Sample records for aura tropospheric emission

  1. NASA Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer TES Instrument Onboard Aura

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-04-01

    Technicians install NASA's Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument on NASA's Aura spacecraft prior to launch. Launched in July 2004 and designed to fly for two years, the TES mission is currently in an extended operations phase. Mission managers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, are evaluating an alternate way to collect and process science data from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument on NASA's Aura spacecraft following the age-related failure of a critical instrument component. TES is an infrared sensor designed to study Earth's troposphere, the lowermost layer of Earth's atmosphere, which is where we live. The remainder of the TES instrument, and the Aura spacecraft itself, are operating as expected, and TES continues to collect science data. TES is one of four instruments on Aura, three of which are still operating. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA15608

  2. Tropospheric and stratospheric ozone from assimilation of Aura data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stajner, I.; Wargan, K.; Chang, L.-P.; Hayashi, H.; Pawwson, S.; Froidevaux, L.; Livesey, N.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2006-01-01

    Ozone is an atmospheric trace gas with multiple impacts on the environment. Global ozone fields are needed for air quality predictions, estimation of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface, climate-radiation studies, and may also have an impact on longer-term weather predictions. We estimate global ozone fields in the stratosphere and troposphere by combining the data from EOS Aura satellite with an ozone model using data assimilation. Ozone exhibits a large temporal variability in the lower stratosphere. Our previous work showed that assimilation of satellite data from limb-sounding geometry helps constrain ozone profiles in that region. We assimilated ozone data from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) into the ozone system at NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). Ozone is transported within a general circulation model (GCM) which includes parameterizations for stratospheric photochemistry, tropospheric chemistry, and a simple scheme for heterogeneous ozone loss. The focus of this study is on the representation of ozone in the lower stratosphere and tropospheric ozone columns. We plan to extend studies of tropospheric ozone distribution through assimilation of ozone data from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). Comparisons with ozone sondes and occultation data show that assimilation of Aura data reproduces ozone gradients and variability in the lower stratosphere well. We proceed by separating the contributions to temporal changes in the ozone field into those that are due to the model and those that are due to the assimilation of Aura data. The impacts of Aura data are illustrated and their role in the representation of ozone variability in the lower stratosphere and troposphere is shown.

  3. Atmospheric retrievals with the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bowman, K. W.

    2003-01-01

    The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on the EOS-Aura spacecraft will measure the global 3-dimensional distribution of ozone in the troposphere and many of the chemical species that are part of its formation and destruction.

  4. Evidence of Convective Redistribution of Carbon Monoxide in Aura Tropospheric Emission Sounder (TES) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Manyin, Michael; Douglass, Anne; Schoeberl, Mark

    2010-01-01

    Vertical convective transport is a key element of the tropospheric circulation. Convection lofts air from the boundary layer into the free troposphere, allowing surface emissions to travel much further, and altering the rate of chemical processes such as ozone production. This study uses satellite observations to focus on the convective transport of CO from the boundary layer to the mid and upper troposphere. Our hypothesis is that strong convection associated with high rain rate regions leads to a correlation between mid level and upper level CO amounts. We first test this hypothesis using the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemistry and transport model. We find the correlation is robust and increases as the precipitation rate (the strength of convection) increases. We next examine three years of CO profiles from the Tropospheric Emission Sounder (TES) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instruments aboard EOS Aura. Rain rates are taken from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B-42 multi-satellite product. Again we find a correlation between mid-level and upper tropospheric CO, which increases with rain rate. Our result shows the critical importance of tropical convection in coupling vertical levels of the troposphere in the transport of trace gases. The effect is seen most clearly in strong convective regions such as the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone.

  5. Rapid increases in tropospheric ozone production and export from China: A view from AURA and TM5

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verstraeten, W. W.; Neu, J. L.; Williams, J. E.; Bowman, K. W.; Worden, J. R.; Boersma, K. F.

    2015-12-01

    Eastern Asia has the fastest growing anthropogenic emissions in the world, possibly affecting both the pollution in the local troposphere as well as in the trans-Pacific region. Local measurements over Asia show that tropospheric ozone (O3) has increased by 1 to 3% per year since the start of the millennium. This increase is often invoked to explain positive tropospheric O3 trends observed in western US, but to date there is no unambiguous evidence showing that enhanced Asian pollution is responsible for these trends. In this research we use observations of tropospheric O3 from TES (Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer, onboard AURA), tropospheric NO2 measurements from OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument, onboard AURA) and lower stratospheric observations of O3 from MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder, onboard AURA) in combination with the TM5 CTM. Satellite-based studies focusing on tropospheric O3 and NO2 have the potential to close the gap left by previous studies on air quality since spaceborne data provide large-scale observational evidence that both O3 precursor concentrations and tropospheric O3 levels are rapidly changing over source receptor areas. We show the increased ability of TM5 to reproduce the 2005-2010 observed rapid rise in free tropospheric O3 of 7% over China from TES, once OMI NO2 measurements were implemented in TM5 to update NOX emissions. MLS observations on lower stratospheric O3 have the potential to improve the stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) estimate in TM5 which is mainly driven by ECMWF meteorological fields. Constraining the TM5 modelled trend of the STE contribution to the 3-9 km partial O3 column using MLS observations of stratospheric O3 lead to a better explanation of the sources of the free tropospheric O3 trends over China. Based on the OMI inferred TM5 updates in NOX emissions, the impact of Asian O3 and its precursors on the free troposphere (3-9 km) over the western US could be quantified. Large import from China offsets the

  6. Tropospheric Ozone from Assimilation of Aura Data using Different Definitions of the Tropopause

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stajner, Ivanka; Wargan, K.; Chang, L.-P.; Hayashi, H.; Pawson, S.; Pawson, Steven; Livesey, N.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2006-01-01

    Ozone data from Aura OMI and MLS instruments were assimilated into the general circulation model (GCM) constrained by assimilated meteorological fields from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA Goddard. Properties of tropospheric ozone and their sensitivity to the definition of the tropopause are investigated. Three definitions of the tropopause are considered: (1) dynamical (using potential vorticity and potential temperature), (2) using temperature lapse rate, and (3) using a fixed ozone value. Comparisons of the tropospheric ozone columns using these tropopause definitions will be presented and evaluated against coincident profiles from ozone sondes. Assimilated ozone profiles are used to identify possible tropopause folding events, which are important for stratosphere-troposphere exchange. Each profile is searched for multiple levels at which ozone attains the value typical of the troposphere-stratosphere transition in order to identify possible tropopause folds. Constrained by the dynamics from a global model and by assimilation of Aura ozone data every 3-hours, this data set provides an opportunity to study ozone evolution in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with high temporal resolution.

  7. Five blind men and an elephant: can NASA Aura measurements quantify the stratosphere-troposphere exchange of ozone flux?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Q.; Prather, M. J.

    2011-09-01

    We examine whether the instantaneous ozone (O3) measurements from the four Aura instruments can quantify the stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) flux of O3, an important term of the tropospheric O3 budget. Comparing the level 2 (L2) Aura swaths and ozone sondes with the coincident, high-resolution (1°×1°×40-layer×0.5 h) simulations using the University of California, Irvine chemistry transport model (CTM) for years 2005-2006, it is revealed in many cases that all four Aura datasets have some skill in catching the STE process, while missing many of them. Despite a few cases, the individual retrievals in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere contain too much noise preventing the quantification and integration of STE flux with Aura L2 data. The CTM is applied as a transfer standard to compare with different Aura observations. The statistics of exact matching CTM-Aura comparisons identify the model's high biases in the lower stratosphere and the inconsistency amongst different instruments, such as from tropics to Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes in July 2005 at 215 hPa and over tropics at 147 hPa for July 2005 and January 2006.

  8. Connecting Surface Emissions, Convective Uplifting, and Long-Range Transport of Carbon Monoxide in the Upper Troposphere: New Observations from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jiang, Jonathan H.; Livesey, Nathaniel J.; Su, Hui; Neary, Lori; McConnell, John C.; Richards, Nigel A. D.

