Articles | Volume 24, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3717-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3717-2024
Research article
 | 
25 Mar 2024
Research article |  | 25 Mar 2024

High-resolution mapping of nitrogen oxide emissions in large US cities from TROPOMI retrievals of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide columns

Fei Liu, Steffen Beirle, Joanna Joiner, Sungyeon Choi, Zhining Tao, K. Emma Knowland, Steven J. Smith, Daniel Q. Tong, Siqi Ma, Zachary T. Fasnacht, and Thomas Wagner

Related authors

Detecting ship-produced NO2 plumes and shipping routes in TROPOMI data with a deep learning model
Tianle Yuan, Fei Liu, Lok N. Lamsal, and Hua Song
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.168771101.14987378/v1,https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.168771101.14987378/v1, 2023
Short summary
A new machine-learning-based analysis for improving satellite-retrieved atmospheric composition data: OMI SO2 as an example
Can Li, Joanna Joiner, Fei Liu, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Vitali Fioletov, and Chris McLinden
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5497–5514, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5497-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5497-2022, 2022
Short summary
Quantifying urban, industrial, and background changes in NO2 during the COVID-19 lockdown period based on TROPOMI satellite observations
Vitali Fioletov, Chris A. McLinden, Debora Griffin, Nickolay Krotkov, Fei Liu, and Henk Eskes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 4201–4236, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4201-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4201-2022, 2022
Short summary
A new method for inferring city emissions and lifetimes of nitrogen oxides from high-resolution nitrogen dioxide observations: a model study
Fei Liu, Zhining Tao, Steffen Beirle, Joanna Joiner, Yasuko Yoshida, Steven J. Smith, K. Emma Knowland, and Thomas Wagner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 1333–1349, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1333-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1333-2022, 2022
Short summary
Decadal changes in anthropogenic source contribution of PM2.5 pollution and related health impacts in China, 1990–2015
Jun Liu, Yixuan Zheng, Guannan Geng, Chaopeng Hong, Meng Li, Xin Li, Fei Liu, Dan Tong, Ruili Wu, Bo Zheng, Kebin He, and Qiang Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7783–7799, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7783-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7783-2020, 2020
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Gases | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Identifying missing sources and reducing NOx emissions uncertainty over China using daily satellite data and a mass-conserving method
Lingxiao Lu, Jason Blake Cohen, Kai Qin, Xiaolu Li, and Qin He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2291–2309, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2291-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2291-2025, 2025
Short summary
Feasibility of robust estimates of ozone production rates using a synergy of satellite observations, ground-based remote sensing, and models
Amir H. Souri, Gonzalo González Abad, Glenn M. Wolfe, Tijl Verhoelst, Corinne Vigouroux, Gaia Pinardi, Steven Compernolle, Bavo Langerock, Bryan N. Duncan, and Matthew S. Johnson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2061–2086, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2061-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2061-2025, 2025
Short summary
Upper-tropospheric pollutants observed by MIPAS: geographic and seasonal variations
Norbert Glatthor, Gabriele P. Stiller, Thomas von Clarmann, Bernd Funke, Sylvia Kellmann, and Andrea Linden
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1175–1208, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1175-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1175-2025, 2025
Short summary
Comparing space-based to reported carbon monoxide emission estimates for Europe's iron and steel plants
Gijs Leguijt, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Hugo A. C. Denier van der Gon, Arjo J. Segers, Tobias Borsdorff, Ivar R. van der Velde, and Ilse Aben
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 555–574, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-555-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-555-2025, 2025
Short summary
Unleashing the potential of geostationary satellite observations in air quality forecasting through artificial intelligence techniques
Chengxin Zhang, Xinhan Niu, Hongyu Wu, Zhipeng Ding, Ka Lok Chan, Jhoon Kim, Thomas Wagner, and Cheng Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 759–770, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-759-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-759-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Anderson, D. C., Loughner, C. P., Diskin, G., Weinheimer, A., Canty, T. P., Salawitch, R. J., Worden, H. M., Fried, A., Mikoviny, T., Wisthaler, A., and Dickerson, R. R.: Measured and modeled CO and NOy in DISCOVER-AQ: An evaluation of emissions and chemistry over the eastern US, Atmos. Environ., 96, 78–87, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.07.004, 2014. 
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. 
Beirle, S., Borger, C., Dörner, S., Li, A., Hu, Z., Liu, F., Wang, Y., and Wagner, T.: Pinpointing nitrogen oxide emissions from space, Science Advances, 5, eaax9800, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax9800, 2019. 
Beirle, S., Borger, C., Dörner, S., Eskes, H., Kumar, V., de Laat, A., and Wagner, T.: Catalog of NOx emissions from point sources as derived from the divergence of the NO2 flux for TROPOMI, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 2995–3012, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2995-2021, 2021. 
Beirle, S., Borger, C., Jost, A., and Wagner, T.: Improved catalog of NOx point source emissions (version 2), Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3051–3073, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3051-2023, 2023. 
Download
Short summary
Using satellite data, we developed a coupled method independent of the chemical transport model to map NOx emissions across US cities. After validating our technique with synthetic data, we charted NOx emissions from 2018–2021 in 39 cities. Our results closely matched EPA estimates but also highlighted some inconsistencies in both magnitude and spatial distribution. This research can help refine strategies for monitoring and managing air quality.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint