoudias, I. Safak Bayram, and Jean Sciare
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 13565–13583, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13565-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13565-2023, 2023
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We use four years (2019–2022) of TROPOMI NO2 data to map NOx emissions in Qatar. We estimate average monthly emissions for the country and industrial facilities and derive an emission factor for the power sector. Monthly emissions have a weekly cycle reflecting the social norms in Qatar and an annual cycle consistent with the electricity production by gas-fired power plants. Their mean value is lower than the NOx emissions in global inventories but similar to the emissions reported for 2007.
Daniel A. Potts, Roger Timmis, Emma J. S. Ferranti, and Joshua D. Vande Hey
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4577–4593, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4577-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4577-2023, 2023
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With the launch of the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) in 2017, it is now possible to observe pollutants emitted from individual industrial facilities on a daily basis around the globe. By using observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from 16 different industrial sites, we show how the Coriolis effect influences the trajectory of these emission plumes as well as how the additional curvature can lead to a substantial underestimation of the calculated emissions.
Peng Yuan, Roeland Van Malderen, Xungang Yin, Hannes Vogelmann, Weiping Jiang, Joseph Awange, Bernhard Heck, and Hansjörg Kutterer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3517–3541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3517-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3517-2023, 2023
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Water vapour plays an important role in various weather and climate processes. However, due to its large spatiotemporal variability, its high-accuracy quantification remains a challenge. In this study, 20+ years of GPS-derived integrated water vapour (IWV) retrievals in Europe were obtained. They were then used to characterise the temporal features of Europe's IWV and assess six atmospheric reanalyses. Results show that ERA5 outperforms the other reanalyses at most temporal scales.
Jing Wei, Zhanqing Li, Jun Wang, Can Li, Pawan Gupta, and Maureen Cribb
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1511–1532, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1511-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1511-2023, 2023
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This study estimated the daily seamless 10 km ambient gaseous pollutants (NO2, SO2, and CO) across China using machine learning with extensive input variables measured on monitors, satellites, and models. Our dataset yields a high data quality via cross-validation at varying spatiotemporal scales and outperforms most previous related studies, making it most helpful to future (especially short-term) air pollution and environmental health-related studies.
Camille Viatte, Rimal Abeed, Shoma Yamanouchi, William C. Porter, Sarah Safieddine, Martin Van Damme, Lieven Clarisse, Beatriz Herrera, Michel Grutter, Pierre-Francois Coheur, Kimberly Strong, and Cathy Clerbaux
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12907–12922, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12907-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12907-2022, 2022
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Large cities can experience high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution linked to ammonia (NH3) mainly emitted from agricultural activities. Using a combination of PM2.5 and NH3 measurements from in situ instruments, satellite infrared spectrometers, and atmospheric model simulations, we have demonstrated the role of NH3 and meteorological conditions on pollution events occurring over Paris, Toronto, and Mexico City.
Hossain Mohammed Syedul Hoque, Kengo Sudo, Hitoshi Irie, Alessandro Damiani, Manish Naja, and Al Mashroor Fatmi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12559–12589, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12559-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12559-2022, 2022
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Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) are essential trace graces regulating tropospheric ozone chemistry. These trace constituents are measured using an optical passive remote sensing technique. In addition, NO2 and HCHO are simulated with a computer model and evaluated against the observations. Such evaluations are essential to assess model uncertainties and improve their predictability. The results yielded good agreement between the two datasets with some discrepancies.
Qiansi Tu, Matthias Schneider, Frank Hase, Farahnaz Khosrawi, Benjamin Ertl, Jaroslaw Necki, Darko Dubravica, Christopher J. Diekmann, Thomas Blumenstock, and Dianjun Fang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9747–9765, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9747-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9747-2022, 2022
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Three-year satellite observations and high-resolution model forecast of XCH4 are used to derive CH4 emissions in the USCB region, Poland – a region of intense coal mining activities. The wind-assigned anomalies for two opposite wind directions are calculated and the estimated emission rates are very close to the inventories and in reasonable agreement with the previous studies. Our method is quite robust and can serve as a simple method to estimate CH4 or CO2 emissions for other regions.