    2007-01-01

    Two years of observations of upper tropospheric (UT) carbon monoxide (CO) from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder are analyzed; in combination with the CO surface emission climatology and data from the NCEP analyses. It is shown that spatial distribution, temporal variation and long-range transport of UT CO are closely related to the surface emissions, deep-convection and horizontal winds. Over the Asian monsoon region, surface emission of CO peaks in boreal spring due to high biomass burning in addition to anthropogenic emission. However, the UT CO peaks in summer when convection is strongest and surface emission of CO is dominated by anthropogenic source. The long-range transport of CO from Southeast Asia across the Pacific to North America, which occurs most frequently during boreal summer, is thus a clear imprint of Asian anthropogenic pollution influencing global air quality.

  9. Study Pollution Impacts on Upper-Tropospheric Clouds with Aura, CloudSat, and CALIPSO Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, Dong

    2007-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation reviews the impact of pollution on clouds in the Upper Troposphere. Using the data from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), CloudSat, CALIPSO the presentation shows signatures of pollution impacts on clouds in the upper troposphere. The presentation demonstrates the complementary sensitivities of MLS , CloudSat and CALIPSO to upper tropospheric clouds. It also calls for careful analysis required to sort out microphysical changes from dynamical changes.

  10. Free tropospheric observations of Carbonyl Sulfide from Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer over ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuai, Le; Worden, John; Campbell, Ellitt; Kulawik, Susan; Montzka, Stephen; Liu, Jiabin

    2014-05-01

    Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is the most abundant sulfur gas in the troposphere with a global averaging mixing ratio of about 500 part per trillion (ppt). The ocean is the primary source of OCS, emitting OCS directly or its precursors, carbon disulfide and dimethyl sulfide. The most important atmospheric sink of OCS is uptake by terrestrial plants via photosynthesis. Although the global budget of atmospheric OCS has been studied, the global integrated OCS fluxes have large uncertainties, e.g. the uncertainties of the ocean fluxes are as large as 100% or more and how the ocean sources are distributed is not well known. We developed a retrieval algorithm for free tropospheric carbonyl sulfide (OCS) observations above the ocean using radiance measurements from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). These first observations of the free tropospheric OCS provide global maps with information of OCS seasonal and spatial variability in the mid troposphere. These data will help to characterize ocean OCS fluxes. Evaluation of the biases and uncertainties in the TES OCS estimates against aircraft profiles from the HIPPO campaign and ground data from the NOAA Mauna Loa site suggests that the OCS retrievals (1) have less than 1.0 degree of freedom for signals (DOFs), (2) are sensitive in the mid-troposphere with a peak sensitivity typically between 300 to 500 hPa, (3) and have much smaller systematic errors from temperature, CO2 and H2O calibrations relative to random errors from measurement noise. Here we estimate the monthly means from TES measurements averaged over multiple years so that random errors are reduced and useful information about OCS seasonal and latitudinal variability can be derived. With this averaging, TES OCS data are found to be consistent (within the calculated uncertainties) with NOAA ground observations and HIPPO aircraft measurements and captures the seasonal and latitudinal variations observed by these in situ data within the estimated uncertainties

  11. Science Accomplishments from a Decade of Aura OMI/MLS Tropospheric Ozone Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ziemke, Jerald R.; Douglass, Anne R.; Joiner, Joanna; Duncan, Bryan N.; Olsen, Mark A.; Oman, Luke D.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.; Liu, X.; Wargan, K.; Schoeberl, Mark R.; hide

    2014-01-01

    Measurements of tropospheric ozone from combined Aura OMI and MLS instruments have yielded a large number of new and important science discoveries over the last decade. These discoveries have generated a much greater understanding of biomass burning, lightning NO, and stratosphere-troposphere exchange sources of tropospheric ozone, ENSO dynamics and photochemistry, intra-seasonal variability-Madden-Julian Oscillation including convective transport, radiative forcing, measuring ozone pollution from space, improvements to ozone retrieval algorithms, and evaluation of chemical-transport and chemistry-climate models. The OMI-MLS measurements have been instrumental in giving us better understanding of the dynamics and chemistry involving tropospheric ozone and the many drivers affecting the troposphere in general. This discussion will provide an overview focusing on our main science results.

  12. The Aura Mission and Its Application to Climate and Air Quality

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hilsenrath, Ernest; Schoeberl, Mark; Douglass, Anne

    2003-01-01

    NASA's Aura satellite is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2004 into a polar orbit. The Aura mission is designed to collect data to address three high priority environmental science questions: (1) Is the ozone layer recovering as expected? (2) What are the sources and processes that control tropospheric pollutants? And (3) what is the quantitative impact of constituents on climate change? Aura will answer these questions by globally measuring a comprehensive set of trace gases and aerosols in the troposphere and stratosphere. Aura data will also have applications for monitoring and predicting climate and air quality parameters. Aura s observations will continue the TOMS ozone trend record and provide an assessment as to whether the Montreal Protocol is achieving its objective. Aura will measure gases and aerosols in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere that contribute to climate forcing. These data will be of sufficient coverage, vertical resolution, and accuracy to help constrain climate models. In addition, Aura observations of tropospheric ozone and its precursors will have regional as well as intercontinental coverage, which could improve emission inventories. Near real time data will tested for local air quality forecasts in collaboration with the US's Environmental Protection UV-B forecasts from Aura ozone and cloud cover data. An overview of Aura s instruments, data products, validation, and examples of data applications will be presented.

  13. Estimate of carbonyl sulfide tropical oceanic surface fluxes using Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuai, Le; Worden, John R.; Campbell, J. Elliott; Kulawik, Susan S.; Li, King-Fai; Lee, Meemong; Weidner, Richard J.; Montzka, Stephen A.; Moore, Fred L.; Berry, Joe A.; Baker, Ian; Denning, A. Scott; Bian, Huisheng; Bowman, Kevin W.; Liu, Junjie; Yung, Yuk L.

    2015-10-01

    Quantifying the carbonyl sulfide (OCS) land/ocean fluxes contributes to the understanding of both the sulfur and carbon cycles. The primary sources and sinks of OCS are very likely in a steady state because there is no significant observed trend or interannual variability in atmospheric OCS measurements. However, the magnitude and spatial distribution of the dominant ocean source are highly uncertain due to the lack of observations. In particular, estimates of the oceanic fluxes range from approximately 280 Gg S yr-1 to greater than 800 Gg S yr-1, with the larger flux needed to balance a similarly sized terrestrial sink that is inferred from NOAA continental sites. Here we estimate summer tropical oceanic fluxes of OCS in 2006 using a linear flux inversion algorithm and new OCS data acquired by the Aura Tropospheric Emissions Spectrometer (TES). Modeled OCS concentrations based on these updated fluxes are consistent with HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations during 4th airborne campaign and improve significantly over the a priori model concentrations. The TES tropical ocean estimate of 70 ± 16 Gg S in June, when extrapolated over the whole year (about 840 ± 192 Gg S yr-1 ), supports the hypothesis proposed by Berry et al. (2013) that the ocean flux is in the higher range of approximately 800 Gg S yr-1.

  14. Five blind men and the elephant: what can the NASA Aura ozone measurements tell us about stratosphere-troposphere exchange?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Q.; Prather, M. J.

    2012-03-01

    We examine whether the individual ozone (O3) measurements from the four Aura instruments can quantify the stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) flux of O3, an important term of the tropospheric O3 budget. The level 2 (L2) Aura swath data and the nearly coincident ozone sondes for the years 2005-2006 are compared with the 4-D, high-resolution (1° × 1° × 40-layer × 0.5 h) model simulation of atmospheric ozone for the same period from the University of California, Irvine chemistry transport model (CTM). The CTM becomes a transfer standard for comparing individual profiles from these five, not-quite-coincident measurements of atmospheric ozone. Even with obvious model discrepancies identified here, the CTM can readily quantify instrument-instrument biases in the tropical upper troposphere and mid-latitude lower stratosphere. In terms of STE processes, all four Aura datasets have some skill in identifying stratosphere-troposphere folds, and we find several cases where both model and measurements see evidence of high-O3 stratospheric air entering the troposphere. In many cases identified in the model, however, the individual Aura profile retrievals in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere show too much noise, as expected from their low sensitivity and coarse vertical resolution at and below the tropopause. These model-measurement comparisons of individual profiles do provide some level of confidence in the model-derived STE O3 flux, but it will be difficult to integrate this flux from the satellite data alone.

