Articles | Volume 21, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16727-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16727-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
17 Nov 2021
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 17 Nov 2021
| 17 Nov 2021
A sulfur dioxide Covariance-Based Retrieval Algorithm (COBRA): application to TROPOMI reveals new emission sources
Nicolas Theys
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels,
Belgium
Vitali Fioletov
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada,
Toronto, Canada
Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Isabelle De Smedt
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels,
Belgium
Christophe Lerot
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels,
Belgium
Chris McLinden
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada,
Toronto, Canada
Nickolay Krotkov
Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Debora Griffin
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada,
Toronto, Canada
Lieven Clarisse
Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Spectroscopy, Quantum
Chemistry and Atmospheric Remote Sensing (SQUARES), C. P. 160/09, Brussels,
Belgium
Pascal Hedelt
Institut für Methodik der Fernerkundung (IMF), Deutsches Zentrum
für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Diego Loyola
Institut für Methodik der Fernerkundung (IMF), Deutsches Zentrum
für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Thomas Wagner
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC), Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1,
55128 Mainz, Germany
Vinod Kumar
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC), Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1,
55128 Mainz, Germany
Antje Innes
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF), Shinfield
Park, Reading, RG2 9AX, UK
Roberto Ribas
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF), Shinfield
Park, Reading, RG2 9AX, UK
François Hendrick
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels,
Belgium
Jonas Vlietinck
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels,
Belgium
Hugues Brenot
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels,
Belgium
Michel Van Roozendael
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels,
Belgium
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Latest update: 08 Nov 2025
Short summary
We present a new algorithm to retrieve sulfur dioxide from space UV measurements. We apply the technique to high-resolution TROPOMI measurements and demonstrate the high sensitivity of the approach to weak SO2 emissions worldwide with an unprecedented limit of detection of 8 kt yr−1. This result has broad implications for atmospheric science studies dealing with improving emission inventories and identifying and quantifying missing sources, in the context of air quality and climate.
We present a new algorithm to retrieve sulfur dioxide from space UV measurements. We apply the...
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