Nitrogen dioxide observations from the Geostationary Trace gas  and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GeoTASO) airborne instrument:  Retrieval algorithm and measurements during DISCOVER-AQ Texas 2013

C. R. Nowlan; X. Liu; J. W. Leitch; K. Chance; G. González Abad; C. Liu; P. Zoogman; J. Cole; T. Delker; W. Good; F. Murcray; L. Ruppert; D. Soo; M. B. Follette-Cook; S. J. Janz; M. G. Kowalewski; C. P. Loughner; K. E. Pickering; J. R. Herman; M. R. Beaver; R. W. Long; J. J. Szykman; L. M. Judd; P. Kelley; W. T. Luke; X. Ren; J. A. Al-Saadi

doi:10.5194/amt-9-2647-2016

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (Jun 2016)

Nitrogen dioxide observations from the Geostationary Trace gas and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GeoTASO) airborne instrument: Retrieval algorithm and measurements during DISCOVER-AQ Texas 2013

C. R. Nowlan,
X. Liu,
J. W. Leitch,
K. Chance,
G. González Abad,
C. Liu,
P. Zoogman,
J. Cole,
T. Delker,
W. Good,
F. Murcray,
L. Ruppert,
D. Soo,
M. B. Follette-Cook,
S. J. Janz,
M. G. Kowalewski,
C. P. Loughner,
K. E. Pickering,
J. R. Herman,
M. R. Beaver,
R. W. Long,
J. J. Szykman,
L. M. Judd,
P. Kelley,
W. T. Luke,
X. Ren,
J. A. Al-Saadi

Affiliations

C. R. Nowlan: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
X. Liu: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
J. W. Leitch: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
K. Chance: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
G. González Abad: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
C. Liu: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
P. Zoogman: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
J. Cole: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
T. Delker: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
W. Good: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
F. Murcray: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
L. Ruppert: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
D. Soo: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
M. B. Follette-Cook: Morgan State University/GESTAR, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
S. J. Janz: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
M. G. Kowalewski: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
C. P. Loughner: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
K. E. Pickering: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
J. R. Herman: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
M. R. Beaver: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
R. W. Long: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
J. J. Szykman: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
L. M. Judd: University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
P. Kelley: University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
W. T. Luke: NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, College Park, MD 20740, USA
X. Ren: University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
J. A. Al-Saadi: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-2647-2016
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9, no. 6
pp. 2647 – 2668

Abstract

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The Geostationary Trace gas and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GeoTASO) airborne instrument is a test bed for upcoming air quality satellite instruments that will measure backscattered ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared light from geostationary orbit. GeoTASO flew on the NASA Falcon aircraft in its first intensive field measurement campaign during the Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) Earth Venture Mission over Houston, Texas, in September 2013. Measurements of backscattered solar radiation between 420 and 465 nm collected on 4 days during the campaign are used to determine slant column amounts of NO2 at 250 m × 250 m spatial resolution with a fitting precision of 2.2 × 1015 moleculescm−2. These slant columns are converted to tropospheric NO2 vertical columns using a radiative transfer model and trace gas profiles from the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. Total column NO2 from GeoTASO is well correlated with ground-based Pandora observations (r = 0.90 on the most polluted and cloud-free day of measurements and r = 0.74 overall), with GeoTASO NO2 slightly higher for the most polluted observations. Surface NO2 mixing ratios inferred from GeoTASO using the CMAQ model show good correlation with NO2 measured in situ at the surface during the campaign (r = 0.85). NO2 slant columns from GeoTASO also agree well with preliminary retrievals from the GEO-CAPE Airborne Simulator (GCAS) which flew on the NASA King Air B200 (r = 0.81, slope = 0.91). Enhanced NO2 is resolvable over areas of traffic NOx emissions and near individual petrochemical facilities.

Published in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques

ISSN: 1867-1381 (Print); 1867-8548 (Online)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Technology: Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General): Environmental engineering; Technology: Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General): Earthwork. Foundations
Website: http://www.atmospheric-measurement-techniques.net/home.html

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