  15. Nadir Measurements of Carbon Monoxide Distributions by the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer Instrument Onboard the Aura Spacecraft: Overview of Analysis Approach and Examples of Initial Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rinsland, Curtis P.; Luo, Ming; Logan, Jennifer A.; Beer, Reinhard; Worden, Helen; Kulawik, Susan S.; Rider, David; Osterman, Greg; Gunson, Michael; Eldering, Annmarie; hide

    2006-01-01

    We provide an overview of the nadir measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) obtained thus far by the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). The instrument is a high resolution array Fourier transform spectrometer designed to measure infrared spectral radiances from low Earth orbit. It is one of four instruments successfully launched onboard the Aura platform into a sun synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705 km on July 15, 2004 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Nadir spectra are recorded at 0.06/cm spectral resolution with a nadir footprint of 5 x 8 km. We describe the TES retrieval approach for the analysis of the nadir measurements, report averaging kernels for typical tropical and polar ocean locations, characterize random and systematic errors for those locations, and describe instrument performance changes in the CO spectral region as a function of time. Sample maps of retrieved CO for the middle and upper troposphere from global surveys during December 2005 and April 2006 highlight the potential of the results for measurement and tracking of global pollution and determining air quality from space.

  16. Nadir measurements of carbon monoxide distributions by the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer instrument onboard the Aura Spacecraft: Overview of analysis approach and examples of initial results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rinsland, Curtis P.; Luo, Ming; Logan, Jennifer A.; Beer, Reinhard; Worden, Helen; Kulawik, Susan S.; Rider, David; Osterman, Greg; Gunson, Michael; Eldering, Annmarie; Goldman, Aaron; Shephard, Mark; Clough, Shepard A.; Rodgers, Clive; Lampel, Michael; Chiou, Linda

    2006-11-01

    We provide an overview of the nadir measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) obtained thus far by the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). The instrument is a high resolution array Fourier transform spectrometer designed to measure infrared spectral radiances from low Earth orbit. It is one of four instruments successfully launched onboard the Aura platform into a sun synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705 km on July 15, 2004 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Nadir spectra are recorded at 0.06-cm-1 spectral resolution with a nadir footprint of 5 × 8 km. We describe the TES retrieval approach for the analysis of the nadir measurements, report averaging kernels for typical tropical and polar ocean locations, characterize random and systematic errors for those locations, and describe instrument performance changes in the CO spectral region as a function of time. Sample maps of retrieved CO for the middle and upper troposphere from global surveys during December 2005 and April 2006 highlight the potential of the results for measurement and tracking of global pollution and determining air quality from space.

  17. The EOS Aura Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schoeberl, Mark R.; Douglass, A. R.; Hilsenrath, E.; Luce, M.; Barnett, J.; Beer, R.; Waters, J.; Gille, J.; Levelt, P. F.; DeCola, P.; hide

    2001-01-01

    The EOS Aura Mission is designed to make comprehensive chemical measurements of the troposphere and stratosphere. In addition the mission will make measurements of important climate variables such as aerosols, and upper tropospheric water vapor and ozone. Aura will launch in late 2003 and will fly 15 minutes behind EOS Aqua in a polar sun synchronous ascending node orbit with a 1:30 pm equator crossing time.

  18. Aura OMI observations of changes in SO2 and NO2 emissions at local, regional and global scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krotkov, N. A.; McLinden, C. A.; Li, C.; Lamsal, L. N.; Celarier, E. A.; Marchenko, S. V.; Swartz, W.; Bucsela, E. J.; Joiner, J.; Duncan, B. N.; Boersma, K. F.; Veefkind, P.; Levelt, P.; Fioletov, V.; Dickerson, R. R.; He, H.; Lu, Z.; Streets, D. G.

    2015-12-01

    Space-based pollution monitoring from current and planned satellite UV-Vis spectrometers play an increasingly important role in studies of tropospheric chemistry and also air quality applications to help mitigate anthropogenic and natural impacts on sensitive ecosystems, and human health. We present long-term changes in tropospheric SO2 and NO2 over some of the most polluted industrialized regions of the world observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard NASA's Aura satellite. Using OMI data, we identified about 400 SO2 "hot spots" and estimated emissions from them. In many regions emissions and their ambient pollution levels have decreased significantly, such as over eastern US, Europe and China. OMI observed about 50% reduction in SO2 and NO2 pollution over the North China plain in 2012-2014 that can be attributed to both government efforts to restrain emissions from the power and industrial sectors and the economic slowdown. While much smaller, India's SO2 and NO2 emissions from coal power plants and smelters are growing at a fast pace, increasing by about 200% and 50% from 2005 to 2014. Over Europe and the US OMI-observed trends agree well with those from available in situ measurements of surface concentrations, deposition and emissions data. However, for some regions (e.g., Mexico, Middle East) the emission inventories may be incomplete and OMI can provide emission estimates for missing sources, such as SO2 sources observed over the Persian Gulf. It is essential to continue long-term overlapping satellite data records of air quality with increased spatial and temporal resolution to resolve point pollution sources using oversampling technique. We discuss how Aura OMI pollution measurements and emission estimates will be continued with the US JPSS and European Sentinel series for the next 20 years and further enhanced by the addition of three geostationary UV-VIS instruments.

  19. SVD analysis of Aura TES spectral residuals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beer, Reinhard; Kulawik, Susan S.; Rodgers, Clive D.; Bowman, Kevin W.

    2005-01-01

    Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) analysis is both a powerful diagnostic tool and an effective method of noise filtering. We present the results of an SVD analysis of an ensemble of spectral residuals acquired in September 2004 from a 16-orbit Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) Global Survey and compare them to alternative methods such as zonal averages. In particular, the technique highlights issues such as the orbital variation of instrument response and incompletely modeled effects of surface emissivity and atmospheric composition.

  20. The EOS Aura Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schoebert, Mark R.; Douglass, A. R.; Hilsenrath, E.; Bhartia, P. K.; Barnett, J.; Gille, J.; Beer, R.; Gunson, M.; Waters, J.; Levelt, P. F.

    2004-01-01

    The Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2004. The Aura mission is designed to attack three science questions: (1) Is the ozone layer recovering as expected? (2) What are the sources and processes that control tropospheric pollutants? (3) What is the quantitative impact of constituents on climate change? Aura will answer these questions by globally measuring a comprehensive set of trace gases and aerosols at high vertical and horizontal resolution. Fig. 1 shows the Aura spacecraft and its four instruments.

  1. Validation of Aura Data: Needs and Implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Froidevaux, L.; Douglass, A. R.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Hilsenrath, E.; Kinnison, D. E.; Kroon, M.; Sander, S. P.

    2003-12-01

    Validation of Aura data: needs and implementation L. Froidevaux, A. R. Douglass, M. R. Schoeberl, E. Hilsenrath, D. Kinnison, M. Kroon, and S. P. Sander We describe the needs for validation of the Aura scientific data products expected in 2004 and for several years thereafter, as well as the implementation plan to fullfill these needs. Many profiles of stratospheric and tropospheric composition are expected from the combination of four instruments aboard Aura, along with column abundances, aerosol and cloud information. The Aura validation working group and the Aura Project have been developing programs and collaborations that are expected to lead to a significant number of validation activities after the Aura launch (in early 2004). Spatial and temporal variability in the lower stratosphere and troposphere present challenges to validation of Aura measurements even where cloud contamination effects can be minimized. Data from ground-based networks, balloons, and other satellites will contribute in a major way to Aura data validation. In addition, plans are in place to obtain correlative data for special conditions, such as profiles of O3 and NO2 in polluted areas. Several aircraft campaigns planned for the 2004-2007 time period will provide additional tropospheric and lower stratospheric validation opportunities for Aura; some atmospheric science goals will be addressed by the eventual combination of these data sets. A team of "Aura liaisons" will assist in the dissemination of information about various correlative measurements to be expected in the above timeframe, along with any needed protocols and agreements on data exchange and file formats. A data center is being established at the Goddard Space Flight Center to collect and distribute the various data files to be used in the validation of the Aura data.

  2. NO2 Total and Tropospheric Vertical Column Densities from OMI on EOS Aura: Update

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gleason, J.F.; Bucsela, E.J.; Celarier, E.A.; Veefkind, J.P.; Kim, S.W.; Frost, G.F.

