Articles | Volume 26, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5517-2026
© 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-26-5517-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
23 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 23 Apr 2026
| 23 Apr 2026
Deriving cropland N2O emissions from space-based NO2 observations
Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Genevieve Plant
Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Eric A. Kort
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Atmospheric Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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Short summary
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance emitted from agriculture. Emissions cannot presently be observed from space. We leverage the co-emission of reactive nitrogen oxides (NO + NO2 = NOx) from croplands by determining N2O : NOx emissions ratios with aircraft. We apply these ratios to daily estimates of NOx emissions derived from space-based observations, thus generating a space-based proxy for N2O emissions, with close agreement against independent observations.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance emitted from...
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