scholarly journals Assessment of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration enhancement from anthropogenic emissions based on satellite observations

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (25) ◽  
pp. 2941-2950 ◽  
Author(s):  
LiPing LEI ◽  
Hui ZHONG ◽  
ZhongHua HE ◽  
BoFeng CAI ◽  
ShaoYuan YANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Concentration Enhancement

scholarly journals Anthropogenic emissions from South Asia reverses the aerosol indirect effect over the northern Indian Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Subin Jose ◽  
Vijayakumar S. Nair ◽  
S. Suresh Babu
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Anthropogenic Aerosols ◽  
Northern Indian Ocean ◽  
Aerosol Loading ◽  
Cloud Water Content ◽  
Cloud Tops

Abstract Atmospheric aerosols play an important role in the formation of warm clouds by acting as efficient cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and their interactions are believed to cool the Earth-Atmosphere system (‘first indirect effect or Twomey effect’) in a highly uncertain manner compared to the other forcing agents. Here we demonstrate using long-term (2003–2016) satellite observations (NASA’s A-train satellite constellations) over the northern Indian Ocean, that enhanced aerosol loading (due to anthropogenic emissions) can reverse the first indirect effect significantly. In contrast to Twomey effect, a statistically significant increase in cloud effective radius (CER, µm) is observed with respect to an increase in aerosol loading for clouds having low liquid water path (LWP < 75 g m−2) and drier cloud tops. Probable physical mechanisms for this effect are the intense competition for available water vapour due to higher concentrations of anthropogenic aerosols and entrainment of dry air on cloud tops. For such clouds, cloud water content showed a negative response to cloud droplet number concentrations and the estimated intrinsic radiative effect suggest a warming at the Top of the Atmosphere. Although uncertainties exist in quantifying aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI) using satellite observations, present study indicates the physical existence of anti-Twomey effect over the northern Indian Ocean during south Asian outflow.

scholarly journals Detection from space of a reduction in anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides during the Chinese economic downturn

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 8171-8188 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-T. Lin ◽  
M. B. McElroy
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Nitrogen Oxides ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Vertical Column ◽  
Industrial Activity ◽  
Tropospheric No2

Abstract. Rapid economic and industrial development in China and relatively weak emission controls have resulted in significant increases in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in recent years, with the exception of late 2008 to mid 2009 when the economic downturn led to emission reductions detectable from space. Here vertical column densities (VCDs) of tropospheric NO2 retrieved from satellite observations by SCIAMACHY, GOME-2 and OMI (both by KNMI and by NASA) are used to evaluate changes in emissions of NOx from October 2004 to February 2010 identifying impacts of the economic downturn. Data over polluted regions of Northern East China suggest an increase of 27–33 % in 12-month mean VCD of NO2 prior to the downturn, consistent with an increase of 49 % in thermal power generation (TPG) reflecting the economic growth. More detailed analysis is used to quantify changes in emissions of NOx in January over the period 2005–2010 when the effect of the downturn was most evident. The GEOS-Chem model is employed to evaluate the effect of changes in chemistry and meteorology on VCD of NO2. This analysis indicates that emissions decreased by 20 % from January 2008 to January 2009, close to the reduction of 18 % in TPG that occurred over the same interval. A combination of three independent approaches indicates that the economic downturn was responsible for a reduction in emissions by 9–11 % in January 2009 with an additional decrease of 10 % attributed to the slow-down in industrial activity associated with the coincident celebration of the Chinese New Year; errors in the estimate are most likely less than 3.4 %.

scholarly journals Detection from space of a reduction in anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides during the Chinese economic downturn

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-T. Lin ◽  
M. B. McElroy
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Nitrogen Oxides ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Vertical Column ◽  
Industrial Activity ◽  
Tropospheric No2

Abstract. Rapid economic and industrial development in China and relatively weak emission controls have resulted in significant increases in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in recent years, with the exception of late 2008 to mid 2009 when the economic downturn led to emission reductions detectable from space. Here vertical column densities (VCDs) of tropospheric NO2 retrieved from satellite observations by SCIAMACHY, GOME-2 and OMI (both by KNMI and by NASA) are used to evaluate changes in emissions of NOx from October 2004 to February 2010 identifying impacts of the economic downturn. Data over polluted regions of Northern East China suggest an increase of 27–33% in annual mean VCD of NO2 prior to the downturn, consistent with an increase of 49% in thermal power generation (TPG) reflecting the economic growth. More detailed analysis is used to quantify changes in emissions of NOx in January over the period 2005–2010 when the effect of the downturn was most evident. The GEOS-Chem model is employed to evaluate the effect of changes in chemistry and meteorology on VCD of NO2. This analysis indicates that emissions decreased by 20% from January 2008 to January 2009, close to the reduction of 18% in TPG that occurred over the same interval. A combination of three relatively independent approaches indicates that the economic downturn was responsible for a~reduction in emissions by 9–11% in January 2009 with an additional decrease of 10% attributed to the slow-down in industrial activity associated with the coincident celebration of the Chinese New Year.