    2009-01-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), which is on the EOS AURA satellite, retrieves vertical column densities (VCDs) of NO2, along with those of several other trace gases. The relatively high spatial resolution and daily global coverage of the instrument make it particularly well-suited to monitoring tropospheric pollution at scales on the order of 20 km. The OMI NO2 algorithm distinguishes polluted regions from background stratospheric NO2 using a separation algorithm that relies on the smoothly varying stratospheric NO2 and estimations of both stratospheric and tropospheric air mass factors (AMFs). Version 1 of OMI NO2 data has been released for public use. An overview of OMI NO2 data, some recent results and a description of the improvements for version 2 of the algorithm will be presented.

  3. Aura Science and Validation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hilsenrath, E.; Schoeberl, M.; Douglass, A.; Anderson, J.; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The EOS-Aura Mission is designed to answer three basic questions concerning the Earth's atmosphere: 1) Is ozone recovering as predicted, 2) is air quality getting worse, and 3) how is climate changing? Aura's four instruments work synergistically and are dedicated to answering these questions. These questions relate to NASA Earth Science Enterprise's overall strategic questions, which seek to understand the consequences of climate change for human civilization and determine if these changes can be predicted. NASA supports an ongoing research and analysis program, which is conducted independently and in support of satellite missions. The research program conducts several on-going field campaigns employing aircraft, balloons, and ground based systems. These campaigns have focused on exploring processes in the tropics, high latitudes, and continental outflow to explain the chemistry and transport in the troposphere and stratosphere and how these regions interact. NASA is now studying how the Aura mission and requirements of the research and analysis program might be merged to achieve its strategic goals related to global atmospheric chemistry changes. In addition, NASA field campaign resources will be folded into Aura's validation requirements. Aura validation requires correlative measurements throughout the troposphere and stratosphere under a range of observing and geophysical conditions. Because of the recent launches of Envisat and other smaller international chemistry satellites, the NASA program plans to collaborate with European space agencies in developing a series of campaigns that will provide continuity between those satellites missions and Aura.

  4. An Intercomparison of Tropospheric Ozone Retrievals Derived from Two Aura Instruments and Measurements in Western North America in 2006

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Doughty, D. C.; Thompson, A. M.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Stajner, I.; Wargan, K.; Hui, W. C. J.

    2011-01-01

    Two recently developed methods for quantifying tropospheric ozone abundances based on Aura data, the Trajectory-enhanced Tropospheric Ozone Residual (TTOR) and an assimilation of Aura data into Goddard Earth Observing System Version 4 (ASM), are compared to ozone measurements from ozonesonde data collected in April-May 2006 during the INTEX Ozonesonde Network Study 2006 (IONS-06) campaign. Both techniques use Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) observations. Statistics on column ozone amounts for both products are presented. In general, the assimilation compares better to sonde integrated ozone to 200 hPa (28.6% difference for TTOR versus 2.7% difference for ASM), and both products are biased low. To better characterize the performance of ASM, ozone profiles based on the assimilation are compared to those from ozonesondes. We noted slight negative biases in the lower troposphere, and slight positive biases in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UT/ LS), where we observed the greatest variability. Case studies were used to further understand ASM performance. We examine one case from 17 April 2006 at Bratt's Lake, Saskatchewan, where geopotential height gradients appear to be related to an underestimation in the ASM in the UT/LS region. A second case, from 21 April 2006 at Trinidad Head, California, is a situation where the overprediction of ozone in the UT/LS region does not appear to be due to current dynamic conditions but seems to be related to uncertainty in the flow pattern and large differences in MLS observations upstream.

  5. The EOS AURA Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES): Status of the Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beer, Reinhard

    2005-01-01

    This slide presentation is a programmatic overview covering some of the highlights of the mission and serve as an introduction to the accompanying presentations at the workshop. It reviews the goals and the products of the TES experiment, a simplified chemistry of ozone in both the stratosphere and troposphere, a description of the instrument, and the TES operational modes. Included are graphs showing some of the results of TES analysis of the key constituents of the tropospheric chemistry and the inter-regional transport.

  6. A Global Climatology of Tropospheric and Stratospheric Ozone Derived from Aura OMI and MLS Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ziemke, J.R.; Chandra, S.; Labow, G.; Bhartia, P. K.; Froidevaux, L.; Witte, J. C.

    2011-01-01

    A global climatology of tropospheric and stratospheric column ozone is derived by combining six years of Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) ozone measurements for the period October 2004 through December 2010. The OMI/MLS tropospheric ozone climatology exhibits large temporal and spatial variability which includes ozone accumulation zones in the tropical south Atlantic year-round and in the subtropical Mediterranean! Asia region in summer months. High levels of tropospheric ozone in the northern hemisphere also persist in mid-latitudes over the eastern North American and Asian continents extending eastward over the Pacific Ocean. For stratospheric ozone climatology from MLS, largest ozone abundance lies in the northern hemisphere in the latitude range 70degN-80degN in February-April and in the southern hemisphere around 40degS-50degS during months August-October. The largest stratospheric ozone abundances in the northern hemisphere lie over North America and eastern Asia extending eastward across the Pacific Ocean and in the southern hemisphere south of Australia extending eastward across the dateline. With the advent of many newly developing 3D chemistry and transport models it is advantageous to have such a dataset for evaluating the performance of the models in relation to dynamical and photochemical processes controlling the ozone distributions in the troposphere and stratosphere.

  7. INTERCOMPARISON OF SCIAMACHY AND OMI TROPOSPHERIC NO2 COLUMNS: OBSERVING THE DIURNAL EVOLUTION OF CHEMISTRY AND EMISSIONS FROM SPACE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Concurrent (August 2006) satellite measurements of tropospheric NO2 columns from OMI aboard Aura (13:30 local overpass time) and SCIAMACHY aboard Envisat (10:00 overpass) offer an opportunity to examine the consistency between the two instruments under tropospheric ba...

  8. Anthropogenic and Volcanic Contributions to the Tropospheric and Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chin, Mian

    2011-01-01

    We investigate anthropogenic and volcanic contributions to sulfate aerosol in the atmosphere through modeling and analysis of Aura data. We use a global model GOCART to simualte 502 and sulfate aerosol from 2000 to 2010 with the new anthropogenic and volcanic emission estimates to assess the origin of sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere. We will compare the model results with 502 data from OMI and MLS instrument on Aura, and aerosol vertical profiles from CALIPSO. Our goal is to understand the dec ada 1 trends of observed tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols.

  9. Global Free-tropospheric NO2 Abundances Derived Using a Cloud Slicing Technique from AURA OMI

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Choi, S.; Joiner, J.; Choi, Y.; Duncan, B.N.; Vasilkov, A.; Krotkov, N.; Bucsela, E.J.

    2014-01-01

    We derive free-tropospheric NO2 volume mixing ratios (VMRs) by applying a cloud-slicing technique to data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite. In the cloud-slicing approach, the slope of the above-cloud NO2 column versus the cloud scene pressure is proportional to the NO2 VMR. In this work, we use a sample of nearby OMI pixel data from a single orbit for the linear fit. The OMI data include cloud scene pressures from the rotational-Raman algorithm and above-cloud NO2 vertical column density (VCD) (defined as the NO2 column from the cloud scene pressure to the top of the atmosphere) from a differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) algorithm. We compare OMI-derived NO2 VMRs with in situ aircraft profiles measured during the NASA Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Phase B (INTEX-B) campaign in 2006. The agreement is generally within the estimated uncertainties when appropriate data screening is applied. We then derive a global seasonal climatology of free-tropospheric NO2 VMR in cloudy conditions. Enhanced NO2 in the free troposphere commonly appears near polluted urban locations where NO2 produced in the boundary layer may be transported vertically out of the boundary layer and then horizontally away from the source. Signatures of lightning NO2 are also shown throughout low and middle latitude regions in summer months. A profile analysis of our cloud-slicing data indicates signatures of lightning-generated NO2 in the upper troposphere. Comparison of the climatology with simulations from the global modeling initiative (GMI) for cloudy conditions (cloud optical depth less than10) shows similarities in the spatial patterns of continental pollution outflow. However, there are also some differences in the seasonal variation of free-tropospheric NO2 VMRs near highly populated regions and in areas affected by lightning-generated NOx.

