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Taak van het adviescollege was om te beoordelen of de huidige meet- en rekensystematiek voor stikstofemissie en -depositie voldoende wetenschappelijke onderbouwing biedt voor het stikstofbeleid. In de eerste fase keek het adviescollege naar de algemene inrichting van de meet- en rekensystematiek. In de tweede fase werkte het adviescollege, waar nodig, de eerste bevindingen verder uit en besteedde daarnaast bijzondere aandacht aan NEMA (voor de bepaling van de landbouwemissies) en AERIUS Calculator als toetsingsinstrument bij vergunningverlening.

Het Adviescollege Meten en Berekenen Stikstof is in december 2019 begonnen aan de eerste fase van zijn opdracht om advies te geven over de wetenschappelijke kwaliteit van de Nederlandse systematiek voor het meten van en rekenen aan stikstofverbindingen ter onderbouwing van het (toekomstig) beleid van de Rijksoverheid en provincies. Het uitgangspunt was de vraag: zijn de data, methoden en modellen die worden ingezet van voldoende wetenschappelijke kwaliteit en daarmee doelgeschikt?

In March and April of 2015, the NOAA WP-3D research aircraft made airborne measurements over several different oil and natural gas production regions in the central and western U.S. ranging from North Dakota to Texas. The study was conducted at a time when the domestic production of natural gas was at an all-time high and the production of crude oil near an all-time high, but also when drilling activity had abruptly decreased due to a drop in the price of oil. In this presentation, we will give a summary of the measurement results obtained in the different production regions. Emission fluxes of greenhouse gases (CH4) and air pollutants (VOCs, NOx, air toxics) were determined through mass balance and from enhancement ratios versus methane. While photochemistry was generally weak during the flights, some trace gases showed evidence for secondary formation. Measurements by mass spectrometry showed the presence of some less commonly observed trace gases including nitrogen heterocyclic compounds. Emissions of pollutants are expressed as a fraction of the produced natural gas and crude oil. Such metrics can be compared with emission factors for fossil fuel combustion by other sources (motor vehicles and power plants) and allow a comparison of emissions from different stages in the lifecycle of fossil fuels. We have also studied NOx emissions from oil and natural gas production through trend analysis of the NO2columns from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument. This analysis shows that the drilling of new wells and the extraction of crude oil and natural gas both lead to NOx emissions. These results are compared with a new fuel-based emission inventory for NOx emissions from oil and natural gas production., A33C-04 presented at 2018 Fall Meeting, AGU, Washington, D.C., 10-14 Dec. Session: A33C Emissions of Atmospheric Pollutants from Oil, Gas, and Coal Operations I, Atmospheric Remote Sensing

A 14-month data set of MAX-DOAS (Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) tropospheric NO2 column observations in De Bilt, the Netherlands, has been compared with the regional air quality model Lotos-Euros. The model was run on a 7×7 km2 grid, the same resolution as the emission inventory used. A study was performed to assess the effect of clouds on the retrieval accuracy of the MAX-DOAS observations. Good agreement was found between modeled and measured tropospheric NO2 columns, with an average difference of less than 1% of the average tropospheric column (14.5 · 1015 molec cm−2). The comparisons show little cloud cover dependence after cloud corrections for which ceilometer data were used. Hourly differences between observations and model show a Gaussian behavior with a standard deviation (σ) of 5.5 · 1015 molec cm−2. For daily averages of tropospheric NO2 columns, a correlation of 0.72 was found for all observations, and 0.79 for cloud free conditions. The measured and modeled tropospheric NO2 columns have an almost identical distribution over the wind direction. A significant difference between model and measurements was found for the average weekly cycle, which shows a much stronger decrease during the weekend for the observations; for the diurnal cycle, the observed range is about twice as large as the modeled range. The results of the comparison demonstrate that averaged over a long time period, the tropospheric NO2 column observations are representative for a large spatial area despite the fact that they were obtained in an urban region. This makes the MAX-DOAS technique especially suitable for validation of satellite observations and air quality models in urban regions.

A 4-year data set of MAX-DOAS observations in the Beijing area (2008–2012) is analysed with a focus on NO2, HCHO and aerosols. Two very different retrieval methods are applied. Method A describes the tropospheric profile with 13 layers and makes use of the optimal estimation method. Method B uses 2–4 parameters to describe the tropospheric profile and an inversion based on a least-squares fit. For each constituent (NO2, HCHO and aerosols) the retrieval outcomes are compared in terms of tropospheric column densities, surface concentrations and "characteristic profile heights" (i.e. the height below which 75% of the vertically integrated tropospheric column density resides). We find best agreement between the two methods for tropospheric NO2 column densities, with a standard deviation of relative differences below 10%, a correlation of 0.99 and a linear regression with a slope of 1.03. For tropospheric HCHO column densities we find a similar slope, but also a systematic bias of almost 10% which is likely related to differences in profile height. Aerosol optical depths (AODs) retrieved with method B are 20% high compared to method A. They are more in agreement with AERONET measurements, which are on average only 5% lower, however with considerable relative differences (standard deviation ~ 25%). With respect to near-surface volume mixing ratios and aerosol extinction we find considerably larger relative differences: 10 ± 30, ?23 ± 28 and ?8 ± 33% for aerosols, HCHO and NO2 respectively. The frequency distributions of these near-surface concentrations show however a quite good agreement, and this indicates that near-surface concentrations derived from MAX-DOAS are certainly useful in a climatological sense. A major difference between the two methods is the dynamic range of retrieved characteristic profile heights which is larger for method B than for method A. This effect is most pronounced for HCHO, where retrieved profile shapes with method A are very close to the a p, Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) instrument has provided daily global measurements of tropospheric NO2 for more than a decade. Numerous studies have drawn attention to the complexities related to measurements of tropospheric NO2 in the presence of aerosols. Fine particles affect the OMI spectral measurements and the length of the average light path followed by the photons. However, they are not explicitly taken into account in the current OMI tropospheric NO2 retrieval chain. Instead, the operational OMI O2-O2 cloud retrieval algorithm is applied both to cloudy scenes and to cloud free scenes with aerosols present. This paper describes in detail the complex interplay between the spectral effects of aerosols, the OMI O2-O2 cloud retrieval algorithm and the impact on the accuracy of the tropospheric NO2 retrievals through the computed Air Mass Factor (AMF) over cloud-free scenes. Collocated OMI NO2 and MODIS Aqua aerosol products are analysed over East China, in industrialized area. In addition, aerosol effects on the tropospheric NO2 AMF and the retrieval of OMI cloud parameters are simulated. Both the observation-based and the simulation-based approach demonstrate that the retrieved cloud fraction linearly increases with increasing Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT), but the magnitude of this increase depends on the aerosol properties and surface albedo. This increase is induced by the additional scattering effects of aerosols which enhance the scene brightness. The decreasing effective cloud pressure with increasing AOT represents primarily the absorbing effects of aerosols. The study cases show that the actual aerosol correction based on the implemented OMI cloud model results in biases between ?20 and ?40 % for the DOMINO tropospheric NO2 product in cases of high aerosol pollution (AOT ? 0.6) and elevated particles. On the contrary, when aerosols are relatively close to the surface or mixed with NO2, aerosol correction based on the cloud model results in overes, Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Nanjing Government applied temporary environmental regulations to guarantee good air quality during the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2014. We study the effect of those regulations by applying the emission estimate algorithm DECSO (Daily Emission estimates Constrained by Satellite Observations) to measurements of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). We improved DECSO by updating the chemical transport model CHIMERE from v2006 to v2013 and by adding an Observation minus Forecast (OmF) criterion to filter outlying satellite retrievals due to high aerosol concentrations. The comparison of model results with both ground and satellite observations indicates that CHIMERE v2013 is better performing than CHIMERE v2006. After filtering the satellite observations with high aerosol loads that were leading to large OmF values, unrealistic jumps in the emission estimates are removed. Despite the cloudy conditions during the YOG we could still see a decrease of tropospheric NO2 column concentrations of about 32 % in the OMI observations when compared to the average NO2 columns from 2005 to 2012. The results of the improved DECSO algorithm for NOx emissions show a reduction of at least 25 % during the YOG period and afterwards. This indicates that air quality regulations taken by the local government have an effect in reducing NOx emissions. The algorithm is also able to detect an emission reduction of 10 % during the Chinese Spring Festival. This study demonstrates the capacity of the DECSO algorithm to capture the change of NOx emissions on a monthly scale. We also show that the observed NO2 columns and the derived emissions show different patterns that provide complimentary information. For example, the Nanjing smog episode in December 2013 led to a strong increase in NO2 concentrations without an increase in NOx emissions. Furthermore, DECSO gives us important information on the non-trivial seasonal relation between NOx emissions and NO2 concentrations on a local scale., Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