Pu Liu, Jia Ding, Lei Liu, Wen Xu, and Xuejun Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9099–9110, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9099-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9099-2022, 2022
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Ammonia (NH3) is the important alkaline gas and the key component of fine particulate matter. We used satellite-based observations to analyze the changes in hourly NH3 concentrations and estimated surface NH3 concentrations and NH3 emissions in China. This study shows enormous potential for using satellite data to estimate surface NH3 concentrations and NH3 emissions and provides an important reference for understanding NH3 variation in China.
Yohanna Villalobos, Peter J. Rayner, Jeremy D. Silver, Steven Thomas, Vanessa Haverd, Jürgen Knauer, Zoë M. Loh, Nicholas M. Deutscher, David W. T. Griffith, and David F. Pollard
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 8897–8934, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8897-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8897-2022, 2022
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We study the interannual variability in Australian carbon fluxes for 2015–2019 derived from OCO-2 satellite data. Our results suggest that Australia's semi-arid ecosystems are highly responsive to variations in climate drivers such as rainfall and temperature. We found that high rainfall and low temperatures recorded in 2016 led to an anomalous carbon sink over savanna and sparsely vegetated regions, while unprecedented dry and hot weather in 2019 led to anomalous carbon release.
Tianlang Zhao, Jingqiu Mao, William R. Simpson, Isabelle De Smedt, Lei Zhu, Thomas F. Hanisco, Glenn M. Wolfe, Jason M. St. Clair, Gonzalo González Abad, Caroline R. Nowlan, Barbara Barletta, Simone Meinardi, Donald R. Blake, Eric C. Apel, and Rebecca S. Hornbrook
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7163–7178, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7163-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7163-2022, 2022
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Monitoring formaldehyde (HCHO) can help us understand Arctic vegetation change. Here, we compare satellite data and model and show that Alaska summertime HCHO is largely dominated by a background from methane oxidation during mild wildfire years and is dominated by wildfire (largely from direct emission of fire) during strong fire years. Consequently, it is challenging to use satellite HCHO to study vegetation change in the Arctic region.
Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Konstantinos Michailidis, Pascal Hedelt, Isabelle A. Taylor, Antje Inness, Lieven Clarisse, Dimitris Balis, Dmitry Efremenko, Diego Loyola, Roy G. Grainger, and Christian Retscher
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5665–5683, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5665-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5665-2022, 2022
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Volcanic eruptions eject large amounts of ash and trace gases into the atmosphere. The use of space-borne instruments enables the global monitoring of volcanic SO2 emissions in an economical and risk-free manner. The main aim of this paper is to present its extensive verification, accomplished within the ESA S5P+I: SO2LH project, over major recent volcanic eruptions, against collocated space-borne measurements, as well as assess its impact on the forecasts provided by CAMS.
Hao Yin, Youwen Sun, Justus Notholt, Mathias Palm, and Cheng Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 4167–4185, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4167-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4167-2022, 2022
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In this study, we quantity the long-term variabilities and the underlying drivers of NO2 from 2005 to 2020 over the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), one of the most densely populated and highly industrialized city clusters in China. We reveal the significant effect of the Action Plan on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution since 2013 adopted by the Chinese government to reduce NOx pollution. Our study can improve the understanding of pollution control measures on a regional scale.
Chloé Radice, Hélène Brogniez, Pierre-Emmanuel Kirstetter, and Philippe Chambon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 3811–3825, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3811-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3811-2022, 2022
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A novel probabilistic approach is proposed to evaluate relative humidity (RH) profiles simulated by an atmospheric model with respect to satellite-based RH defined from probability distributions. It improves upon deterministic comparisons by enhancing the information content to enable a finer assessment of each model–observation discrepancy, highlighting significant departures within a deterministic confidence range. Geographical and vertical distributions of the model biases are discussed.
Manu Anna Thomas, Abhay Devasthale, and Tiina Nygård
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16593–16608, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16593-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16593-2021, 2021
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The impact of transported pollutants and their spatial distribution in the Arctic are governed by the local atmospheric circulation or weather states. Therefore, we investigated eight different atmospheric circulation types observed during the spring season in the Arctic. Using satellite and reanalysis datasets, this study provides a comprehensive assessment of the typical circulation patterns that can lead to enhanced or reduced pollution concentrations in the different sectors of the Arctic.