  10. Methane from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Payne, Vivienne; Worden, John; Kulawik, Susan; Frankenberg, Christian; Bowman, Kevin; Wecht, Kevin

    2012-01-01

    TES V5 CH4 captures latitudinal gradients, regional variability and interannual variation in the free troposphere. V5 joint retrievals offer improved sensitivity to lower troposphere. Time series extends from 2004 to present. V5 reprocessing in progress. Upper tropospheric bias. Mitigated by N2O correction. Appears largely spatially uniform, so can be corrected. How to relate free-tropospheric values to surface emissions.

  11. Aura Atmospheric Data Products and Their Availability from NASA Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ahmad, S.; Johnson, J.; Gopalan, A.; Smith, P.; Leptoukh, G.; Kempler, S.

    2004-01-01

    NASA's EOS-Aura spacecraft was launched successfully on July 15, 2004. The four instruments onboard the spacecraft are the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), and the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HBDLS). The Aura instruments are designed to gather earth sciences measurements across the ultraviolet, visible, infra-red, thermal and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Aura will provide over 70 distinct standard atmospheric data products for use in ozone layer and surface UV-B monitoring, air quality forecast, and atmospheric chemistry and climate change studies (http://eosaura.gsfc.nasa.gov/). These products include earth-atmosphere radiances and solar spectral irradiances; total column, tropospheric, and profiles of ozone and other trace gases, surface W-B flux; clouds and aerosol characteristics; and temperature, geopotential height, and water vapor profiles. The MLS, OMI, and HIRDLS data products will be archived at the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC), while data from TES will be archived at NASA Langley Research Center DAAC. Some of the standard products which have gone through quick preliminary checks are already archived at the GES DAAC (http://daac.nsfc.nasa.gov/) and are available to the Aura science team and data validation team members for data validation; and to the application and visualization software developers, for testing their application modules. Once data are corrected for obvious calibration problems and partially validated using in-situ observations, they would be made available to the broader user community. This presentation will provide details of the whole suite of Aura atmospheric data products, and the time line of the availability of the rest of the preliminary products and of the partially validated provisional products. Software and took available for data access, visualization, and data

  12. Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer and Airborne Emission Spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glavich, T.; Beer, R.

    1996-01-01

    The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) is an instrument being developed for the NASA Earth Observing System Chemistry Platform. TES will measure the distribution of ozone and its precursors in the lower atmosphere. The Airborne Emission Spectrometer (AES) is an aircraft precursor to TES. Applicable descriptions are given of instrument design, technology challenges, implementation and operations for both.

  13. Introducing and Validating the New Aura CO Product Derived from Joined TES and MLS Measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, M.; Schwartz, M. J.; Read, W. G.; Herman, R. L.; Kulawik, S. S.; Worden, J.; Livesey, N. J.; Bowman, K. W.; Sweeney, C.

    2014-12-01

    The new Aura CO product consists of CO vertical profiles derived from TES and MLS measurements. This product has been released to the public. We describe the algorithms for generating the product and the evaluations of it using in-situ measurements. TES and MLS standalone CO profile retrievals are sensitive respectively to lower-mid troposphere and upper troposphere and above. We pair TES nadir and MLS limb tangent locations within 6-8 min and less than 220 km. The paired radiance measurements of the two instruments per location are optimally combined to retrieve a single CO profile along with other interfering species. This combined CO profile has improved vertical resolution and vertical range over the two standalone products, especially in the upper-troposphere/lower-stratosphere. For example, the degree of freedom for signal (DOFS) between surface and 50hPa for TES alone is < 2, and for the combined CO profiles is 2-4. We will present the comparison results between the Aura CO and AirCore, HIPPO, and MOZAIC observations. The new Aura CO product provides a unique data set to studies on tropospheric transport of air pollutants and troposphere-stratospheric exchange processes.

  14. Tropospheric and Airborne Emission Spectrometers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glavich, Thomas; Beer, Reinhard

    1996-01-01

    X This paper describes the development of two related instruments, the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the Airborne Emission Spectrometer (AES). Both instruments are infrared imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometers, used for measuring the state of the lower atmosphere, and in particular the measurement of ozone and ozone sources and sinks.

  15. SHADOZ in the Aura Era

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Witte, J. C.; Thompson, A. M.; Oltmans, S. J.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Bhartia, P. K.; Froidevaux, L.; Schmidlin, F.; Calpini, B.; Shiotani, M.; Fujiwara, M.; hide

    2007-01-01

    We present comparisons of observed tropical and sub-tropical ozone from the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) project with satellite measurements using Aura's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instruments. Satellite products of total and derived tropospheric column ozone from OMI and profiles of ozone in the UT/LS region from MLS are used.

  16. Five Blind Men and an Elephant: Comparing Aura Ozone Datasets and Sonde with Model Simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Q.; Prather, M. J.

    2011-12-01

    The four Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite ozone measurements (HIRDLS, MLS, OMI, and TES) as well as the coincident WOUDC sonde are the five ``blind men'' touching the ``elephant'' (ozone). They all measure ozone (O3) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS) region, providing the great opportunity to study how the tropospheric ozone is influenced by the stratospheric source, an important tropospheric ozone budget term with large uncertainties and discrepancies across different models and methods. Based upon the 2-D autocorrelation for the tropospheric column ozone anomalies of the OMI swaths, we show that the stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) processes occur on the scale of a few hundred kilometers. Applying the high resolution (1o±1o±40-layer±0.5 hr) atmospheric chemistry transport model (CTM) as a transfer standard, we compare the noncoincident Aura level 2 swath datasets with the exact matching simulations of each measurement to investigate the consistency of different instruments as well as evaluate the accuracy of modeled ozone. Different signs of the CTM biases against HIRDLS, MLS, and TES are found from tropics to northern hemisphere (NH) mid-latitudes in July 2005 at 215 hPa and over tropics at 147 hPa for July 2005 and January 2006, suggesting inconsistency across these Aura datasets. On the other hand, the CTM has great positive biases against satellite observations in the lower stratosphere of winter time southern hemisphere (SH) mid-latitudes, which is probably attributed to the problems in the stratospheric circulation of the driving met-fields. The model's ability of reproducing STE-related processes, such as tropospheric folds (TFs), is confirmed by the comparisons with WOUDC sonde. We found eight cases in year 2005 with all the four Aura measurements available and folding structures in the coincident sonde profile. The case studies indicate that all the four Aura instruments demonstrate some skills in catching the

  17. Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zoogman, P.; Liu, X.; Suleiman, R. M.; Pennington, W. F.; Flittner, D. E.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Hilton, B. B.; Nicks, D. K.; Newchurch, M. J.; Carr, J. L.; hide

    2016-01-01

    TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) was selected in 2012 by NASA as the first Earth Venture Instrument, for launch between 2018 and 2021. It will measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO observes from Mexico City, Cuba, and the Bahamas to the Canadian oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution (approximately 2.1 kilometers N/S by 4.4 kilometers E/W at 36.5 degrees N, 100 degrees W). TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry, as well as contributing to carbon cycle knowledge. Measurements are made hourly from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the high variability present in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry that are unobservable from current low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that measure once per day. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO takes advantage of a commercial GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), formaldehyde (H2CO), glyoxal (C2H2O2), bromine monoxide (BrO), IO (iodine monoxide),water vapor, aerosols, cloud parameters, ultraviolet radiation, and foliage properties. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, substantially reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides these near-real-time air quality products that will be made publicly available. TEMPO will launch at a prime time to be the

  18. Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer for the Earth Observing System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glavich, Thomas A.; Beer, Reinhard

    1991-01-01

    A Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) for the Earth Observing System (EOS) series of polar-orbiting platforms is described. TES is aimed at studying tropospheric chemistry, in particular, the exchange of gases between the surface and the atmosphere, urban and regional pollution, acid rain precursors, sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, and the interchange of gases between the troposphere and the stratosphere. TES is a high-resolution (0.025/cm) infrared Fourier transform spectrometer operating in the passive thermal-emission mode in a very wide spectral range (600 to 4350/cm; 2.3 to 16.7 microns). TES has 32 spatial pixels in each of four optically conjugated linear detector arrays, each optimized for a different spectral region.

  19. Tropospheric Ozone Determined from Aura OMI and MLS: Evaluation of Measurements and Comparison with the Global Modeling Initiative's Chemical Transport Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ziemke, J. R.; Chandra, S.; Duncan, B. N.; Froidevaux, L.; Bhartia, P. K.; Levelt, P. F.; Waters, J. W.