We derive a global climatology of tropospheric NO2 profiles from OMI cloudy observations for the year 2006 using the cloud slicing method on six pressure levels centered about 280, 380, 500, 620, 720 and 820 hPa. A comparison between OMI and the TM4 model tropospheric NO2 profiles reveals striking overall similarities, which confer great confidence to the cloud-slicing approach, along with localized discrepancies that seem to probe into particular model processes. Anomalies detected at the lowest levels can be traced to deficiencies in the model surface emission inventory, at mid tropospheric levels to convective transport and horizontal advective diffusion, and at the upper tropospheric levels to model lightning NOx production and the placement of deeply transported NO2 plumes such as from the Asian summer monsoon. The vertical information contained in the OMI cloud-sliced NO2 profiles provides a global observational constraint that can be used to evaluate chemistry transport models (CTMs) and guide the development of key parameterization schemes., Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) instrument has provided daily global measurements of tropospheric NO2 for more than a decade. Numerous studies have drawn attention to the complexities related to measurements of tropospheric NO2 in the presence of aerosols. Fine particles affect the OMI spectral measurements and the length of the average light path followed by the photons. However, they are not explicitly taken into account in the current OMI tropospheric NO2 retrieval chain. Instead, the operational OMI O2-O2 cloud retrieval algorithm is applied both to cloudy scenes and to cloud free scenes with aerosols present. This paper describes in detail the complex interplay between the spectral effects of aerosols, the OMI O2-O2 cloud retrieval algorithm and the impact on the accuracy of the tropospheric NO2 retrievals through the computed Air Mass Factor (AMF) over cloud-free scenes. Collocated OMI NO2 and MODIS Aqua aerosol products are analysed over East China, in industrialized area. In addition, aerosol effects on the tropospheric NO2 AMF and the retrieval of OMI cloud parameters are simulated. Both the observation-based and the simulation-based approach demonstrate that the retrieved cloud fraction linearly increases with increasing Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT), but the magnitude of this increase depends on the aerosol properties and surface albedo. This increase is induced by the additional scattering effects of aerosols which enhance the scene brightness. The decreasing effective cloud pressure with increasing AOT represents primarily the absorbing effects of aerosols. The study cases show that the actual aerosol correction based on the implemented OMI cloud model results in biases between ?20 and ?40 % for the DOMINO tropospheric NO2 product in cases of high aerosol pollution (AOT ? 0.6) and elevated particles. On the contrary, when aerosols are relatively close to the surface or mixed with NO2, aerosol correction based on the cloud model results in overes, Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Nanjing Government applied temporary environmental regulations to guarantee good air quality during the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2014. We study the effect of those regulations by applying the emission estimate algorithm DECSO (Daily Emission estimates Constrained by Satellite Observations) to measurements of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). We improved DECSO by updating the chemical transport model CHIMERE from v2006 to v2013 and by adding an Observation minus Forecast (OmF) criterion to filter outlying satellite retrievals due to high aerosol concentrations. The comparison of model results with both ground and satellite observations indicates that CHIMERE v2013 is better performing than CHIMERE v2006. After filtering the satellite observations with high aerosol loads that were leading to large OmF values, unrealistic jumps in the emission estimates are removed. Despite the cloudy conditions during the YOG we could still see a decrease of tropospheric NO2 column concentrations of about 32 % in the OMI observations when compared to the average NO2 columns from 2005 to 2012. The results of the improved DECSO algorithm for NOx emissions show a reduction of at least 25 % during the YOG period and afterwards. This indicates that air quality regulations taken by the local government have an effect in reducing NOx emissions. The algorithm is also able to detect an emission reduction of 10 % during the Chinese Spring Festival. This study demonstrates the capacity of the DECSO algorithm to capture the change of NOx emissions on a monthly scale. We also show that the observed NO2 columns and the derived emissions show different patterns that provide complimentary information. For example, the Nanjing smog episode in December 2013 led to a strong increase in NO2 concentrations without an increase in NOx emissions. Furthermore, DECSO gives us important information on the non-trivial seasonal relation between NOx emissions and NO2 concentrations on a local scale., Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

A 4-year data set of MAX-DOAS observations in the Beijing area (2008–2012) is analysed with a focus on NO2, HCHO and aerosols. Two very different retrieval methods are applied. Method A describes the tropospheric profile with 13 layers and makes use of the optimal estimation method. Method B uses 2–4 parameters to describe the tropospheric profile and an inversion based on a least-squares fit. For each constituent (NO2, HCHO and aerosols) the retrieval outcomes are compared in terms of tropospheric column densities, surface concentrations and "characteristic profile heights" (i.e. the height below which 75% of the vertically integrated tropospheric column density resides). We find best agreement between the two methods for tropospheric NO2 column densities, with a standard deviation of relative differences below 10%, a correlation of 0.99 and a linear regression with a slope of 1.03. For tropospheric HCHO column densities we find a similar slope, but also a systematic bias of almost 10% which is likely related to differences in profile height. Aerosol optical depths (AODs) retrieved with method B are 20% high compared to method A. They are more in agreement with AERONET measurements, which are on average only 5% lower, however with considerable relative differences (standard deviation ~ 25%). With respect to near-surface volume mixing ratios and aerosol extinction we find considerably larger relative differences: 10 ± 30, ?23 ± 28 and ?8 ± 33% for aerosols, HCHO and NO2 respectively. The frequency distributions of these near-surface concentrations show however a quite good agreement, and this indicates that near-surface concentrations derived from MAX-DOAS are certainly useful in a climatological sense. A major difference between the two methods is the dynamic range of retrieved characteristic profile heights which is larger for method B than for method A. This effect is most pronounced for HCHO, where retrieved profile shapes with method A are very close to the a p, Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