Xin Tian, Yang Wang, Steffen Beirle, Pinhua Xie, Thomas Wagner, Jin Xu, Ang Li, Steffen Dörner, Bo Ren, and Xiaomei Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12867–12894, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12867-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12867-2021, 2021
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The performances of two MAX-DOAS inversion algorithms were evaluated for various aerosol pollution scenarios. One inversion algorithm is based on optimal estimation; the other uses a parameterized approach. In this analysis, three types of profile shapes for aerosols and NO2 were considered: exponential, Boltzmann, and Gaussian. The evaluation results can effectively guide the application of the two inversion algorithms in the actual atmosphere and improve the accuracy of the actual inversion.
Rebecca D. Kutzner, Juan Cuesta, Pascale Chelin, Jean-Eudes Petit, Mokhtar Ray, Xavier Landsheere, Benoît Tournadre, Jean-Charles Dupont, Amandine Rosso, Frank Hase, Johannes Orphal, and Matthias Beekmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12091–12111, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12091-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12091-2021, 2021
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Our work investigates the diurnal evolution of atmospheric ammonia concentrations during a major pollution event. It analyses it in regard of both chemical (gas–particle conversion) and physical (vertical mixing, meteorology) processes in the atmosphere. These mechanisms are key for understanding the evolution of the physicochemical state of the atmosphere; therefore, it clearly fits into the scope of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
Youwen Sun, Hao Yin, Cheng Liu, Emmanuel Mahieu, Justus Notholt, Yao Té, Xiao Lu, Mathias Palm, Wei Wang, Changgong Shan, Qihou Hu, Min Qin, Yuan Tian, and Bo Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11759–11779, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11759-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11759-2021, 2021
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The variability, sources, and transport of ethane (C2H6) over eastern China from 2015 to 2020 were studied using ground-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and GEOS-Chem simulations. C2H6 variability is driven by both meteorological and emission factors. The reduction in C2H6 in recent years over eastern China points to air quality improvement in China.
Youwen Sun, Hao Yin, Cheng Liu, Lin Zhang, Yuan Cheng, Mathias Palm, Justus Notholt, Xiao Lu, Corinne Vigouroux, Bo Zheng, Wei Wang, Nicholas Jones, Changong Shan, Min Qin, Yuan Tian, Qihou Hu, Fanhao Meng, and Jianguo Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6365–6387, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6365-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6365-2021, 2021
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This study mapped the drivers of HCHO variability from 2015 to 2019 over eastern China. Hydroxyl (OH) radical production rates from HCHO photolysis were evaluated. The relative contributions of emitted and photochemical sources to the observed HCHO abundance were analyzed. Contributions of various emission sources and geographical regions to the observed HCHO summertime enhancements were determined.
Fernando Chouza, Thierry Leblanc, Mark Brewer, Patrick Wang, Sabino Piazzolla, Gabriele Pfister, Rajesh Kumar, Carl Drews, Simone Tilmes, Louisa Emmons, and Matthew Johnson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6129–6153, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6129-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6129-2021, 2021
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The tropospheric ozone lidar at the JPL Table Mountain Facility (TMF) was used to investigate the impact of Los Angeles (LA) Basin pollution transport and stratospheric intrusions in the planetary boundary layer on the San Gabriel Mountains. The results of this study indicate a dominant role of the LA Basin pollution on days when high ozone levels were observed at TMF (March–October period).
Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Ioanna Skoulidou, Andreas Karavias, Isaak Parcharidis, Dimitris Balis, Astrid Manders, Arjo Segers, Henk Eskes, and Jos van Geffen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1759–1774, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1759-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1759-2021, 2021
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In recent years, satellite observations have contributed to monitoring air quality. During the first COVID-19 lockdown, lower levels of nitrogen dioxide were observed over Greece by S5P/TROPOMI for March and April 2020 (than the preceding year) due to decreased transport emissions. Taking meteorology into account, using LOTOS-EUROS CTM simulations, the resulting decline due to the lockdown was estimated to range between 0 % and −37 % for the five largest Greek cities, with an average of ~ −10 %.