    2006-01-01

    Ozone measurements from the OMI and MLS instruments on board the Aura satellite are used for deriving global distributions of tropospheric column ozone (TCO). TCO is determined using the tropospheric ozone residual method which involves subtracting measurements of MLS stratospheric column ozone (SCO) from OMI total column ozone after adjusting for intercalibration differences of the two instruments using the convective-cloud differential method. The derived TCO field, which covers one complete year of mostly continuous daily measurements from late August 2004 through August 2005, is used for studying the regional and global pollution on a timescale of a few days to months. The seasonal and zonal characteristics of the observed TCO fields are also compared with TCO fields derived from the Global Modeling Initiative's Chemical Transport Model. The model and observations show interesting similarities with respect to zonal and seasonal variations. However, there are notable differences, particularly over the vast region of the Saharan desert.

  20. Tropospheric emissions: monitoring of pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chance, Kelly; Liu, Xiong; Suleiman, Raid M.; Flittner, David E.; Al-Saadi, Jassim; Janz, Scott J.

    2013-09-01

    TEMPO was selected in 2012 by NASA as the first Earth Venture Instrument, for launch circa 2018. It will measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City to the Canadian tar sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution (~2 km N/S×4.5 km E/W at 36.5°N, 100°W). TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the inherent high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO takes advantage of a commercial GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, substantially reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available. TEMPO will launch at a prime time to be the North American component of the global geostationary constellation of pollution monitoring together with European Sentinel-4 and Korean GEMS.

  1. TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Limb V6 (TL2O3LS)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-03-01

    TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Limb (TL2O3LS) News:  TES News Join ... Project Title:  TES Discipline:  Tropospheric Composition Version:  V6 Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ozone Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb Spatial ...

  2. TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Limb V6 (TL2O3L)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-03-01

    TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Limb (TL2O3L) News:  TES News Join TES ... Project Title:  TES Discipline:  Tropospheric Composition Version:  V6 Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ozone Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb Spatial ...

  3. TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Nadir V6 (TL2O3NS)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-01-22

    TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Nadir (TL2O3NS) News:  TES News Join ... Project Title:  TES Discipline:  Tropospheric Composition Version:  V6 Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ozone Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ...

  4. TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Nadir V6 (TL2O3N)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-01-18

    TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Nadir (TL2O3N) News:  TES News Join ... Project Title:  TES Discipline:  Tropospheric Composition Version:  V6 Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ozone Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ...

  5. Satellite Monitoring Over the Canadian Oil Sands: Highlights from Aura OMI and TES

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shephard, Mark W.; McLinden, Chris; Fioletov, Vitali; Cady-Pereira, Karen E.; Krotkov, Nick A.; Boersma, Folkert; Li, Can; Luo, Ming; Bhartia, P. K.; Joiner, Joanna

    2014-01-01

    Satellite remote sensing provides a unique perspective for air quality monitoring in and around the Canadian Oil Sands as a result of its spatial and temporal coverage. Presented are Aura satellite observations of key pollutants including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH3), methanol (CH3OH), and formic acid (HCOOH) over the Canadian Oil Sands. Some of the highlights include: (i) the evolution of NO2 and SO2 from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), including comparisons with other nearby sources, (ii) two years of ammonia, carbon monoxide, methanol, and formic acid observations from 240 km North-South Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) transects through the oils sands, and (iii) preliminary insights into emissions derived from these observations.

  6. Aura CO and Ozone profiles retrieved from combined TES and MLS measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, M.; Read, W. G.; Wagner, P. A.; Schwartz, M.; Kulawik, S. S.; Herman, R. L.

    2017-12-01

    The NASA Aura Carbon Monoxide (CO) profile jointly retrieved from the co-located TES nadir and MLS limb satellite measurements has been released to the public and applied in studies of the complex chemical-transport processes related to pollutants emitted from the fires in the tropical region. Recently, the joint Aura Ozone profile retrievals are also being produced. Compared to the two standalone retrievals by the instrument teams, these Aura joint retrievals improve the profile resolution and sensitive ranges in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The new version Aura CO data (mainly using the recent TES and MLS algorithm updates) is being generated and validated. We will present the comparisons of the Aura CO and the preliminary Ozone data to the in-situ measurements, e.g., data collected from the HIPPO and the MOZAIC campaigns, and the Ozone sonde observations. The characteristics of the Aura CO and O3 retrievals will also be described.

  7. The Response of Lower Atmospheric Ozone to ENSO in Aura Measurements and a Chemistry-Climate Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oman, L. D.; Douglass, A. R.; Ziemke, J. R.; Rodriquez, J. M.; Waugh, D. W.; Nielsen, J. E.

    2012-01-01

    The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of tropical variability on interannual time scales. ENSO appears to extend its influence into the chemical composition of the tropical troposphere. Recent work has revealed an ENSO-induced wave-1 anomaly in observed tropical tropospheric column ozone. This results in a dipole over the western and eastern tropical Pacific, whereby differencing the two regions produces an ozone anomaly with an extremely high correlation to the Nino 3.4 Index. We have successfully reproduced this feature using the Goddard Earth Observing System Version 5 (GEOS-5) general circulation model coupled to a comprehensive stratospheric and tropospheric chemical mechanism forced with observed sea surface temperatures over the past 25 years. An examination of the modeled ozone field reveals the vertical contributions of tropospheric ozone to the column over the western and eastern Pacific region. We will show composition sensitivity in observations from NASA s Aura satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and the Tropospheric Emissions Spectrometer (TES) and a simulation to provide insight into the vertical structure of these ENSO-induced ozone changes. The ozone changes due to the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) in the extra-polar upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in MLS measurements will also be discussed.

  8. Tropospheric emissions: Monitoring of pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zoogman, P.; Liu, X.; Suleiman, R. M.; Pennington, W. F.; Flittner, D. E.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Hilton, B. B.; Nicks, D. K.; Newchurch, M. J.; Carr, J. L.; Janz, S. J.; Andraschko, M. R.; Arola, A.; Baker, B. D.; Canova, B. P.; Chan Miller, C.; Cohen, R. C.; Davis, J. E.; Dussault, M. E.; Edwards, D. P.; Fishman, J.; Ghulam, A.; González Abad, G.; Grutter, M.; Herman, J. R.; Houck, J.; Jacob, D. J.; Joiner, J.; Kerridge, B. J.; Kim, J.; Krotkov, N. A.; Lamsal, L.; Li, C.; Lindfors, A.; Martin, R. V.; McElroy, C. T.; McLinden, C.; Natraj, V.; Neil, D. O.; Nowlan, C. R.; O`Sullivan, E. J.; Palmer, P. I.; Pierce, R. B.; Pippin, M. R.; Saiz-Lopez, A.; Spurr, R. J. D.; Szykman, J. J.; Torres, O.; Veefkind, J. P.; Veihelmann, B.; Wang, H.; Wang, J.; Chance, K.

    2017-01-01

    TEMPO was selected in 2012 by NASA as the first Earth Venture Instrument, for launch between 2018 and 2021. It will measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO observes from Mexico City, Cuba, and the Bahamas to the Canadian oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution ( 2.1 km N/S×4.4 km E/W at 36.5°N, 100°W). TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry, as well as contributing to carbon cycle knowledge. Measurements are made hourly from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the high variability present in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry that are unobservable from current low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that measure once per day. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO takes advantage of a commercial GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), formaldehyde (H2CO), glyoxal (C2H2O2), bromine monoxide (BrO), IO (iodine monoxide), water vapor, aerosols, cloud parameters, ultraviolet radiation, and foliage properties. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, substantially reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides these near-real-time air quality products that will be made publicly available. TEMPO will launch at a prime time to be the North American component of the global geostationary constellation of pollution monitoring

  9. Tropospheric Ozone as a Short-lived Chemical Climate Forcer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pickering, Kenneth E.