We derive a global climatology of tropospheric NO2 profiles from OMI cloudy observations for the year 2006 using the cloud slicing method on six pressure levels centered about 280, 380, 500, 620, 720 and 820 hPa. A comparison between OMI and the TM4 model tropospheric NO2 profiles reveals striking overall similarities, which confer great confidence to the cloud-slicing approach, along with localized discrepancies that seem to probe into particular model processes. Anomalies detected at the lowest levels can be traced to deficiencies in the model surface emission inventory, at mid tropospheric levels to convective transport and horizontal advective diffusion, and at the upper tropospheric levels to model lightning NOx production and the placement of deeply transported NO2 plumes such as from the Asian summer monsoon. The vertical information contained in the OMI cloud-sliced NO2 profiles provides a global observational constraint that can be used to evaluate chemistry transport models (CTMs) and guide the development of key parameterization schemes., Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

A four year data set of MAX-DOAS observations in the Beijing area (2008–2012) is analysed with a focus on NO2, HCHO, and aerosols. Two very different retrieval methods are applied. Method A describes the tropospheric profile with 13 layers and makes use of the optimal estimation method. Method B uses 2–4 parameters to describe the tropospheric profile and an inversion based on a least-squares fit. For each constituent (NO2, HCHO and aerosols) the retrieval outcomes are compared in terms of tropospheric columns, surface concentrations, and "characteristic profile heights" (i.e. the height below which 75% of the vertically integrated tropospheric column resides). We find best agreement between the two methods for tropospheric NO2 columns, with a standard deviation of relative differences below 10%, a correlation of 0.99 and a linear regression with a slope of 1.03. For tropospheric HCHO columns we find a similar slope, but also a systematic bias of almost 10% which is likely related to differences in profile height. Aerosol optical depths (AODs) retrieved with method B are 20% high compared to method A. They are more in agreement with AERONET measurements, which are on average only 5% lower, however with considerable relative differences (standard deviation ~25%). With respect to near surface volume mixing ratios and aerosol extinction we find considerably larger relative differences: 10 ± 30%, ?23 ± 28% and ?8 ± 33% for aerosols, HCHO and NO2 respectively. The frequency distributions of these near-surface concentrations show however a quite good agreement, and this indicates that near-surface concentrations derived from MAX-DOAS are certainly useful in a climatological sense. A major difference between the two methods is the dynamic range of retrieved characteristic profile heights which is larger for method B than for method A. This effect is most pronounced for HCHO, where retrieved profile shapes with method A are very close to the a priori, and moderate for NO2 a, Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

For the retrieval of the vertical distribution of ozone in the atmosphere the Ozone ProfilE Retrieval Algorithm (OPERA) has been further developed. The new version (1.26) of OPERA is capable of retrieving ozone profiles from UV–VIS observations of most nadir-looking satellite instruments like GOME, SCIAMACHY, OMI and GOME-2. The setup of OPERA is described and results are presented for GOME and GOME-2 observations. The retrieved ozone profiles are globally compared to ozone sondes for the years 1997 and 2008. Relative differences between GOME/GOME-2 and ozone sondes are within the limits as specified by the user requirements from the Climate Change Initiative (CCI) programme of ESA (20%in the troposphere, 15% in the stratosphere). To demonstrate the performance of the algorithm under extreme circumstances, the 2009 Antarctic ozone hole season was investigated in more detail using GOME-2 ozone profiles and lidar data, which showed an unusual persistence of the vortex over the Río Gallegos observing station (51 S, 69.3 W). By applying OPERA to multiple instruments, a time series of ozone profiles from 1996 to 2013 from a single robust algorithm can be created, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Surface solar irradiance (SSI) data are important for planning and estimating the production of solar power plants. Long-term high quality surface solar radiation data are needed for monitoring climate change. This paper presents a new surface solar irradiance dataset, the broadband (0.2–4 ?m) surface solar irradiance product derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The OMI SSI algorithm is based on the Heliosat method and uses the OMI O2–O2 cloud product as main input. The OMI SSI data are validated against the globally distributed Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) measurements at 19 stations for the year 2008. Furthermore, the monthly mean OMI SSI data are compared to independent surface solar irradiance products from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project Flux Data (ISCCP-FD) and Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) data for the year 2005. The mean difference between OMI SSI and BSRN global (direct + diffuse) irradiances is ? 1.2 W m? 2 (? 0.2%), the root mean square error is 100.1 W m? 2 (18.1%), and the mean absolute error is 67.8 W m? 2 (12.2%). The differences between OMI SSI and BSRN global irradiances are smaller over continental and coastal sites and larger over deserts and islands. OMI SSI has a good agreement with the CERES shortwave (SW) model B surface downward flux (SDF) product. The correlation coefficient and index of agreement between monthly mean 1-degree gridded OMI SSI and CERES SW SDF are > 0.99. OMI SSI is lower than CERES SW SDF which is partly due to the solar zenith angle. On average, OMI SSI is 13.5 W m? 2 (2.5%) lower than the ISCCP-FD SW surface downward flux and the correlation coefficient and index of agreement are > 0.98 for every month., Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Nanjing Government has taken temporary environmental regulations to guarantee good air quality during the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2014. We study the effect of those regulations by applying the emission estimate algorithm DECSO (Daily Emission estimates Constrained by Satellite Observations) to measurements of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). We improved DECSO by updating the chemical transport model CHIMERE from v2006 to v2013 and by adding an Observation minus Forecast (OmF) criterion to filter outlying satellite retrievals due to high aerosol concentrations. The comparison of model results with both ground and satellite observations indicates that CHIMERE v2013 is better performing than CHIMERE v2006. After filtering the satellite observations with high aerosol loads that were leading to large OmF values, unrealistic jumps in the emission estimates are removed. Despite the cloudy conditions during the YOG we could still see a decrease of tropospheric NO2 column concentrations of about 32% in the OMI observations as compared to the average NO2 concentrations from 2005 to 2012. The results of the improved DECSO algorithm for NOx emissions show a reduction of at least 25% during the YOG period. This indicates that air quality regulations taken by the local government were successful. The algorithm is also able to detect an emission reduction of 10% during the Chinese Spring Festival. This study demonstrates the capacity of the DECSO algorithm to capture the change of NOx emissions on a monthly scale. We also show that the observed concentrations and the derived emissions show different patterns that provide complimentary information. For example, the Nanjing smog episode in December 2013 led to a strong increase in NO2 concentrations without an increase in NOx emissions. Furthermore, DECSO gives us important information of the non-trivial seasonal relation between NOx emissions and NO2 concentrations on a local scale., Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

A four year data set of MAX-DOAS observations in the Beijing area (2008–2012) is analysed with a focus on NO2, HCHO, and aerosols. Two very different retrieval methods are applied. Method A describes the tropospheric profile with 13 layers and makes use of the optimal estimation method. Method B uses 2–4 parameters to describe the tropospheric profile and an inversion based on a least-squares fit. For each constituent (NO2, HCHO and aerosols) the retrieval outcomes are compared in terms of tropospheric columns, surface concentrations, and "characteristic profile heights" (i.e. the height below which 75% of the vertically integrated tropospheric column resides). We find best agreement between the two methods for tropospheric NO2 columns, with a standard deviation of relative differences below 10%, a correlation of 0.99 and a linear regression with a slope of 1.03. For tropospheric HCHO columns we find a similar slope, but also a systematic bias of almost 10% which is likely related to differences in profile height. Aerosol optical depths (AODs) retrieved with method B are 20% high compared to method A. They are more in agreement with AERONET measurements, which are on average only 5% lower, however with considerable relative differences (standard deviation ~25%). With respect to near surface volume mixing ratios and aerosol extinction we find considerably larger relative differences: 10 ± 30%, ?23 ± 28% and ?8 ± 33% for aerosols, HCHO and NO2 respectively. The frequency distributions of these near-surface concentrations show however a quite good agreement, and this indicates that near-surface concentrations derived from MAX-DOAS are certainly useful in a climatological sense. A major difference between the two methods is the dynamic range of retrieved characteristic profile heights which is larger for method B than for method A. This effect is most pronounced for HCHO, where retrieved profile shapes with method A are very close to the a priori, and moderate for NO2 a, Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