Tobias Borsdorff, Agustín García Reynoso, Gilberto Maldonado, Bertha Mar-Morales, Wolfgang Stremme, Michel Grutter, and Jochen Landgraf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 15761–15774, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15761-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15761-2020, 2020
Sören Johansson, Michael Höpfner, Oliver Kirner, Ingo Wohltmann, Silvia Bucci, Bernard Legras, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Norbert Glatthor, Erik Kretschmer, Jörn Ungermann, and Gerald Wetzel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 14695–14715, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14695-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14695-2020, 2020
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We present high-resolution measurements of pollutant trace gases (PAN, C2H2, and HCOOH) in the Asian monsoon UTLS from the airborne limb imager GLORIA during StratoClim 2017. Enhancements are observed up to 16 km altitude, and PAN and C2H2 even up to 18 km. Two atmospheric models, CAMS and EMAC, reproduce the pollutant's large-scale structures but not finer structures. Convection is investigated using backward trajectories of the models ATLAS and TRACZILLA with advanced detection of convection.
Sora Seo, Andreas Richter, Anne-Marlene Blechschmidt, Ilias Bougoudis, and John Philip Burrows
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 12285–12312, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12285-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12285-2020, 2020
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In this study, we present spatial distributions of occurrence frequency of enhanced total BrO column and various meteorological parameters affecting it in the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice regions by using 10 years of GOME-2 measurements and meteorological model data. Statistical analysis using the long-term dataset shows clear differences in the meteorological conditions between the mean field and the situation of enhanced total BrO columns in both polar sea ice regions.
Leonie Bernet, Elmar Brockmann, Thomas von Clarmann, Niklaus Kämpfer, Emmanuel Mahieu, Christian Mätzler, Gunter Stober, and Klemens Hocke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11223–11244, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11223-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11223-2020, 2020
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With global warming, water vapour increases in the atmosphere. Water vapour is an important gas because it is a natural greenhouse gas and affects the formation of clouds, rain and snow. How much water vapour increases can vary in different regions of the world. To verify if it increases as expected on a regional scale, we analysed water vapour measurements in Switzerland. We found that water vapour generally increases as expected from temperature changes, except in winter.
Shannon Hicks-Jalali, Robert J. Sica, Giovanni Martucci, Eliane Maillard Barras, Jordan Voirin, and Alexander Haefele
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 9619–9640, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-9619-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-9619-2020, 2020
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We have calculated an 11.5-year water vapour climatology using the Raman Lidar for Meteorological Observations (RALMO), located in Payerne, Switzerland. The climatology shows that the highest water vapour concentrations are in the summer months and the lowest in the winter months. We present for the first time height-resolved water vapour trends, which show that water vapour increases specific humidity by between 5 % and 15 % per decade depending on the altitude.
Yohanna Villalobos, Peter Rayner, Steven Thomas, and Jeremy Silver
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 8473–8500, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8473-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8473-2020, 2020
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Estimated carbon fluxes for Australia are subject to considerable uncertainty. We ran simulation experiments over Australia to determine how much these uncertainties can be constrained using satellite data. We found that the satellite data has the potential to reduce these uncertainties up to 80 % across the whole continent. For 1 month, this percentage corresponds to 0.51 Pg C y-1 for Australia. This method could lead to significantly more accurate estimates of Australia's carbon budget.
Bo Zheng, Frédéric Chevallier, Philippe Ciais, Grégoire Broquet, Yilong Wang, Jinghui Lian, and Yuanhong Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 8501–8510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8501-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8501-2020, 2020
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The Paris Climate Agreement requires all parties to report CO2 emissions regularly. Given the self-reporting nature of this system, it is critical to evaluate the emission reports with independent observation systems. Here we present the direct observations of city CO2 plumes from space and the quantification of CO2 emissions from these observations over the largest emitter country China. The emissions from 46 hot-spot regions representing 13 % of China's total emissions can be well constrained.
Jeffery Langille, Adam Bourassa, Laura L. Pan, Daniel Letros, Brian Solheim, Daniel Zawada, and Doug Degenstein
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 5477–5486, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-5477-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-5477-2020, 2020
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Water vapour (WV) is a highly variable and extremely important trace gas in Earth’s atmosphere. Due to its radiative and chemical properties, it is coupled to the climate in an extremely complex manner. This is especially true in the lowermost stratosphere (LMS). Despite its importance, the physical processes that control mixing and the distribution of WV in the LMS are poorly understood. This study provides observational evidence of moistening the LMS via mixing across the subtropical jet.
