Nitrogen oxides in the global upper troposphere: interpreting cloud-sliced NO<sub>2</sub> observations from the OMI satellite instrument

E. A. Marais; E. A. Marais; E. A. Marais; D. J. Jacob; D. J. Jacob; S. Choi; J. Joiner; J. Joiner; M. Belmonte-Rivas; R. C. Cohen; R. C. Cohen; S. Beirle; L. T. Murray; L. D. Schiferl; L. D. Schiferl; V. Shah; L. Jaeglé

doi:10.5194/acp-18-17017-2018

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Nov 2018)

Nitrogen oxides in the global upper troposphere: interpreting cloud-sliced NO<sub>2</sub> observations from the OMI satellite instrument

E. A. Marais,
E. A. Marais,
E. A. Marais,
D. J. Jacob,
D. J. Jacob,
S. Choi,
J. Joiner,
J. Joiner,
M. Belmonte-Rivas,
R. C. Cohen,
R. C. Cohen,
S. Beirle,
L. T. Murray,
L. D. Schiferl,
L. D. Schiferl,
V. Shah,
L. Jaeglé

Affiliations

E. A. Marais: School of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
E. A. Marais: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
E. A. Marais: now at: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
D. J. Jacob: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
D. J. Jacob: Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
S. Choi: Science Systems and Applications Inc., Lanham, MD, USA
J. Joiner: Science Systems and Applications Inc., Lanham, MD, USA
J. Joiner: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
M. Belmonte-Rivas: Royal Netherlands Meteorology Institute, De Bilt, the Netherlands
R. C. Cohen: Department of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
R. C. Cohen: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
S. Beirle: Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Mainz, Germany
L. T. Murray: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
L. D. Schiferl: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
L. D. Schiferl: now at: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA
V. Shah: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
L. Jaeglé: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17017-2018
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 18
pp. 17017 – 17027

Abstract

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Nitrogen oxides (NOx≡NO+NO2) in the upper troposphere (UT) have a large impact on global tropospheric ozone and OH (the main atmospheric oxidant). New cloud-sliced observations of UT NO2 at 450–280 hPa (∼6–9 km) from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) produced by NASA and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) provide global coverage to test our understanding of the factors controlling UT NOx. We find that these products offer useful information when averaged over coarse scales (20∘×32∘, seasonal), and that the NASA product is more consistent with aircraft observations of UT NO2. Correlation with Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) and Optical Transient Detector (OTD) satellite observations of lightning flash frequencies suggests that lightning is the dominant source of NOx to the upper troposphere except for extratropical latitudes in winter. The NO2 background in the absence of lightning is 10–20 pptv. We infer a global mean NOx yield of 280±80 moles per lightning flash, with no significant difference between the tropics and midlatitudes, and a global lightning NOx source of 5.9±1.7 Tg N a−1. There is indication that the NOx yield per flash increases with lightning flash footprint and with flash energy.

Published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

ISSN: 1680-7316 (Print); 1680-7324 (Online)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Science: Physics; Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/

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