For the retrieval of the vertical distribution of ozone in the atmosphere the Ozone ProfilE Retrieval Algorithm (OPERA) has been further developed. The new version (1.26) of OPERA is capable of retrieving ozone profiles from UV–VIS observations of most nadir-looking satellite instruments like GOME, SCIAMACHY, OMI and GOME-2. The setup of OPERA is described and results are presented for GOME and GOME-2 observations. The retrieved ozone profiles are globally compared to ozone sondes for the years 1997 and 2008. Relative differences between GOME/GOME-2 and ozone sondes are within the limits as specified by the user requirements from the Climate Change Initiative (CCI) programme of ESA (20%in the troposphere, 15% in the stratosphere). To demonstrate the performance of the algorithm under extreme circumstances, the 2009 Antarctic ozone hole season was investigated in more detail using GOME-2 ozone profiles and lidar data, which showed an unusual persistence of the vortex over the Río Gallegos observing station (51 S, 69.3 W). By applying OPERA to multiple instruments, a time series of ozone profiles from 1996 to 2013 from a single robust algorithm can be created, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Surface solar irradiance (SSI) data are important for planning and estimating the production of solar power plants. Long-term high quality surface solar radiation data are needed for monitoring climate change. This paper presents a new surface solar irradiance dataset, the broadband (0.2–4 ?m) surface solar irradiance product derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The OMI SSI algorithm is based on the Heliosat method and uses the OMI O2–O2 cloud product as main input. The OMI SSI data are validated against the globally distributed Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) measurements at 19 stations for the year 2008. Furthermore, the monthly mean OMI SSI data are compared to independent surface solar irradiance products from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project Flux Data (ISCCP-FD) and Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) data for the year 2005. The mean difference between OMI SSI and BSRN global (direct + diffuse) irradiances is ? 1.2 W m? 2 (? 0.2%), the root mean square error is 100.1 W m? 2 (18.1%), and the mean absolute error is 67.8 W m? 2 (12.2%). The differences between OMI SSI and BSRN global irradiances are smaller over continental and coastal sites and larger over deserts and islands. OMI SSI has a good agreement with the CERES shortwave (SW) model B surface downward flux (SDF) product. The correlation coefficient and index of agreement between monthly mean 1-degree gridded OMI SSI and CERES SW SDF are > 0.99. OMI SSI is lower than CERES SW SDF which is partly due to the solar zenith angle. On average, OMI SSI is 13.5 W m? 2 (2.5%) lower than the ISCCP-FD SW surface downward flux and the correlation coefficient and index of agreement are > 0.98 for every month., Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Nanjing Government has taken temporary environmental regulations to guarantee good air quality during the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2014. We study the effect of those regulations by applying the emission estimate algorithm DECSO (Daily Emission estimates Constrained by Satellite Observations) to measurements of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). We improved DECSO by updating the chemical transport model CHIMERE from v2006 to v2013 and by adding an Observation minus Forecast (OmF) criterion to filter outlying satellite retrievals due to high aerosol concentrations. The comparison of model results with both ground and satellite observations indicates that CHIMERE v2013 is better performing than CHIMERE v2006. After filtering the satellite observations with high aerosol loads that were leading to large OmF values, unrealistic jumps in the emission estimates are removed. Despite the cloudy conditions during the YOG we could still see a decrease of tropospheric NO2 column concentrations of about 32% in the OMI observations as compared to the average NO2 concentrations from 2005 to 2012. The results of the improved DECSO algorithm for NOx emissions show a reduction of at least 25% during the YOG period. This indicates that air quality regulations taken by the local government were successful. The algorithm is also able to detect an emission reduction of 10% during the Chinese Spring Festival. This study demonstrates the capacity of the DECSO algorithm to capture the change of NOx emissions on a monthly scale. We also show that the observed concentrations and the derived emissions show different patterns that provide complimentary information. For example, the Nanjing smog episode in December 2013 led to a strong increase in NO2 concentrations without an increase in NOx emissions. Furthermore, DECSO gives us important information of the non-trivial seasonal relation between NOx emissions and NO2 concentrations on a local scale., Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

We derive tropospheric column BrO during the ARCTAS and ARCPAC field campaigns in spring 2008 using retrievals of total column BrO from the satellite UV nadir sensors OMI and GOME-2 using a radiative transfer model and stratospheric column BrO from a photochemical simulation. We conduct a comprehensive comparison of satellite-derived tropospheric BrO column to aircraft in-situ observations of BrO and related species. The aircraft profiles reveal that tropospheric BrO, when present during April 2008, was distributed over a broad range of altitudes rather than being confined to the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Perturbations to the total column resulting from tropospheric BrO are the same magnitude as perturbations due to longitudinal variations in the stratospheric component, so proper accounting of the stratospheric signal is essential for accurate determination of satellite-derived tropospheric BrO. We find reasonably good agreement between satellite-derived tropospheric BrO and columns found using aircraft in-situ BrO profiles, particularly when satellite radiances were obtained over bright surfaces (albedo >0.7), for solar zenith angle

We derive tropospheric column BrO during the ARCTAS and ARCPAC field campaigns in spring 2008 using retrievals of total column BrO from the satellite UV nadir sensors OMI and GOME-2 using a radiative transfer model and stratospheric column BrO from a photochemical simulation. We conduct a comprehensive comparison of satellite-derived tropospheric BrO column to aircraft in-situ observations of BrO and related species. The aircraft profiles reveal that tropospheric BrO, when present during April 2008, was distributed over a broad range of altitudes rather than being confined to the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Perturbations to the total column resulting from tropospheric BrO are the same magnitude as perturbations due to longitudinal variations in the stratospheric component, so proper accounting of the stratospheric signal is essential for accurate determination of satellite-derived tropospheric BrO. We find reasonably good agreement between satellite-derived tropospheric BrO and columns found using aircraft in-situ BrO profiles, particularly when satellite radiances were obtained over bright surfaces (albedo >0.7), for solar zenith angle

Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

[1] A 5+ year record of satellite measurements of nitrogen dioxide columns from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is evaluated to establish the quality of the OMI retrievals and to test our understanding of stratospheric NO2. The use of assimilation techniques to retrieve stratospheric vertical columns of NO2 from OMI slant column observations is described in detail. Over remote areas the forecast model state is generally within 0.15 × 1015 molecules/cm2 of the analysis. Dutch OMI NO2 (DOMINO) and Standard Product (SP) stratospheric NO2 columns agree within 0.3 × 1015 molecules/cm2 (13%) with independent, ground-based measurements. This is comparable to the level of consistency (15–20%) among ground-based techniques. On average, DOMINO stratospheric NO2 is higher than SP by 0.2 × 1015 molecules/cm2, but larger differences occur on the synoptic scale. Overlapping OMI orbits poleward of 30° enabled us to extract information on the diurnal variation in stratospheric NO2. We find that in the Arctic, the daytime increase of NO2 has a distinct seasonal dependence that peaks in spring and fall. Daytime increase rates inside the denoxified Arctic polar vortex are low, but we find high rates (>0.4 × 1015 molecules/cm2/h) outside the vortex. A multilinear regression to the DOMINO record shows a distinct quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) signal in stratospheric NO2 columns over the tropics. The QBO's amplitude is comparable to the annual cycle and stronger over the Southern Hemisphere than over the Northern Hemisphere. We infer near-identical trends from DOMINO observations (+0.4%/decade) as from ground-based instrumentation over Lauder (+0.6%/decade) in the 2004–2010 period.