Youwen Sun, Cheng Liu, Lin Zhang, Mathias Palm, Justus Notholt, Hao Yin, Corinne Vigouroux, Erik Lutsch, Wei Wang, Changong Shan, Thomas Blumenstock, Tomoo Nagahama, Isamu Morino, Emmanuel Mahieu, Kimberly Strong, Bavo Langerock, Martine De Mazière, Qihou Hu, Huifang Zhang, Christof Petri, and Jianguo Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 5437–5456, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-5437-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-5437-2020, 2020
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We present multiyear time series of ground-based Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy measurements of HCN in densely populated eastern China. The seasonality and interannual variability of tropospheric HCN columns were investigated. The potential sources that drive the observed HCN seasonality and interannual variability were determined using a GEOS-Chem tagged CO simulation, global fire maps, and potential source contribution function values calculated using HYSPLIT back trajectories.
Enrico Dammers, Chris A. McLinden, Debora Griffin, Mark W. Shephard, Shelley Van Der Graaf, Erik Lutsch, Martijn Schaap, Yonatan Gainairu-Matz, Vitali Fioletov, Martin Van Damme, Simon Whitburn, Lieven Clarisse, Karen Cady-Pereira, Cathy Clerbaux, Pierre Francois Coheur, and Jan Willem Erisman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12261–12293, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12261-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12261-2019, 2019
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Ammonia is an essential molecule in the environment, but at its current levels it is unsustainable. However, the emissions are highly uncertain. We explore the use of satellites to estimate the ammonia lifetime and emissions around point sources to help improve the budget. The same method applied to different satellite instruments shows consistent results. Comparison to the emission inventories shows that those are underestimating emissions of point sources by on average a factor of 2.5.
Klemens Hocke, Leonie Bernet, Jonas Hagen, Axel Murk, Matthias Renker, and Christian Mätzler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12083–12090, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12083-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12083-2019, 2019
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The Tropospheric Water Radiometer (TROWARA) observed an enhanced intensity of short-term integrated water vapour (IWV) fluctuations during daytime in summer. These IWV fluctuations are possibly related to latent heat flux and thermal convective activity in the lower troposphere. The observed climatology and spectra of IWV fluctuations might be useful for modelling studies of water vapour convection in the atmospheric boundary layer at mid latitudes.
Xiaoyi Zhao, Debora Griffin, Vitali Fioletov, Chris McLinden, Jonathan Davies, Akira Ogyu, Sum Chi Lee, Alexandru Lupu, Michael D. Moran, Alexander Cede, Martin Tiefengraber, and Moritz Müller
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 10619–10642, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-10619-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-10619-2019, 2019
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New nitrogen dioxide (NO2) retrieval algorithms are developed for Pandora zenith-sky measurements. A column-to-surface conversion look-up table was produced for the Pandora instruments; therefore, quick and practical Pandora-based surface NO2 concentration data can be obtained for air quality monitoring purposes. It is demonstrated that the surface NO2 concentration is controlled not only by the planetary boundary layer height but also by both boundary layer dynamics and photochemistry.
Ka Lok Chan, Zhuoru Wang, Aijun Ding, Klaus-Peter Heue, Yicheng Shen, Jing Wang, Feng Zhang, Yining Shi, Nan Hao, and Mark Wenig
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 10051–10071, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-10051-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-10051-2019, 2019
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The paper presents long-term observations of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) in Nanjing using a MAX-DOAS instrument. The measurements were performed from April 2013 to February 2017. The MAX-DOAS measurements of NO2 and HCHO are used to validate OMI satellite observations and to investigate the influences of region transport of air pollutants on the air quality in Nanjing.
Olivier Bock and Ana C. Parracho
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 9453–9468, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9453-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9453-2019, 2019
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We examine the consistency of global IWV data from ERA-Interim reanalysis and 16 years of GPS observations. Representativeness differences are found to be a dominant error source, with a strong dependence on geographic, topographic, and climatic features, which explain both average and extreme differences. A methodology for reducing the representativeness errors and detecting the extreme, outlying, cases is discussed.
