Background nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over the United States and its implications for satellite observations and trends: effects of nitrate photolysis, aircraft, and open fires
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Published:2023-06-07
Issue:11
Volume:23
Page:6271-6284
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ISSN:1680-7324
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Container-title:Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Atmos. Chem. Phys.
Author:
Dang RuijunORCID, Jacob Daniel J., Shah Viral, Eastham Sebastian D.ORCID, Fritz Thibaud M.ORCID, Mickley Loretta J., Liu Tianjia, Wang Yi, Wang JunORCID
Abstract
Abstract. Tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) measured from
satellites has been widely used to track anthropogenic NOx emissions,
but its retrieval and interpretation can be complicated by the free tropospheric NO2 background to which satellite measurements are
particularly sensitive. Tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities
(VCDs) from the spaceborne Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) averaged over the contiguous US
(CONUS) show no trend after 2009, despite sustained decreases in
anthropogenic NOx emissions, implying an important and rising
contribution from the free tropospheric background. Here, we use the
GEOS-Chem chemical transport model applied to the simulation of OMI NO2
to better understand the sources and trends of background NO2 over
CONUS. The previous model underestimate of the background is largely corrected
by the consideration of aerosol nitrate photolysis, which increases the
model NO2 VCDs by 13 % on an annual basis (25 % in spring) and
also increases the air mass factor (AMF) to convert the tropospheric slant
column densities (SCDs) inferred from the OMI spectra into VCDs by 7 % on
an annual basis (11 % in spring). The increase in the AMF decreases the
retrieved NO2 VCDs in the satellite observations, contributing to the
improved agreement with the model. Accounting for the 2009–2017 increase in
aircraft NOx emissions drives only a 1.4 % mean increase in NO2
VCDs over CONUS and a 2 % increase in the AMF, but the combination of
decreasing surface NOx emissions and increasing aircraft emissions is
expected to drive a 14 % increase in the AMF over the next decade that
will be necessary to account for in the interpretation of satellite NO2
trends. Fire smoke identification with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hazard Mapping System (HMS)
indicates that wildfires contribute 1 %–8 % of OMI NO2 VCDs over the
western US in June–September and that this contribution has been increasing
since 2009, contributing to the flattening of OMI NO2 trends. Future
analyses of NO2 trends from satellite data to infer trends in surface
NOx emissions must critically consider the effects of a rising free tropospheric background due to increasing emissions from aircraft, fires,
and possibly lightning.
Funder
National Aeronautics and Space Administration U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
Atmospheric Science
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