scholarly journals Accelerating methane growth rate from 2010 to 2017: leading contributions from the tropics and East Asia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Yin ◽  
Frederic Chevallier ◽  
Philippe Ciais ◽  
Philippe Bousquet ◽  
Marielle Saunois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Atmospheric Methane ◽  
Sources And Sinks ◽  
Ch4 Emissions ◽  
Significant Acceleration ◽  
Oxidation Chain ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract. After stagnating in the early 2000s, the atmospheric methane growth rate has been positive since 2007 with a significant acceleration starting in 2014. While causes for previous growth rate variations are still not well determined, this recent increase can be studied with dense surface and satellite observations. Here, we use an ensemble of six multi-tracer atmospheric inversions that have the capacity to assimilate the major tracers in the methane oxidation chain – namely methane, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide – to simultaneously optimize both the methane sources and sinks at each model grid. We show that the recent surge of the atmospheric growth rate between 2010–2013 and 2014–2017 is most likely explained by an increase of global CH4 emissions by 17.5 ± 1.5 Tg yr−1 (mean ± 1σ), while variations in CH4 sinks remained small. The inferred emission increase is consistently supported by both surface and satellite observations, with leading contributions from the tropics wetlands (~ 35 %) and anthropogenic emissions in China (~ 20 %). Such a high consecutive atmospheric growth rate has not been observed since the 1980s and corresponds to unprecedented global total CH4 emissions.

scholarly journals Adjoint inversion of Chinese non-methane volatile organic compound emissions using space-based observations of formaldehyde and glyoxal

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 15017-15046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hansen Cao ◽  
Tzung-May Fu ◽  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Daven K. Henze ◽  
Christopher Chan Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Organic Compound ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Annual Total ◽  
Ozone Monitoring

Abstract. We used the GEOS-Chem model and its adjoint to quantify Chinese non-methane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) emissions for the year 2007, using the tropospheric column concentrations of formaldehyde and glyoxal observed by the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment 2A (GOME-2A) instrument and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) as quantitative constraints. We conducted a series of inversion experiments using different combinations of satellite observations to explore their impacts on the top-down emission estimates. Our top-down estimates for Chinese annual total NMVOC emissions were 30.7 to 49.5 (average 41.9) Tg yr−1, including 16.4 to 23.6 (average 20.2) Tg yr−1 from anthropogenic sources, 12.2 to 22.8 (average 19.2) Tg yr−1 from biogenic sources, and 2.08 to 3.13 (average 2.48) Tg yr−1 from biomass burning. In comparison, the a priori estimate for Chinese annual total NMVOC emissions was 38.3 Tg yr−1, including 18.8 Tg yr−1 from anthropogenic sources, 17.3 Tg yr−1 from biogenic sources, and 2.27 Tg yr−1 from biomass burning. The simultaneous use of glyoxal and formaldehyde observations helped distinguish the NMVOC species from different sources and was essential in constraining anthropogenic emissions. Our four inversion experiments consistently showed that the Chinese anthropogenic emissions of NMVOC precursors of glyoxal were larger than the a priori estimates. Our top-down estimates for Chinese annual emission of anthropogenic aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylene) ranged from 5.5 to 7.9 Tg yr−1, 2 % to 46 % larger than the estimate of the a priori emission inventory (5.4 Tg yr−1). Three out of our four inversion experiments indicated that the seasonal variation in Chinese NMVOC emissions was significantly stronger than indicated in the a priori inventory. Model simulations driven by the average of our top-down NMVOC emission estimates (which had a stronger seasonal variation than the a priori) showed that surface afternoon ozone concentrations over eastern China increased by 1–8 ppb in June and decreased by 1–10 ppb in December relative to the simulations using the a priori emissions and were in better agreement with measurements. We concluded that the satellite observations of formaldehyde and glyoxal together provided quantitative constraints on the emissions and source types of NMVOCs over China and improved our understanding on regional chemistry.

