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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Cited
31 citations as recorded by crossref.
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31 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Integrated Surface and Tropospheric Column Analysis of Sulfur Dioxide Variability at the Lamezia Terme WMO/GAW Regional Station in Calabria, Southern Italy F. D’Amico et al. 10.3390/environments12010027
- Version 1 NOAA-20/OMPS Nadir Mapper total column SO2 product: continuation of NASA long-term global data record C. Li et al. 10.5194/essd-16-4291-2024
- Impacts of Russia-Ukraine War on air pollution over the Black Sea Region due to changes in maritime transport M. Onay et al. 10.1016/j.apr.2025.102613
- Tracking SO <sub>2</sub> Plumes From the Tonga Volcano Eruption With Multi-Satellite Observations C. Xia et al. 10.2139/ssrn.4193122
- The 2019 Raikoke eruption as a testbed used by the Volcano Response group for rapid assessment of volcanic atmospheric impacts J. Vernier et al. 10.5194/acp-24-5765-2024
- The worldwide COVID-19 lockdown impacts on global secondary inorganic aerosols and radiative budget T. Sekiya et al. 10.1126/sciadv.adh2688
- Improved retrieval of SO2 plume height from TROPOMI using an iterative Covariance-Based Retrieval Algorithm N. Theys et al. 10.5194/amt-15-4801-2022
- SO2 emissions derived from TROPOMI observations over India using a flux-divergence method with variable lifetimes Y. Chen et al. 10.5194/acp-25-1851-2025
- Forecasting the evolution of the 2021 Tajogaite eruption, La Palma, with TROPOMI/PlumeTraj-derived SO2 emission rates B. Esse et al. 10.1007/s00445-025-01803-6
- Air quality estimation using remote sensing and GIS-spatial technologies along Al-Shamal train pathway, Al-Qurayyat City in Saudi Arabia S. Al-Alola et al. 10.1016/j.indic.2022.100184
- Evaluating Gaofen-5 02 EMI-II for atmospheric SO 2 observations: from natural volcanic events to anthropogenic pollution hotspots K. Zhu et al. 10.1080/01431161.2025.2573241
- Estimation of anthropogenic and volcanic SO2 emissions from satellite data in the presence of snow/ice on the ground V. Fioletov et al. 10.5194/amt-16-5575-2023
- Air quality impacts of COVID-19 lockdown measures detected from space using high spatial resolution observations of multiple trace gases from Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI P. Levelt et al. 10.5194/acp-22-10319-2022
- A new machine-learning-based analysis for improving satellite-retrieved atmospheric composition data: OMI SO2 as an example C. Li et al. 10.5194/amt-15-5497-2022
- Version 2 of the global catalogue of large anthropogenic and volcanic SO2 sources and emissions derived from satellite measurements V. Fioletov et al. 10.5194/essd-15-75-2023
- S‐5P/TROPOMI‐Derived NOxEmissions From Copper/Cobalt Mining and Other Industrial Activities in the Copperbelt (Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia) S. Martínez‐Alonso et al. 10.1029/2023GL104109
- Atmospheric trends of long-lived halogenated gases derived from 15 years of IASI measurements H. De Longueville et al. 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2023.108755
- Investigation of three-dimensional radiative transfer effects for UV–Vis satellite and ground-based observations of volcanic plumes T. Wagner et al. 10.5194/amt-16-1609-2023
- Volcanic sulfur dioxide monitored from a constellation of FengYun hyperspectral infrared sounders in dawn-dusk, mid-morning, and afternoon sun-synchronous orbits Z. Zeng et al. 10.1016/j.rse.2025.115057
- Satellite derived SO2 emissions from the relatively low-intensity, effusive 2021 eruption of Fagradalsfjall, Iceland B. Esse et al. 10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118325
- Robust Satellite Techniques (RSTs) for SO2 Detection with MSG-SEVIRI Data: A Case Study of the 2021 Tajogaite Eruption R. Mota et al. 10.3390/rs17193345
- Quantifying urban, industrial, and background changes in NO2 during the COVID-19 lockdown period based on TROPOMI satellite observations V. Fioletov et al. 10.5194/acp-22-4201-2022
- Ultraviolet and visible remote sensing of volcanic gas emissions C. Kern 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2025.108423
- Airborne monitoring of compliance to sulfur emission regulations by ocean-going vessels in the Belgian North Sea area W. Van Roy et al. 10.1016/j.apr.2022.101445
- Evaluation of Uncertainties in the Anthropogenic SO2 Emissions in the USA from the OMI Point Source Catalog K. Narayan et al. 10.1021/acs.est.2c07056
- Insights into eruption dynamics from TROPOMI/PlumeTraj-derived SO2 emissions during the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa, Hawaiʻi B. Esse et al. 10.1007/s00445-025-01839-8
- International maritime regulation decreases sulfur dioxide but increases nitrogen oxide emissions in the North and Baltic Sea W. Van Roy et al. 10.1038/s43247-023-01050-7
- Tracking SO2 plumes from the Tonga volcano eruption with multi-satellite observations C. Xia et al. 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109446
- A New Algorithm for the Global-Scale Quantification of Volcanic SO2 Exploiting the Sentinel-5P TROPOMI and Google Earth Engine M. Dozzo et al. 10.3390/rs17030534
- Temporal Variability in Gas Emissions at Bagana Volcano Revealed by Aerial, Ground, and Satellite Observations B. McCormick Kilbride et al. 10.1029/2022GC010786
- The impact and estimation of uncertainty correlation for multi-angle polarimetric remote sensing of aerosols and ocean color M. Gao et al. 10.5194/amt-16-2067-2023
Latest update: 03 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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