The spatial and temporal correlations between concurrent satellite observations of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and tropospheric columns of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and formaldehyde (HCHO) from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used to infer information on the global composition of aerosol particles. When averaging the satellite data over large regions and longer time periods, we find significant correlation between MODIS AOT and OMI trace gas columns for various regions in the world. This shows that these enhanced aerosol and trace gas concentrations originate from common sources, such as fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning, and organic compounds released from the biosphere. This leads us to propose that satellite-inferred AOT to NO2 ratios for regions with comparable photochemical regimes can be used as indicators for the relative regional pollution control of combustion processes. Indeed, satellites observe low AOT to NO2 ratios over the eastern United States and western Europe, and high AOT to NO2 ratios over comparably industrialized regions in eastern Europe and China. Emission databases and OMI SO2 observations over these regions suggest a much stronger sulfur contribution to aerosol formation than over the well-regulated areas of the eastern United States and western Europe. Furthermore, satellite observations show AOT to NO2 ratios are a factor 100 higher over biomass burning regions than over industrialized areas, reflecting the unregulated burning practices with strong primary particle emissions in the tropics compared to the heavily controlled combustion processes in the industrialized Northern Hemisphere. Simulations with a global chemistry transport model (GEOS-Chem) capture most of these variations, although on regional scales significant differences are found. Wintertime aerosol concentrations show strongest correlations with NO2 throughout most of the

[1] A 5+ year record of satellite measurements of nitrogen dioxide columns from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is evaluated to establish the quality of the OMI retrievals and to test our understanding of stratospheric NO2. The use of assimilation techniques to retrieve stratospheric vertical columns of NO2 from OMI slant column observations is described in detail. Over remote areas the forecast model state is generally within 0.15 × 1015 molecules/cm2 of the analysis. Dutch OMI NO2 (DOMINO) and Standard Product (SP) stratospheric NO2 columns agree within 0.3 × 1015 molecules/cm2 (13%) with independent, ground-based measurements. This is comparable to the level of consistency (15–20%) among ground-based techniques. On average, DOMINO stratospheric NO2 is higher than SP by 0.2 × 1015 molecules/cm2, but larger differences occur on the synoptic scale. Overlapping OMI orbits poleward of 30° enabled us to extract information on the diurnal variation in stratospheric NO2. We find that in the Arctic, the daytime increase of NO2 has a distinct seasonal dependence that peaks in spring and fall. Daytime increase rates inside the denoxified Arctic polar vortex are low, but we find high rates (>0.4 × 1015 molecules/cm2/h) outside the vortex. A multilinear regression to the DOMINO record shows a distinct quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) signal in stratospheric NO2 columns over the tropics. The QBO's amplitude is comparable to the annual cycle and stronger over the Southern Hemisphere than over the Northern Hemisphere. We infer near-identical trends from DOMINO observations (+0.4%/decade) as from ground-based instrumentation over Lauder (+0.6%/decade) in the 2004–2010 period.

The spatial and temporal correlations between concurrent satellite observations of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and tropospheric columns of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and formaldehyde (HCHO) from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used to infer information on the global composition of aerosol particles. When averaging the satellite data over large regions and longer time periods, we find significant correlation between MODIS AOT and OMI trace gas columns for various regions in the world. This shows that these enhanced aerosol and trace gas concentrations originate from common sources, such as fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning, and organic compounds released from the biosphere. This leads us to propose that satellite-inferred AOT to NO2 ratios for regions with comparable photochemical regimes can be used as indicators for the relative regional pollution control of combustion processes. Indeed, satellites observe low AOT to NO2 ratios over the eastern United States and western Europe, and high AOT to NO2 ratios over comparably industrialized regions in eastern Europe and China. Emission databases and OMI SO2 observations over these regions suggest a much stronger sulfur contribution to aerosol formation than over the well-regulated areas of the eastern United States and western Europe. Furthermore, satellite observations show AOT to NO2 ratios are a factor 100 higher over biomass burning regions than over industrialized areas, reflecting the unregulated burning practices with strong primary particle emissions in the tropics compared to the heavily controlled combustion processes in the industrialized Northern Hemisphere. Simulations with a global chemistry transport model (GEOS-Chem) capture most of these variations, although on regional scales significant differences are found. Wintertime aerosol concentrations show strongest correlations with NO2 throughout most of the

Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) is a technique to measure trace gas amounts in the lower troposphere from ground-based scattered sunlight observations. MAX-DOAS observations are especially suitable for validation of tropospheric trace gas observations from satellite, since they have a representative range of several kilometers, both in the horizontal and in the vertical dimension. A two-step retrieval scheme is presented here, to derive aerosol corrected tropospheric NO2 columns from MAX-DOAS observations. In a first step, boundary layer aerosols, characterized in terms of aerosol optical thickness (AOT), are estimated from relative intensity observations, which are defined as the ratio of the sky radiance at elevation a and the sky radiance in the zenith. Relative intensity measurements have the advantage of a strong dependence on boundary layer AOT and almost no dependence on boundary layer height. In a second step, tropospheric NO2 columns are derived from differential slant columns, based on AOT-dependent air mass factors. This two-step retrieval scheme was applied to cloud free periods in a twelve month data set of observations in De Bilt, The Netherlands. In a comparison with AERONET (Cabauw site) a mean difference in AOT (AERONET minus MAX-DOAS) of -0.01±0.08 was found, and a correlation of 0.85. Tropospheric-NO2 columns were compared with OMI-satellite tropospheric NO2. For ground-based observations restricted to uncertainties below 10%, no significant difference was found, and a correlation of 0.88.

Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) is a technique to measure trace gas amounts in the lower troposphere from ground-based scattered sunlight observations. MAX-DOAS observations are especially suitable for validation of tropospheric trace gas observations from satellite, since they have a representative range of several kilometers, both in the horizontal and in the vertical dimension. A two-step retrieval scheme is presented here, to derive aerosol corrected tropospheric NO2 columns from MAX-DOAS observations. In a first step, boundary layer aerosols, characterized in terms of aerosol optical thickness (AOT), are estimated from relative intensity observations, which are defined as the ratio of the sky radiance at elevation a and the sky radiance in the zenith. Relative intensity measurements have the advantage of a strong dependence on boundary layer AOT and almost no dependence on boundary layer height. In a second step, tropospheric NO2 columns are derived from differential slant columns, based on AOT-dependent air mass factors. This two-step retrieval scheme was applied to cloud free periods in a twelve month data set of observations in De Bilt, The Netherlands. In a comparison with AERONET (Cabauw site) a mean difference in AOT (AERONET minus MAX-DOAS) of -0.01±0.08 was found, and a correlation of 0.85. Tropospheric-NO2 columns were compared with OMI-satellite tropospheric NO2. For ground-based observations restricted to uncertainties below 10%, no significant difference was found, and a correlation of 0.88.