scholarly journals Decadal record of satellite carbon monoxide observations

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 837-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. Worden ◽  
M. N. Deeter ◽  
C. Frankenberg ◽  
M. George ◽  
F. Nichitiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
The United States ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Eastern Usa ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Total Column

Abstract. Atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) distributions are controlled by anthropogenic emissions, biomass burning, transport and oxidation by reaction with the hydroxyl radical (OH). Quantifying trends in CO is therefore important for understanding changes related to all of these contributions. Here we present a comprehensive record of satellite observations from 2000 through 2011 of total column CO using the available measurements from nadir-viewing thermal infrared instruments: MOPITT, AIRS, TES and IASI. We examine trends for CO in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres along with regional trends for Eastern China, Eastern USA, Europe and India. We find that all the satellite observations are consistent with a modest decreasing trend ~ −1 % yr−1 in total column CO over the Northern Hemisphere for this time period and a less significant, but still decreasing trend in the Southern Hemisphere. Although decreasing trends in the United States and Europe have been observed from surface CO measurements, we also find a decrease in CO over E. China that, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. Some of the interannual variability in the observations can be explained by global fire emissions, but the overall decrease needs further study to understand the implications for changes in anthropogenic emissions.

scholarly journals Systematic detection of local CH<sub>4</sub> anomalies by combining satellite measurements with high-resolution forecasts

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 5117-5136
Author(s):  
Jérôme Barré ◽  
Ilse Aben ◽  
Anna Agustí-Panareda ◽  
Gianpaolo Balsamo ◽  
Nicolas Bousserez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Satellite Retrieval ◽  
Quantitative Manner ◽  
Ch4 Concentration ◽  
Monitoring Service ◽  
Total Column

Abstract. In this study, we present a novel monitoring methodology that combines satellite retrievals and forecasts to detect local CH4 concentration anomalies worldwide. These anomalies are caused by rapidly changing anthropogenic emissions that significantly contribute to the CH4 atmospheric budget and by biases in the satellite retrieval data. The method uses high-resolution (7 km × 7 km) retrievals of total column CH4 from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on board the Sentinel 5 Precursor satellite. Observations are combined with high-resolution CH4 forecasts (∼ 9 km) produced by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) to provide departures (observations minus forecasts) at close to the satellite's native resolution at appropriate time. Investigating these departures is an effective way to link satellite measurements and emission inventory data in a quantitative manner. We perform filtering on the departures to remove the synoptic-scale and meso-alpha-scale biases in both forecasts and satellite observations. We then apply a simple classification scheme to the filtered departures to detect anomalies and plumes that are missing (e.g. pipeline or facility leaks), underreported or overreported (e.g. depleted drilling fields) in the CAMS emissions. The classification method also shows some limitations to detect emission anomalies only due to local satellite retrieval biases linked to albedo and scattering issues.

scholarly journals Regional modeling of tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> vertical column density over East Asia during the period 2000–2010: comparison with multisatellite observations

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 3623-3635 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Itahashi ◽  
I. Uno ◽  
H. Irie ◽  
J.-I. Kurokawa ◽  
T. Ohara
Keyword(s):  
Column Density ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Vertical Column ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Vertical Column Density

Abstract. Satellite observations of the tropospheric NO2 vertical column density (VCD) are closely correlated to, and thus can be used to estimate, surface NOx emissions. In this study, the NO2 VCD simulated by a regional chemical transport model with emissions data from the updated Regional Emission inventory in ASia (REAS) version 2.1 were validated through comparison with multisatellite observations during the period 2000–2010. Rapid growth in NO2 VCD (~11% year−1) driven by the expansion of anthropogenic NOx emissions was identified above the central eastern China (CEC) region, except for the period during the economic downturn. In contrast, slightly decreasing trends (~2% year−1) were identified above Japan accompanied by a decline in anthropogenic emissions. To systematically compare the modeled NO2 VCD, we estimated sampling bias and the effect of applying the averaging kernel information, with particular focus on the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) data. Using the updated REAS, the modeled NO2 VCD reasonably reproduced annual trends observed by multisatellites, suggesting that the rate of increase of NOx emissions estimated by the updated REAS inventory would be robust. Province-scale revision of emissions above CEC is needed to further refine emission inventories. Based on the close linear relationship between modeled and observed NO2 VCD and anthropogenic NOx emissions, NOx emissions in 2009 and 2010, which were not covered by the updated REAS inventory, were estimated. NOx emissions from anthropogenic sources in China in 2009 and 2010 were determined to be 26.4 and 28.5 Tg year−1, respectively, indicating that NOx emissions increased more than twofold between 2000 and 2010. This increase reflected the strong growth of anthropogenic emissions in China following the rapid recovery from the economic downturn from late 2008 until mid-2009. Our method consists of simple estimations from satellite observations and provides results that are consistent with the most recent inventory of emissions data for China.