    2012-01-01

    Tropospheric ozone is the third most important greenhouse gas according to the most recent IPCC assessment. However, tropospheric ozone is highly variable in both space and time. Ozone that is located in the vicinity of the tropopause has the greatest effect on climate forcing. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the most important precursors for ozone In most of the troposphere. Therefore, pollution that is lofted upward in thunderstorm updrafts or NOx produced by lightning leads to efficient ozone production in the upper troposphere, where ozone is most important climatically. Global and regional model estimates of the impact of North American pollution and lightning on ozone radiative forcing will be presented. It will be shown that in the Northern Hemisphere summer, the lightning effect on ozone radiative forcing can dominate over that of pollution, and that the radiative forcing signal from North America extends well into Europe and North Africa. An algorithm for predicting lightning flash rates and estimating lightning NOx emissions is being incorporated into the NASA GEOS-5 Chemistry and Climate Model. Changes in flash rates and emissions over an ENSO cycle and in future climates will be assessed, along with the resulting changes in upper tropospheric ozone. Other research on the production of NOx per lightning flash and its distribution in the vertical based on cloud-resolving modeling and satellite observations will be presented. Distributions of NO2 and O3 over the Middle East from the OMI instrument on NASA's Aura satellite will also be shown.

  10. Comparison of improved Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) CO 2 with HIPPO and SGP aircraft profile measurements

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kulawik, S. S.; Worden, J. R.; Wofsy, S. C.

    2012-01-01

    Comparisons are made between mid-tropospheric Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) satellite measurements and ocean profiles from three Hiaper Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) campaigns and land aircraft profiles from the United States Southern Great Plains (SGP) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site over a 4-yr period. These comparisons are used to characterize the bias in the TES CO{sub 2} estimates and to assess whether calculated and actual uncertainties and sensitivities are consistent. The HIPPO dataset is one of the few datasets spanning the altitude range where TES CO{sub 2} estimates are sensitive, which is especially important for characterization of biases.more » We find that TES CO{sub 2} estimates capture the seasonal and latitudinal gradients observed by HIPPO CO{sub 2} measurements; actual errors range from 0.8–1.2 ppm, depending on the campaign, and are approximately 1.4 times larger than the predicted errors. The bias of TES versus HIPPO is within 0.85 ppm for each of the 3 campaigns; however several of the sub-tropical TES CO{sub 2} estimates are lower than expected based on the calculated errors. Comparisons of aircraft flask profiles, which are measured from the surface to 5 km, to TES CO{sub 2} at the SGP ARM site show good agreement with an overall bias of 0.1 ppm and rms of 1.0 ppm. We also find that the predicted sensitivity of the TES CO{sub 2} estimates is too high, which results from using a multi-step retrieval for CO{sub 2} and temperature. We find that the averaging kernel in the TES product corrected by a pressure-dependent factor accurately reflects the sensitivity of the TES CO{sub 2} product.« less

  11. Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chance, K.; Liu, X.; Suleiman, R. M.; Flittner, D. E.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Janz, S. J.; Tempo Science Team

    2013-05-01

    TEMPO has been selected by NASA as the first Earth Venture Instrument. It will measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City to the Canadian tar/oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution (Mexico City is measured at 1.6 km N/S by 4.5 km E/W). TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the inherent high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO takes advantage of a GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions by 50%. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available. TEMPO makes the first tropospheric trace gas measurements from GEO, by building on the heritage of five spectrometers flown in low-earth-orbit (LEO). These LEO instruments measure the needed spectra, although at coarse spatial and temporal resolutions, to the precisions required for TEMPO and use retrieval algorithms developed for them by TEMPO Science Team members and currently running in operational environments. This makes TEMPO an innovative use of a well proven technique, able to produce a revolutionary

  12. Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chance, Kelly; Liu, Xiong; Suleiman, Raid M.; Flittner, David E.; Al-Saadi, Jassim; Janz, Scott J.

    2014-06-01

    TEMPO, selected by NASA as the first Earth Venture Instrument, will measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City to the Canadian oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution. TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the inherent high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO takes advantage of a GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest-cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions by 50 %. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available. TEMPO makes the first tropospheric trace gas measurements from GEO, by building on the heritage of five spectrometers flown in low-earth-orbit (LEO). These LEO instruments measure the needed spectra, although at coarse spatial and temporal resolutions, to the precisions required for TEMPO and use retrieval algorithms developed for them by TEMPO Science Team members and currently running in operational environments. This makes TEMPO an innovative use of a well-proven technique, able to produce a revolutionary data set. TEMPO provides much of the atmospheric measurement

  13. Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chance, K.; Liu, X.; Suleiman, R. M.; Flittner, D. E.; Janz, S. J.

    2012-12-01

    TEMPO is a proposed concept to measure pollution for greater North America using ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City to the Canadian tar/oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution (9 km2). TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the inherent high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO takes advantage of a GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions by 50%. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available. TEMPO makes the first tropospheric trace gas measurements from GEO, by building on the heritage of five spectrometers flown in low-earth-orbit (LEO). These LEO instruments measure the needed spectra, although at coarse spatial and temporal resolutions, to the precisions required for TEMPO and use retrieval algorithms developed for them by TEMPO Science Team members and currently running in operational environments. This makes TEMPO an innovative use of a well proven technique, able to produce a revolutionary data set. TEMPO provides much of the atmospheric measurement capability recommended for GEO-CAPE in the 2007

  14. Methane emissions to the troposphere from the Amazon floodplain

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Devol, Allen H.; Richey, Jeffrey E.; Clark, Wayne A.; King, Stagg L.; Martinelli, Luiz A.

    1988-01-01

    The magnitudes of CH4 emissions to the troposphere from the Amazon River floodplain and the mechanism of these emissions were investigated using the data of 94 individual flux measurements made along a 1700-km stretch of the river during July/August 1985. The overall average rate of CH4 emission from wetlands was found to be 390 mg CH4/sq m per day, with the highest emissions (590 mg CH4/sq m per day) attributed to the water surfaces covered by aquatic macrophytes. Ebullition was the dominant mechanism of emission, accounting for 85 percent of the total. Surface-water CH4 concentrations were highly supersaturated, averaging 6.4 micromolar. The annual emission of CH4 from the Amazon Basin to the troposphere, estimated from the area and the known emission rate, is about 10 CH4 Tg/yr, indicating the importance of the area in the global atmospheric CH4 cycle.

  15. Sources of Springtime Tropospheric Ozone Over North China: A Modeling Analysis of Ozonesonde and Satellite Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, H.; Chan, C.; Huang, J.; Zhang, Y.; Choi, H.; Crawford, J. H.; Considine, D. B.; Zheng, X.; Oltmans, S. J.; Liu, S. C.; Zhang, L.; Liu, X.; Thouret, V.

    2012-12-01

    ozone mixing ratios exhibit strong spatio-temporal variability. The model generally simulates well the ozonesonde observations but tends to underestimate ozone in the upper troposphere over Beijing and Longfengshan. We find that Asian fossil fuel emissions, stratospheric ozone, African lightning NOx emissions, as well as intercontinental transport are the main contributors to tropospheric ozone over North China in spring. While the lower-tropospheric ozone is largely influenced by Asian fossil fuel emissions (except over Aletai, Northwest China), lightning NOx emissions have a larger impact on the upper-tropospheric ozone than Asian fossil fuel emissions (except over Longfengshan, Northeast China). Model simulations suggest that the European fossil fuel emissions contribute more to the lower-tropospheric ozone over Aletai than the Asian fossil fuel emissions. We will also show that tropospheric ozone measurements by Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) aboard the NASA EOS Aura satellite can be used to study tropospheric ozone variability at Xining.

  16. EOS-Aura's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI): Validation Requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brinksma, E. J.; McPeters, R.; deHaan, J. F.; Levelt, P. F.; Hilsenrath, E.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2003-01-01

    OMI is an advanced hyperspectral instrument that measures backscattered radiation in the UV and visible. It will be flown as part of the EOS Aura mission and provide data on atmospheric chemistry that is highly synergistic with other Aura instruments HIRDLS, MLS, and TES. OMI is designed to measure total ozone, aerosols, cloud information, and UV irradiances, continuing the TOMS series of global mapped products but with higher spatial resolution. In addition its hyperspectral capability enables measurements of trace gases such as SO2, NO2, HCHO, BrO, and OClO. A plan for validation of the various OM1 products is now being formulated. Validation of the total column and UVB products will rely heavily on existing networks of instruments, like NDSC. NASA and its European partners are planning aircraft missions for the validation of Aura instruments. New instruments and techniques (DOAS systems for example) will need to be developed, both ground and aircraft based. Lidar systems are needed for validation of the vertical distributions of ozone, aerosols, NO2 and possibly SO2. The validation emphasis will be on the retrieval of these products under polluted conditions. This is challenging because they often depend on the tropospheric profiles of the product in question, and because of large spatial variations in the troposphere. Most existing ground stations are located in, and equipped for, pristine environments. This is also true for almost all NDSC stations. OMI validation will need ground based sites in polluted environments and specially developed instruments, complementing the existing instrumentation.

