Articles | Volume 26, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3783-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-26-3783-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Global NO2 changes between 2019 and 2024 as observed by TROPOMI in urban areas and emerging hotspots
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
Gaige H. Kerr
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
M. Omar Nawaz
School of Earth and Environmental Science, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Sara Runkel
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
Susan C. Anenberg
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
Daniel L. Goldberg
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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Daniel L. Goldberg, M. Omar Nawaz, Congmeng Lyu, Jian He, Annmarie G. Carlton, Shobha Kondragunta, and Susan C. Anenberg
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 16287–16302, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16287-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16287-2025, 2025
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This research investigates how air quality, specifically NO2 concentrations, is different under clear and cloudy skies. We find that in situ surface NO2 is, on average, +36 % larger during cloudy days versus clear sky days, with a wide distribution based on geographic region and roadway proximity: largest in the Northeast U.S. and smallest in the Southwest U.S. and near major roadways. This has implications for satellite data applications, which only use measurements in the absence of clouds.
M. Omar Nawaz, Jeremiah Johnson, Greg Yarwood, Benjamin de Foy, Laura Judd, and Daniel L. Goldberg
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6719–6741, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6719-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6719-2024, 2024
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NO2 is a gas with implications for air pollution. A campaign conducted in Houston provided an opportunity to compare NO2 from different instruments and a model. Aircraft and satellite observations agreed well with measurements on the ground; however, the latter estimated lower values. We find that model-simulated NO2 was lower than observations, especially downtown, suggesting that NO2 sources associated with the urban core of Houston, such as vehicle emissions, may be underestimated.
Daniel L. Goldberg, Monica Harkey, Benjamin de Foy, Laura Judd, Jeremiah Johnson, Greg Yarwood, and Tracey Holloway
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10875–10900, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10875-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10875-2022, 2022
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TROPOMI measurements offer a valuable means to validate emissions inventories and ozone formation regimes, with important limitations. Lightning NOx is important to account for in Texas and can contribute up to 24 % of the column NO2 in rural areas and 8 % in urban areas. Modeled NO2 in urban areas agrees with TROPOMI NO2 to within 20 % in most circumstances, with a small underestimate in Dallas (−13 %) and Houston (−20 %). Near Texas power plants, the satellite appears to underrepresent NO2.
Maria Tzortziou, Charlotte F. Kwong, Daniel Goldberg, Luke Schiferl, Róisín Commane, Nader Abuhassan, James J. Szykman, and Lukas C. Valin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2399–2417, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2399-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2399-2022, 2022
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The COVID-19 pandemic created an extreme natural experiment in which sudden changes in human behavior significantly impacted urban air quality. Using a combination of model, satellite, and ground-based data, we examine the impact of multiple waves and phases of the pandemic on atmospheric nitrogen pollution in the New York metropolitan area, and address the role of weather as a key driver of high pollution episodes observed even during – and despite – the stringent early lockdowns.
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Short summary
We used satellite data to track air pollution in over 11,000 cities worldwide from 2019 to 2024. Nitrogen dioxide levels fell in many cities in Asia, Europe, and North America, but rose in parts of Africa and the Middle East. We found signs of nitrogen dioxide changes from fossil fuel use, conflict and mining operations. These findings show how satellites can help track pollution and highlight where official data on emissions may be wrong or incomplete.
We used satellite data to track air pollution in over 11,000 cities worldwide from 2019 to 2024....
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