scholarly journals Decadal record of satellite carbon monoxide observations

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 25703-25741
Author(s):  
H. M. Worden ◽  
M. N. Deeter ◽  
C. Frankenberg ◽  
M. George ◽  
F. Nichitiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
The United States ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Eastern Usa ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Total Column

Abstract. Atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) distributions are controlled by anthropogenic emissions, biomass burning, transport and oxidation by reaction with the hydroxyl radical (OH). Quantifying trends in CO is therefore important for understanding changes related to all of these contributions. Here we present a comprehensive record of satellite observations from 2000 through 2011 of total column CO using the available measurements from nadir-viewing thermal infrared instruments: MOPITT, AIRS, TES and IASI. We examine trends for CO in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres along with regional trends for Eastern China, Eastern USA, Europe and India. We find that all the satellite observations are consistent with a modest decreasing trend ∼−1% yr−1 in total column CO over the Northern Hemisphere for this time period and a less significant, but still decreasing trend in the Southern Hemisphere. Although decreasing trends in the United States and Europe have been observed from surface CO measurements, we also find a decrease in CO over E. China that, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. Some of the interannual variability in the observations can be explained by global fire emissions, but the overall decrease needs further study to understand the implications for changes in anthropogenic emissions.

scholarly journals Estimating 2010–2015 Anthropogenic and Natural Methane Emissions in Canada using ECCC Surface and GOSAT Satellite Observations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabour Baray ◽  
Daniel J. Jacob ◽  
Joannes D. Massakkers ◽  
Jian-Xiong Sheng ◽  
Melissa P. Sulprizio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Natural Sources ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Surface Data ◽  
Atmospheric Observations ◽  
Natural Emissions

Abstract. Methane emissions in Canada have both anthropogenic and natural sources. Anthropogenic emissions are estimated to be 4.1 Tg a−1 from 2010–2015 in the Canadian Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Natural emissions, which are mostly due to Boreal wetlands, are the largest methane source in Canada and highly uncertain, on the order of ~20 Tg a−1 in biosphere process models. Top-down constraints on Canadian methane emissions using atmospheric observations have been limited by the sparse coverage of both surface and satellite observations. Aircraft studies over the last several years have provided snapshot emissions that have been conflicting with inventory estimates. Here we use surface data from the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in situ network and space borne data from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) to determine 2010–2015 anthropogenic and natural methane emissions in Canada in a Bayesian inverse modelling framework. We use GEOS-Chem to simulate anthropogenic emissions comparable to the Canadian inventory and wetlands emissions using an ensemble of WetCHARTS v1.0 scenarios in addition to other minor natural sources. We conduct a comparative analysis of the monthly natural emissions and yearly anthropogenic emissions optimized by surface and satellite data independently. Mean 2010–2015 posterior emissions using ECCC surface data are 6.0 ± 0.4 Tg a−1 for total anthropogenic and 10.5 ± 1.9 Tg a−1 for total natural emissions, where the error intervals represent the 1-σ spread in yearly posterior results. These results agree with our posterior using GOSAT data of 6.5 ± 0.7 Tg a−1 for total anthropogenic and 11.7 ± 1.2 Tg a−1 for total natural emissions. The seasonal pattern of posterior natural emissions using either dataset shows slower to start emissions in the spring and a less intense peak in the summer compared to the mean of WetCHARTS scenarios. We combine ECCC and GOSAT data to evaluate capabilities for sectoral and provincial level inversions and identify limitations. We estimate Energy + Agriculture emissions to be 5.1 ± 1.0 Tg a−1 which is 59 % higher than the National GHG Inventory. We attribute 39 % higher anthropogenic emissions to Western Canada than the prior. Natural emissions are lower across Canada with large downscaling in the Hudson Bay Lowlands. Inversion results are verified against independent aircraft data in Saskatchewan and surface data in Quebec which show better agreement with posterior emissions. This study shows a readjustment of the Canadian methane budget is necessary to better match atmospheric observations with higher anthropogenic emissions partially offset by lower natural emissions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document