Estimates of the radiative forcing due to anthropogenically-produced tropospheric O3 are derived primarily from models. Here, we use tropospheric ozone and cloud data from several instruments in the A-train constellation of satellites as well as information from the GEOS-5 Data Assimilation System to accurately estimate the radiative effect of tropospheric O3 for January and July 2005. Since we cannot distinguish between natural and anthropogenic sources with the satellite data, our derived radiative effect reflects the unadjusted (instantaneous) effect of the total tropospheric O3 rather than the anthropogenic component. We improve upon previous estimates of tropospheric ozone mixing ratios from a residual approach using the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) by incorporating cloud pressure information from OMI. We focus specifically on the magnitude and spatial structure of the cloud effect on both the short- and long-wave radiative budget. The estimates presented here can be used to evaluate the various aspects of model-generated radiative forcing. For example, our derived cloud impact is to reduce the radiative effect of tropospheric ozone by ~16%. This is centered within the published range of model-produced cloud effect on unadjusted ozone radiative forcing.

We have compared spectral ultraviolet overpass irradiances from the Ozone Monitoring Instruments (OMI) against ground-based Brewer measurements at Thessaloniki, Greece from September 2004 to December 2007. It is demonstrated that OMI overestimates UV irradiances by 30%, 17% and 13% for 305 nm, 324 nm, and 380 nm respectively and 20% for erythemally weighted irradiance. The bias between OMI and Brewer increases with increasing aerosol absorption optical thickness. We present methodologies that can be applied for correcting this bias based on experimental results derived from the comparison period and also theoretical approaches using radiative transfer model calculations. All correction approaches minimize the bias and the standard deviation of the ratio OMI versus Brewer ratio. According to the results, the best correction approach suggests that the OMI UV product has to be multiplied by a correction factor CA(¿) of the order of 0.8, 0.88 and 0.9 for 305 nm, 324 nm and 380 nm respectively. Limitations and possibilities for applying such methodologies in a global scale are also discussed.

Estimates of the radiative forcing due to anthropogenically-produced tropospheric O3 are derived primarily from models. Here, we use tropospheric ozone and cloud data from several instruments in the A-train constellation of satellites as well as information from the GEOS-5 Data Assimilation System to accurately estimate the radiative effect of tropospheric O3 for January and July 2005. Since we cannot distinguish between natural and anthropogenic sources with the satellite data, our derived radiative effect reflects the unadjusted (instantaneous) effect of the total tropospheric O3 rather than the anthropogenic component. We improve upon previous estimates of tropospheric ozone mixing ratios from a residual approach using the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) by incorporating cloud pressure information from OMI. We focus specifically on the magnitude and spatial structure of the cloud effect on both the short- and long-wave radiative budget. The estimates presented here can be used to evaluate the various aspects of model-generated radiative forcing. For example, our derived cloud impact is to reduce the radiative effect of tropospheric ozone by ~16%. This is centered within the published range of model-produced cloud effect on unadjusted ozone radiative forcing.

We have compared spectral ultraviolet overpass irradiances from the Ozone Monitoring Instruments (OMI) against ground-based Brewer measurements at Thessaloniki, Greece from September 2004 to December 2007. It is demonstrated that OMI overestimates UV irradiances by 30%, 17% and 13% for 305 nm, 324 nm, and 380 nm respectively and 20% for erythemally weighted irradiance. The bias between OMI and Brewer increases with increasing aerosol absorption optical thickness. We present methodologies that can be applied for correcting this bias based on experimental results derived from the comparison period and also theoretical approaches using radiative transfer model calculations. All correction approaches minimize the bias and the standard deviation of the ratio OMI versus Brewer ratio. According to the results, the best correction approach suggests that the OMI UV product has to be multiplied by a correction factor CA(¿) of the order of 0.8, 0.88 and 0.9 for 305 nm, 324 nm and 380 nm respectively. Limitations and possibilities for applying such methodologies in a global scale are also discussed.

We have constructed a new high resolution solar reference spectrum in the spectral range between 250 and 550 nm. The primary use of this spectrum is for the calibration of the Dutch¿-¿Finnish Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), but other applications are mentioned. The incentive for deriving a new high resolution solar reference spectrum is that available spectra do not meet our requirements on radiometric accuracy or spectral resolution. In this paper we explain the steps involved in constructing the new spectrum, based on available low and high resolution spectra and discuss the main sources of uncertainty. We compare the result with solar measurements obtained with the OMI as well as with other UV-VIS space-borne spectrometers with a similar spectral resolution. We obtain excellent agreement with the OMI measurements, which indicates that both the newly derived solar reference spectrum and our characterization of the OMI instrument are well understood. We also find good agreement with previously published low resolution spectra. The absolute intensity scale, wavelength calibration and representation of the strength of the Fraunhofer lines have been investigated and optimized to obtain the resulting high resolution solar reference spectrum. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. U7 - Export Date: 2 August 2010 U7 - Source: Scopus

Resolution of important outstanding questions in air quality, climate change and ozone layer stability demands global observations of multiple chemical species with high horizontal and vertical resolution from the boundary layer to the stratopause. We present a mission concept that delivers the needed atmospheric composition observations, along with cloud ice and water vapor data needed for improvements in climate and weather forecasting models. The mission comprises ultraviolet and infrared nadir and microwave limb viewing instruments observing wide swaths each orbit. We review the scientific goals of the mission and the measurement capabilities this concept will deliver. We describe how precessing orbits offer significant improvements in temporal resolution and diurnal coverage compared to sun-synchronous orbits. Such improvements are needed to quantify the impact of critical "fast processes" such as deep convection on the composition and radiative properties of the upper troposphere, a region where water vapor and ozone are strong but poorly understood greenhouse gases. This concept can serve as the "Global Atmospheric Composition Mission" (GACM) recently recommended by the National Academy of Sciences decadal survey as one of 17 priority earth science missions for the coming decade. ©2008 IEEE. U7 - Export Date: 2 August 2010 U7 - Source: Scopus U7 - Art. No.: 4526243

We have constructed a new high resolution solar reference spectrum in the spectral range between 250 and 550 nm. The primary use of this spectrum is for the calibration of the Dutch¿-¿Finnish Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), but other applications are mentioned. The incentive for deriving a new high resolution solar reference spectrum is that available spectra do not meet our requirements on radiometric accuracy or spectral resolution. In this paper we explain the steps involved in constructing the new spectrum, based on available low and high resolution spectra and discuss the main sources of uncertainty. We compare the result with solar measurements obtained with the OMI as well as with other UV-VIS space-borne spectrometers with a similar spectral resolution. We obtain excellent agreement with the OMI measurements, which indicates that both the newly derived solar reference spectrum and our characterization of the OMI instrument are well understood. We also find good agreement with previously published low resolution spectra. The absolute intensity scale, wavelength calibration and representation of the strength of the Fraunhofer lines have been investigated and optimized to obtain the resulting high resolution solar reference spectrum. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. U7 - Export Date: 2 August 2010 U7 - Source: Scopus

