Ground-based remote sensing of nitrous oxide (N2O) over Hefei, eastern China from high-resolution solar spectra

Abstract

We for the first time demonstrate ground-based remote sensing of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) over Hefei in eastern China from high resolution Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) solar spectra. We have retrieved Column-averaged Abundance of N2O ([Formula: see text]) from both Near-Infrared (NIR, 4000 to 11,000 cm−1) and Mid-Infrared (MIR, 2400 to 3200 cm−1) solar spectra and inspected their agreement. Generally, NIR and MIR measurements agree well with a correlation coefficient of 0.86 and an average difference of (1.33 ± 4.05) ppbv (NIR – MIR). By correcting the bias of the two datasets, we combine the NIR and MIR measurements to investigate seasonality and inter-annual trend of [Formula: see text] over Hefei. The observed monthly mean time series of [Formula: see text] minimize in June and maximize in September, with values of (316.55 ± 12.22) ppbv and (322.05 ± 12.93) ppbv, respectively. The [Formula: see text] time series from 2015 to 2020 showed an inter-annual trend of (0.53 ± 0.10) %/year over Hefei, China. We also compared the FTIR [Formula: see text] observations with GEOS-Chem model [Formula: see text] simulations. They are in reasonable agreement with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.71, but GEOS-Chem model underestimated the seasonality of the observations. This study can enhance current knowledge of ground-based high-resolution FTIR remote sensing of N2O in the atmosphere and contribute to generating a new reliable N2O dataset for climate change research.

Keywords

• Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
• remote sensing
• high resolution
• Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR)