Combining MOPITT

1
Combining MOPITT Other Satellite Data to Study
Tropospheric Transport Ozone Chemistry
David P. Edwards, John C. Gille, the NCAR
MOPITT Team NCAR, Boulder CO, USA James R.
Drummond, the Toronto MOPITT Team University
of Toronto, Toronto ON, Canada
2
Tropospheric Chemistry and Biomass Burning

• Tropical biomass burning for cultivation,
  deforestation, and savanna grazing, is a major
  forcing of tropospheric photochemistry
• Large amounts of CO and CH4 are emitted by the
  smouldering fires
• Oxidation of these gases by OH in the presence of
  NOx, either from biomass burning or from
  lightning sources, leads to high levels of O3
• Until recently, tropospheric studies have relied
  on field campaigns, regular groundbased and
  aircraft measurements, together with an important
  input from chemical-transport modeling

Satellite remote sensing offers a new and
exciting way to make global measurements over
extended periods of time, and will hopefully add
the larger geographical and seasonal context to
point measurements
David Edwards, NCAR
3
The New MOPITT V3 Data 700 hPa 1-12 Nov. 2000
Improved global coverage Improved
calibration Provisional level of validation
The global impact of biomass burning on the
tropical CO distribution is very apparent
David Edwards, NCAR
4
Combining sensor data to provide a clearer
picture of tropospheric chemistry Tropospheric
Ozone in the South Atlantic

• Analysis of the fire count data from TRMM/VIRS
  shows that the maximum southern burning season
  occurs in ASO
• High EP/TOMS tropical tropospheric ozone values
  correlate well with the burning plume as
  indicated by the high CO levels measured by MOPITT

David Edwards, NCAR
5
Providing global context to local measurements
Long-range transport of biomass burning products
October 1-15, 2001

• MOPITT and ground-based FTIR CO total column
  measurements taken at Lauder, New Zealand.
• The plume from biomass burning causes a peak in
  the measured CO in the usually clean air over New
  Zealand

FTIR data N. Pougatchev, NASA N. Jones, NIWA
David Edwards, NCAR
6
CO Plumes Observed During TRACE-P

• The NASA/GTE TRACE-P aircraft campaign was
  conducted over the western Pacific during
  Feb-Apr, 2001
• Goal to study the outflow of Asian pollution
  resulting from biomass burning and industry
• MOPITT data over the western Pacific were
  provided to TRACE-P in near-real-time for use in
  flight planning

David Edwards, NCAR
7
The Tropical Tropospheric Ozone Paradox
EP/TOMS tropospheric ozone column from the
modified residual method
(TRMM/VIRS) fire product
Most of the NH biomass burning occurs north of
the ITCZ, while the maximum tropical tropospheric
O3 columns are noted south of the ITCZ leading to
the ozone reversal - Thompson et al., GRL 27,
3317 2000
David Edwards, NCAR
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Terra/MOPITT CO

• Good correlation is seen between the low altitude
  MOPITT CO plume and the positions of the
  Springtime fires
• Emissions are carried by the NE Harmattan flow to
  the ITCZ with subsequent convection and
  inter-hemispheric transport
• The latitudinal gradient of CO reverses at high
  altitude, with maximum values observed in the SH
  over Gulf of Guinea However

350 hPa
CONCLUSION 1 The NH Springtime fire plume does
not extend far enough South to explain the TOMS
O3 maximum in the southern tropical Atlantic
700 hPa
MOPITT monthly mean gridded CO for Jan. 01
ppbv
David Edwards, NCAR
9
ERS-2/GOME TroposphericVertical Column NO2
Andreas Richter, University of Bremen

• GOME residual tropospheric NO2 vertical columns
  also show good correlation with fire locations
• Resulting distribution is similar to the CO
  plumes observed by MOPITT
• Industrial hotspots are also evident over Lagos
  and Johannesburg
• High NO2 over southern Africa is most likely a
  signature of lightning in the area

Jan. 2001 mean GOME tropospheric NO2
David Edwards, NCAR
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The Role of Lightning

• Observations of lightning flashes by the TRMM/LIS
  instrument show significant activity over
  southern Africa
• Upper troposphere lightning NOx is a precursor
  to O3
• Ozone is formed over Africa and in the plume
  extending westward into the Atlantic

LIS Lightning Distribution Jan. 2001
CONCLUSION 2 The lightning NOx is most likely
responsible for the tropical SH tropospheric
ozone maximum observed by TOMS
David Edwards, NCAR
11
(No Transcript)
12
Rocky Mountain Fires Terra/MODIS June 10 2002
Hayman
Missionary Ridge
Ponil
David Edwards, NCAR
13
MOPITT 700 hPa CO From Western Fires
David Edwards, NCAR
14
Smoke over Eastern Canada/USA
MODIS fires and smoke
MOPITT CO Column
July 1-8 2002
July 8 2002
Charles Ichoku, NASA GSFC
David Edwards, NCAR
15
MODIS
MODIS Aerosol MOPITT CO

• Reasonable correlation is obtained between MODIS
  fine mode aerosol and MOPITT CO column averaged
  over Sept. 2000
• Both CO and fine mode aerosol are produced by
  urban pollution, industrial combustion, and
  biomass burning

Fine Mode AOT
Yoram Kaufman, NASA GSFC
MOPITT
CO Column
David Edwards, NCAR
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Summary

• The new tropospheric satellite sensor data will
  play an increasingly important role in explaining
  chemistry and transport processes
• This will be complimentary to continued in-situ
  measurements and modeling studies
• The potential for combining measurements from
  several sensors provides a powerful tool for
  investigating the tropospheric production of
  ozone precursors
• MOPITT MODIS offer the possibility of combining
  CO and fine/coarse particle measurements to
  examine the chemical origin and transport of
  anthropogenic aerosol
• MOPITT CO provides a clear picture of the
  pollution plumes that result from fires biomass
  burning and can be used to study convection and
  advection processes
• Ongoing studies are using data from several
  satellite sensors to help distinguish biomass
  burning, lightning, and biogenic sources of O3
  precursors to further explain the seasonal
  variation of the tropospheric O3 distribution

David Edwards, NCAR
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MOPITT Mission Status

• MOPITT CO V2 data from the first year are
  available at NASA LaRC DAAC
• New V3 CO data are currently being delivered
• Instrument experienced two problems last year
• May Cooler failure which resulted in the loss of
  4 of the 8 channels
• August Chopper failure for 2 of the remaining
  channels, luckily in the open position so
  allowing the data to be used with modified
  calibration
• Instrument is now back in science mode and a CO
  product is being retrieved with vertical
  resolution comparable to the first year of data
• Problems with the solar reflectance channels are
  finally being resolved, and a CH4 total
  column product and improved CO boundary layer
  sensitivity should be possible in the near-future
• Further info at MOPITT web site
  http//www.eos.ucar.edu/mopitt/