The TROPOMI instrument concept is part of the TRAQ mission proposal to ESA in response to the Call for Ideas in 2005. TRAQ (TRopospheric composition and Air Quality) has been accepted for a further pre-phase A study for the next Earth Explorer core Mission. A very similar instrument has been proposed for the CAMEO platform to the US National Research Council decadal study, which has also been accepted for further study. TROPOMI is a nadir-viewing grating-based imaging spectrometer using the Dutch OMI and SCIAMACHY heritage. It includes an UV-VIS-NIR module that consists of three UV-VIS channels continuously covering the 270-490 nm range to determine O3, NO2, HCHO, SO 2, aerosols and a NIR-channel covering 710-775 nm for cloud detection and information on the aerosol height distribution using the oxygen A band. TROPOMI also includes a SWIR module covering 2305-2385 nm that mainly focuses on determination of CO and CH4 total columns. All species are measured with sensitivity down to the Earth's surface, thus addressing issues of anthropogenic emissions and their impact on air quality and climate. In the TRAQ mission, unique diurnal time sampling with up to 5 daytime observations over midlatitude regions (Europe, North-America, China) is foreseen by using a non-sun-synchronous, medium-inclination drifting orbit and a 2600 km wide observational swath. Several more general aspects related to the TROPOMI instrument are discussed in a separate paper in this conference. This paper focuses on the development of the SWIR module. A breadboard model (BBM) has been designed and constructed which is as much as possible functionally flight representative. Critical technologies to be demonstrated with the BBM are the SWIR HgCdTe-based 2D focal plane array, the on-board SWIR calibration LED, and in particular, the SRON/TNO developed silicon-based immersed grating that allows a hugely reduced instrument volume. In the presentation the results of a performance analysis of the TROPOMI

TROPOMI is a nadir-viewing grating-based imaging spectrograph in the line of OMI and SCIAMACHY. TROPOMI is part of the ESA Candidate Core Explorer Mission proposal TRAQ and also of the CAMEO satellite proposed for the US NRC decadal study. A TROPOMI-like instrument is part of the ESA/EU Sentinel 4&5 pre-phase A studies. TROPOMI covers the OMI wavelengths of 270-490 nm to measure O3, NO2, HCHO, SO2 and aerosols and adds a NIR channel and a SWIR module. The NIR-channel (710-775 nm) is used for improved cloud detection and aerosol height distribution. The SWIR module (2305 - 2385 nm) measures CO and CH4 and forms a separate module because of its thermal requirements. TROPOMI is a non-scanning instrument with an OMI-like telescope but optimized to have smaller ground pixels (10 × 10 km2) and sufficient signal-to-noise for dark scenes (albedo 2 %). TROPOMI has the same wide swath as OMI (2600 km). In TRAQ's mid-inclination orbit, this allows up to 5 daytime observations over mid-latitude regions (Europe, North-America, China). The paper gives a description of the TROPOMI instrument and focuses on several important aspects of the design, for example the sun calibration and detector selection status.

We present a new algorithm for the near-real time retrieval – within 3 h of the actual satellite measurement – of tropospheric NO2 columns from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The retrieval is based on the combined retrieval-assimilation-modelling approach developed at KNMI for off-line tropospheric NO2 from the GOME and SCIAMACHY satellite instruments. We have adapted the off-line system such that the required a priori information – profile shapes and stratospheric background NO2 – is now immediately available upon arrival (within 80 min of observation) of the OMI NO2 slant columns and cloud data at KNMI. Slant columns for NO2 are retrieved using differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) in the 405–465 nm range. Cloud fraction and cloud pressure are provided by a new cloud retrieval algorithm that uses the absorption of the O2-O2 collision complex near 477 nm. On-line availability of stratospheric slant columns and NO2 profiles is achieved by running the TM4 chemistry transport model (CTM) forward in time based on forecast ECMWF meteo and assimilated NO2 information from all previously observed orbits. OMI NO2 slant columns, after correction for spurious across-track variability, show a random error for individual pixels of approximately 0.7×10¹5 molec cm¿². Cloud parameters from OMI's O2-O2 algorithm have similar frequency distributions as retrieved from SCIAMACHY's Fast Retrieval Scheme for Cloud Observables (FRESCO) for August 2006. On average, OMI cloud fractions are higher by 0.011, and OMI cloud pressures exceed FRESCO cloud pressures by 60 hPa. A sequence of OMI observations over Europe in October 2005 shows OMI's capability to track changeable NOx air pollution from day to day in cloud-free situations.

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is an imaging UV-VIS solar backscatter spectrometer and is designed and used primarily to retrieve trace gases like O3 and NO2 from the measured Earth reflectance spectrum in the UV-visible (270–500 nm). However, also aerosols are an important science target of OMI. The multi-wavelength algorithm is used to retrieve aerosol parameters from OMI spectral reflectance measurements in up to 20 wavelength bands. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is performed to quantify the information content of OMI reflectance measurements on aerosols and to assess the capability of the multi-wavelength algorithm to discern various aerosol types. This analysis is applied to synthetic reflectance measurements for desert dust, biomass burning aerosols, and weakly absorbing anthropogenic aerosol with a variety of aerosol optical thicknesses, aerosol layer altitudes, refractive indices and size distributions. The range of aerosol parameters considered covers the natural variability of tropospheric aerosols. This theoretical analysis is performed for a large number of scenarios with various geometries and surface albedo spectra for ocean, soil and vegetation. When the surface albedo spectrum is accurately known and clouds are absent, OMI reflectance measurements have 2 to 4 degrees of freedom that can be attributed to aerosol parameters. This information content depends on the observation geometry and the surface albedo spectrum. An additional wavelength band is evaluated, that comprises the O2-O2 absorption band at a wavelength of 477 nm. It is found that this wavelength band adds significantly more information than any other individual band.

Sulfate aerosol produced after injection of sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the stratosphere by volcanic eruptions can trigger climate change. We present new satellite data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) missions that reveal the composition, structure and longevity of a stratospheric SO2 cloud and derived sulfate layer following a modest eruption (0.2 Tg total S02) of Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat on 20 May 2006. The SO2 cloud alone was tracked for over 3 weeks and a distance of over 20 000 km; unprecedented for an eruption of this size. Derived sulfate aerosol at an altitude of ~20 km had circled the globe by 22 June and remained visible in CALIPSO data until at least 6 July. These synergistic NASA A-Train observations permit a new appreciation of the potential effects of frequent, small-to-moderate volcanic eruptions on stratospheric composition and climate. U7 - Export Date: 2 August 2010 U7 - Source: Scopus

We present a new algorithm for the near-real time retrieval – within 3 h of the actual satellite measurement – of tropospheric NO2 columns from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The retrieval is based on the combined retrieval-assimilation-modelling approach developed at KNMI for off-line tropospheric NO2 from the GOME and SCIAMACHY satellite instruments. We have adapted the off-line system such that the required a priori information – profile shapes and stratospheric background NO2 – is now immediately available upon arrival (within 80 min of observation) of the OMI NO2 slant columns and cloud data at KNMI. Slant columns for NO2 are retrieved using differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) in the 405–465 nm range. Cloud fraction and cloud pressure are provided by a new cloud retrieval algorithm that uses the absorption of the O2-O2 collision complex near 477 nm. On-line availability of stratospheric slant columns and NO2 profiles is achieved by running the TM4 chemistry transport model (CTM) forward in time based on forecast ECMWF meteo and assimilated NO2 information from all previously observed orbits. OMI NO2 slant columns, after correction for spurious across-track variability, show a random error for individual pixels of approximately 0.7×10¹5 molec cm¿². Cloud parameters from OMI's O2-O2 algorithm have similar frequency distributions as retrieved from SCIAMACHY's Fast Retrieval Scheme for Cloud Observables (FRESCO) for August 2006. On average, OMI cloud fractions are higher by 0.011, and OMI cloud pressures exceed FRESCO cloud pressures by 60 hPa. A sequence of OMI observations over Europe in October 2005 shows OMI's capability to track changeable NOx air pollution from day to day in cloud-free situations.