Maximilian Reuter, Michael Buchwitz, Oliver Schneising, Sven Krautwurst, Christopher W. O'Dell, Andreas Richter, Heinrich Bovensmann, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 9371–9383, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9371-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9371-2019, 2019
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The quantification of anthropogenic emissions with current CO2 satellite sensors is difficult, but NO2 is co-emitted, making it a suitable tracer of recently emitted CO2. We analyze enhancements of CO2 and NO2 observed by OCO-2 and S5P and estimate the CO2 plume cross-sectional fluxes that we compare with emission databases. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of simultaneous satellite observations of CO2 and NO2 as envisaged for the European Copernicus anthropogenic CO2 monitoring mission
Luis F. Millán, Matthew D. Lebsock, and Joao Teixeira
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8491–8502, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8491-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8491-2019, 2019
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The synergy of the collocated Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides daily global estimates of marine boundary layer water vapor. AMSR provides the total column water vapor, while MODIS provides the water vapor above the cloud layers. The difference between the two gives the vapor between the surface and the cloud top, which may be interpreted as the boundary layer water vapor.
Aristeidis K. Georgoulias, Ronald J. van der A, Piet Stammes, K. Folkert Boersma, and Henk J. Eskes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 6269–6294, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6269-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6269-2019, 2019
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In this paper, a ∼21-year self-consistent global dataset from four different satellite sensors is compiled for the first time to study the long-term tropospheric NO2 patterns and trends. A novel method capable of detecting the year when a reversal of trends happened shows that tropospheric NO2 concentrations switched from positive to negative trends and vice versa over several regions around the globe during the last 2 decades.
Elisa Carboni, Tamsin A. Mather, Anja Schmidt, Roy G. Grainger, Melissa A. Pfeffer, Iolanda Ialongo, and Nicolas Theys
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4851–4862, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4851-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4851-2019, 2019
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The 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption was the largest in Iceland for 200 years, emitting huge quantities of gas into the troposphere, at times overwhelming European anthropogenic emissions. Infrared Atmospheric sounding Interferometer data are used to derive the first time series of daily sulfur dioxide mass and vertical distribution over the eruption period. A scheme is used to estimate sulfur dioxide fluxes, the total erupted mass, and how long the sulfur dioxide remains in the atmosphere.
Debra Wunch, Dylan B. A. Jones, Geoffrey C. Toon, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Frank Hase, Justus Notholt, Ralf Sussmann, Thorsten Warneke, Jeroen Kuenen, Hugo Denier van der Gon, Jenny A. Fisher, and Joannes D. Maasakkers
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 3963–3980, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3963-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3963-2019, 2019
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We used five atmospheric observatories in Europe measuring total column dry-air mole fractions of methane and carbon monoxide to infer methane emissions in the area between the observatories. We find that the methane emissions are overestimated by the state-of-the-art inventories, and that this is likely due, at least in part, to the inventory disaggregation. We find that there is significant uncertainty in the carbon monoxide inventories that requires further investigation.
Cited articles
Beirle, S., Boersma, K. F., Platt, U., Lawrence, M. G., and Wagner, T.: Megacity Emissions and Lifetimes of Nitrogen Oxides Probed from Space, Science, 333, 1737–1739, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1207824, 2011.
Bellander, T., Wichmann, J., and Lind, T.: Individual Exposure to NO2 in Relation to Spatial and Temporal Exposure Indices in Stockholm, Sweden: The INDEX Study, PLoS ONE, 7, e39536, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0039536, 2012.
Boersma, K. F., Bucsela, E. J., Brinksma, E. J., and Gleason, J. F.: NO2, available at: http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/atbd/docs/omi-trace-gas-algorithms/ATBD-OMI-04.pdf (last access: 21 September 2001), OMI-EOS Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document: Trace Gas Algorithms: NO2, 4, 12–35, 2001.
Boersma, K. F., Jacob, D. J., Bucsela, E. J., Perring, A. E., Dirksen, R., van der A, R. J., Yantosca, R. M., Park, R. J., Wenig, M. O., and Bertram, T. H.: Validation of OMI tropospheric NO2 observations during INTEX-B and application to constrain NOx emissions over the eastern United States and Mexico, Atmos. Environ., 42, 4480–4497, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.02.004, 2008.
Boersma, K. F., Eskes, H. J., Dirksen, R. J., van der A, R. J., Veefkind, J. P., Stammes, P., Huijnen, V., Kleipool, Q. L., Sneep, M., Claas, J., Leitão, J., Richter, A., Zhou, Y., and Brunner, D.: An improved tropospheric NO2 column retrieval algorithm for the Ozone Monitoring Instrument, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 4, 1905–1928, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-4-1905-2011, 2011.