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is an imaging UV-VIS solar backscatter spectrometer and is designed and used primarily to retrieve trace gases like O3 and NO2 from the measured Earth reflectance spectrum in the UV-visible (270–500 nm). However, also aerosols are an important science target of OMI. The multi-wavelength algorithm is used to retrieve aerosol parameters from OMI spectral reflectance measurements in up to 20 wavelength bands. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is performed to quantify the information content of OMI reflectance measurements on aerosols and to assess the capability of the multi-wavelength algorithm to discern various aerosol types. This analysis is applied to synthetic reflectance measurements for desert dust, biomass burning aerosols, and weakly absorbing anthropogenic aerosol with a variety of aerosol optical thicknesses, aerosol layer altitudes, refractive indices and size distributions. The range of aerosol parameters considered covers the natural variability of tropospheric aerosols. This theoretical analysis is performed for a large number of scenarios with various geometries and surface albedo spectra for ocean, soil and vegetation. When the surface albedo spectrum is accurately known and clouds are absent, OMI reflectance measurements have 2 to 4 degrees of freedom that can be attributed to aerosol parameters. This information content depends on the observation geometry and the surface albedo spectrum. An additional wavelength band is evaluated, that comprises the O2-O2 absorption band at a wavelength of 477 nm. It is found that this wavelength band adds significantly more information than any other individual band.

Sulfate aerosol produced after injection of sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the stratosphere by volcanic eruptions can trigger climate change. We present new satellite data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) missions that reveal the composition, structure and longevity of a stratospheric SO2 cloud and derived sulfate layer following a modest eruption (0.2 Tg total S02) of Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat on 20 May 2006. The SO2 cloud alone was tracked for over 3 weeks and a distance of over 20 000 km; unprecedented for an eruption of this size. Derived sulfate aerosol at an altitude of ~20 km had circled the globe by 22 June and remained visible in CALIPSO data until at least 6 July. These synergistic NASA A-Train observations permit a new appreciation of the potential effects of frequent, small-to-moderate volcanic eruptions on stratospheric composition and climate. U7 - Export Date: 2 August 2010 U7 - Source: Scopus

TROPOMI (Tropospheric Ozone-Monitoring Instrument) is a five-channel UV-VIS-NIR-SWIR non-scanning nadir viewing imaging spectrometer that combines a wide swath (114°) with high spatial resolution (10 × 10 km 2). The instrument heritage consists of GOME on ERS-2, SCIAMACHY on Envisat and, especially, OMI on EOS-Aura. TROPOMI has even smaller ground pixels than OMI-Aura but still exceeds OMI's signal-to-noise performance. These improvements optimize the possibility to retrieve tropospheric trace gases. In addition, the SWIR capabilities of TROPOMI are far better than SCIAMACHY's both in terms of spatial resolution and signal to noise performance. TROPOMI is part of the TRAQ payload, a mission proposed in response to ESA's EOEP call. The TRAQ mission will fly in a non-sun synchronous drifting orbit at about 720 km altitude providing nearly global coverage. TROPOMI measures in the UV-visible wavelength region (270-490 nm), in a near-infrared channel (NIR) in the 710-775 nm range and has a shortwave infrared channel (SWIR) near 2.3 μm. The wide swath angle, in combination with the drifting orbit, allows measuring a location up to 5 times a day at 1.5-hour intervals. The spectral resolution is about 0.45 nm for UV-VIS-NIR and 0.25 nm for SWIR. Radiometric calibration will be maintained via solar irradiance measurements using various diffusers. The instrument will carry on-board calibration sources like LEDs and a white light source. Innovative aspects include the use of improved detectors in order to improve the radiation hardness and the spatial sampling capabilities. Column densities of trace gases (NO2, O3, SO2 and HCHO) will be derived using primarily the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) method. The NIR channel serves to obtain information on clouds and the aerosol height distribution that is needed for tropospheric retrievals. A trade-off study will be conducted whether the SWIR channel, included to determine column densities of CO and CH4, will be

An NMR study on ethane and five isotopomers dissolved in the nematic liquid crystal Merck ZLI 1132 is performed. A consistent set of dipolar and quadrupolar couplings is obtained. The dipolar couplings are corrected for harmonic vibrational effects, while the contribution from the torsional motion is incorporated classically. The corrected dipolar couplings cannot be understood in terms of a reasonable molecular structure unless effects of the reorientation - vibration interaction are taken into account. Assuming that the reorientation-vibration contributions that are known for the methyl group in methyl fluoride are transferable to ethane, excellent agreement between observed and calculated dipolar couplings is obtained on the basis of the ethane gas-phase structure. The observed and calculated deuterium quadrupolar couplings show discrepancies supporting the notion that average electric field gradients are important in liquid-crystal solvents. An important consequence of the transferability of the reorientation - vibration correlation is that in other molecules with a methyl group the same procedure as for ethane can be followed. Inclusion of this effect generally removes the need to interpret changes in observed dipolar couplings in terms of elusive chemical effects. © 2005 American Chemical Society.

An NMR study on ethane and five isotopomers dissolved in the nematic liquid crystal Merck ZLI 1132 is performed. A consistent set of dipolar and quadrupolar couplings is obtained. The dipolar couplings are corrected for harmonic vibrational effects, while the contribution from the torsional motion is incorporated classically. The corrected dipolar couplings cannot be understood in terms of a reasonable molecular structure unless effects of the reorientation - vibration interaction are taken into account. Assuming that the reorientation-vibration contributions that are known for the methyl group in methyl fluoride are transferable to ethane, excellent agreement between observed and calculated dipolar couplings is obtained on the basis of the ethane gas-phase structure. The observed and calculated deuterium quadrupolar couplings show discrepancies supporting the notion that average electric field gradients are important in liquid-crystal solvents. An important consequence of the transferability of the reorientation - vibration correlation is that in other molecules with a methyl group the same procedure as for ethane can be followed. Inclusion of this effect generally removes the need to interpret changes in observed dipolar couplings in terms of elusive chemical effects. © 2005 American Chemical Society.

The method of pulsed cavity-ring-down spectroscopy was employed to record the water vapor absorption spectrum in the wavelength range 555-604 nm. The spectrum consists of 1830 lines, calibrated against the iodine standard with an accuracy of 0.01 cm

The method of pulsed cavity-ring-down spectroscopy was employed to record the water vapor absorption spectrum in the wavelength range 555-604 nm. The spectrum consists of 1830 lines, calibrated against the iodine standard with an accuracy of 0.01 cm