Bucsela, E. J., Celarier, E. A., Wenig, M. O., Gleason, J. F., Veefkind, J. P., Boersma, K. F., and Brinksma, E. J.: Algorithm for NO2 vertical column retrieval from the ozone monitoring instrument, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 44, 1245–1258, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2005.863715, 2006.
Bucsela, E. J., Perring, A. E., Cohen, R. C., Boersma, K. F., Celarier, E. A., Gleason, J. F., Wenig, M. O., Bertram, T. H., Wooldridge, P. J., Dirksen, R., and Veefkind, J. P.: Comparison of tropospheric NO2 from in situ aircraft measurements with near-real-time and standard product data from OMI, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D16S31, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD008838, 2008.
Bucsela, E. J., Krotkov, N. A., Celarier, E. A., Lamsal, L. N., Swartz, W. H., Bhartia, P. K., Boersma, K. F., Veefkind, J. P., Gleason, J. F., and Pickering, K. E.: A new stratospheric and tropospheric NO2 retrieval algorithm for nadir-viewing satellite instruments: applications to OMI, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 2607–2626, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-2607-2013, 2013.
Chahine, M. T., Pagano, T. S., Aumann, H. H., Atlas, R., Barnet, C., Blaisdell, J., Chen, L., Divakarla, M., Fetzer, E. J., Goldberg, M., Gautier, C., Granger, S., Hannon, S., Irion, F. W., Kakar, R., Kalnay, E., Lambrigtsen, B. H., Lee, S.-Y., Le Marshall, J., McMillan, W. W., McMillin, L., Olsen, E. T., Revercomb, H., Rosenkranz, P., Smith, W. L., Staelin, D., Strow, L. L., Susskind, J., Tobin, D., Wolf, W., and Zhou, L.: AIRS: Improving Weather Forecasting and Providing New Data on Greenhouse Gases, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 87, 911–926, 2006.
Dee, D. P., Uppala, S. M., Simmons, A. J., Berrisford, P., Poli, P., Kobayashi, S., Andrae, U., Balmaseda, M. A., Balsamo, G., Bauer, P., Bechtold, P., Beljaars, A. C. M., van de Berg, L., Bidlot, J., Bormann, N., Delsol, C., Dragani, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A. J., Haimberger, L., Healy, S. B., Hersbach, H., Hólm, E. V., Isaksen, L., Kållberg, P., Köhler, M., Matricardi, M., McNally, A. P., Monge-Sanz, B. M., Morcrette, J.-J., Park, B.-K., Peubey, C., de Rosnay, P., Tavolato, C., Thépaut, J.-N., and Vitart, F.: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 137, 553–597, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828, 2011.
Devasthale, A. and Thomas, M. A.: An investigation of statistical link between inversion strength and carbon monoxide over Scandinavia in winter using AIRS data, Atmos. Environ., 56, 109–114, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2012.03.042, 2012.
Devasthale, A., Sedlar, J., Kahn, B., Tjernström, M., Fetzer, E., Tian, B., Teixeira, J., and Pagano, T.: A decade of space borne observations of the Arctic atmosphere: novel insights from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., in press, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00202.1, 2016.
Donnelly, A. A., Broderick, B. M., and Misstear, B. D.: The effect of long-range air mass transport pathways on PM10 and NO2 concentrations at urban and rural background sites in Ireland: Quantification using clustering techniques, J. Environ. Sci. Health A, 50, 7, https://doi.org/10.1080/10934529.2015.1011955, 2015.
Eckhardt, S., Stohl, A., Beirle, S., Spichtinger, N., James, P., Forster, C., Junker, C., Wagner, T., Platt, U., and Jennings, S. G.: The North Atlantic Oscillation controls air pollution transport to the Arctic, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 3, 1769–1778, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-3-1769-2003, 2003.
ECMWF Data Portal: ERA Interim, Daily, available at: http://apps.ecmwf.int/datasets/data/interim-full-daily/levtype=sfc/ (last access: 12 January 2016), 2011.
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Short summary
Episodes of extreme pollution events of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) can seriously hamper air quality. But under which meteorological conditions do such extreme pollution events occur over Scandinavia? Using observational and reanalysis data it is shown that south-westerly winds (sustained for at least a few days) dominate during extreme events and cause an increase in humidity and clouds. South-easterly winds have the second largest contribution and the pollution transport is rapid when they prevail.
Episodes of extreme pollution events of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) can seriously hamper air quality....
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