  17. The Response of Tropospheric Ozone to ENSO in Observations and a Chemistry-Climate Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oman, L. D.; Douglass, A. R.; Ziemke, J. R.; Waugh, D. W.; Rodriguez, J. M.; Nielsen, J. E.

    2012-01-01

    The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of tropical variability on interannual time scales. ENSO appears to extend its influence into the chemical composition of the tropical troposphere. Recent results have revealed an ENSO induced wave-l anomaly in observed tropical tropospheric column ozone. This results in a dipole over the western and eastern tropical Pacific, whereby differencing the two regions produces an ozone anomaly with an extremely high correlation to the Nino 3.4 Index. We have successfully reproduced this result using the Goddard Earth Observing System Version 5 (GEOS-5) general circulation model coupled to a comprehensive stratospheric and tropospheric chemical mechanism forced with observed sea surface temperatures over the past 25 years. An examination of the modeled ozone field reveals the vertical contributions of tropospheric ozone to the column over the western and eastern Pacific region. We will show targeted comparisons with observations from NASA's Aura satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), and the Tropospheric Emissions Spectrometer (TES) to provide insight into the vertical structure of ozone changes. The tropospheric ozone response to ENSO could be a useful chemistry-climate model evaluation tool and should be considered in future modeling assessments.

  18. Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution Overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chance, Kelly; Liu, Xiong; Suleiman, Raid M.; Flittner, David; Al-Saadi, Jay; Janz, Scott

    2015-01-01

    TEMPO is now well into its implementation phase, having passed both its Key Decision Point C and the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the instrument. The CDR for the ground systems will occur in March 2016 and the CDR for the Mission component at a later date, after the host spacecraft has been selected. TEMPO is on schedule to measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City to the Canadian oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution. TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the inherent high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO takes advantage of a GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, substantially reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions by 50 percent. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available. TEMPO provides much of the atmospheric measurement capability recommended for GEO-CAPE in the 2007 National Research Council Decadal Survey, Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond. Instruments from Europe (Sentinel 4) and Asia (GEMS) will

  19. Updated SO2 emission estimates over China using OMI/Aura observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elissavet Koukouli, Maria; Theys, Nicolas; Ding, Jieying; Zyrichidou, Irene; Mijling, Bas; Balis, Dimitrios; van der A, Ronald Johannes

    2018-03-01

    The main aim of this paper is to update existing sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission inventories over China using modern inversion techniques, state-of-the-art chemistry transport modelling (CTM) and satellite observations of SO2. Within the framework of the EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) MarcoPolo (Monitoring and Assessment of Regional air quality in China using space Observations) project, a new SO2 emission inventory over China was calculated using the CHIMERE v2013b CTM simulations, 10 years of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)/Aura total SO2 columns and the pre-existing Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC v1.2). It is shown that including satellite observations in the calculations increases the current bottom-up MEIC inventory emissions for the entire domain studied (15-55° N, 102-132° E) from 26.30 to 32.60 Tg annum-1, with positive updates which are stronger in winter ( ˜ 36 % increase). New source areas were identified in the southwest (25-35° N, 100-110° E) as well as in the northeast (40-50° N, 120-130° E) of the domain studied as high SO2 levels were observed by OMI, resulting in increased emissions in the a posteriori inventory that do not appear in the original MEIC v1.2 dataset. Comparisons with the independent Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, EDGAR v4.3.1, show a satisfying agreement since the EDGAR 2010 bottom-up database provides 33.30 Tg annum-1 of SO2 emissions. When studying the entire OMI/Aura time period (2005 to 2015), it was shown that the SO2 emissions remain nearly constant before the year 2010, with a drift of -0.51 ± 0.38 Tg annum-1, and show a statistically significant decline after the year 2010 of -1.64 ± 0.37 Tg annum-1 for the entire domain. Similar findings were obtained when focusing on the greater Beijing area (30-40° N, 110-120° E) with pre-2010 drifts of -0.17 ± 0.14 and post-2010 drifts of -0.47 ± 0.12 Tg annum-1. The new SO2 emission inventory is publicly available and forms

  20. The tropospheric emission spectrometer (TES) for the Earth Observing System (EOS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beer, R.

    1992-01-01

    In recent years, increasing concern has been expressed about Global Change - the natural and anthropogenic alteration of the Earth's environment involving global greenhouse warming and the associated climate change, urban and regional atmospheric pollution, acid deposition, regional increases in tropospheric zone, and the decrease in stratospheric ozone. A common theme among these problems is that they all involve those tropospheric trace gases which are fundamental to the biosphere-troposphere interaction, the chemistry of the free troposphere itself, and troposphere-stratosphere exchange. The chemical species involved all have spectral signatures within the near and mid infrared that can now be measured by advanced techniques of remote-sensing infrared spectroradiometry. Such a system is the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), now in Phase B definition for the Earth Observing System (EOS) polar platforms. TES addresses these objectives by obtaining radiometrically calibrated, linewidth-limited spectral resolution, infrared spectra of the lower atmosphere using both natural thermal emission and reflected sunlight (where appropriate) in three different, but fully programmable, modes: a gobal mode, a pointed mode, and a limb-viewing mode. The goals of TES, its instrumentation, operational modes, sensitivity and data handling are discussed.

  1. Tropospheric Ozone Change from 1980 to 2010 Dominated by Equatorward Redistribution of Emissions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhang, Yuqiang; Cooper, Owen R.; Gaudel, Audrey; Thompson, Anne M.; Nedelec, Philippe; Ogino, Shin-Ya; West, J. Jason

    2016-01-01

    Ozone is an important air pollutant at the surface, and the third most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas in the troposphere. Since 1980, anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors methane, non-methane volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have shifted from developed to developing regions. Emissions have thereby been redistributed equatorwards, where they are expected to have a stronger effect on the tropospheric ozone burden due to greater convection, reaction rates and NOx sensitivity. Here we use a global chemical transport model to simulate changes in tropospheric ozone concentrations from 1980 to 2010, and to separate the influences of changes in the spatial distribution of global anthropogenic emissions of short-lived pollutants, the magnitude of these emissions, and the global atmospheric methane concentration. We estimate that the increase in ozone burden due to the spatial distribution change slightly exceeds the combined influences of the increased emission magnitude and global methane. Emission increases in Southeast, East and South Asia may be most important for the ozone change, supported by an analysis of statistically significant increases in observed ozone above these regions. The spatial distribution of emissions dominates global tropospheric ozone, suggesting that the future ozone burden will be determined mainly by emissions from low latitudes.

  2. Remote sensing of the troposphere by infrared emission spectroscopy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beer, Reinhard; Glavich, Thomas A.

    1989-01-01

    This paper describes the concept of a cryogenic IR imaging Fourier transform spectrometer, called the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), designed for observations of the troposphere and lower stratosphere from a near-earth orbit, using natural thermal emission and reflected sunlight. The principal molecular species to be measured by TES are O3, CO, CO2, N2O, H2O, H2O2, NO, NO2, HNO3, NH3, CH4, C2H6, C2H2, SO2, COS, CFCl3, and CF2Cl2. The TES is scheduled for a launch on the second polar platform of the Earth Observing System in 1998.

  3. Highlights from a Decade of OMI-TOMS Total Ozone Observations on EOS Aura

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Haffner, David P.; Bhartia, Pawan K.; McPeters, Richard D.; Joiner, Joanna; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Vassilkov, Alexander; Labow, Gordon J.; Chiou, Er-Woon

    2014-01-01

    Total ozone measurements from OMI have been instrumental in meeting Aura science objectives. In the last decade, OMI has extended the length of the TOMS total ozone record to over 35 years to monitor stratospheric ozone recovery. OMI-TOMS total ozone measurements have also been combined synergistically with measurements from other Aura instruments and MLS in particular, which provides vertically resolved information that complements the total O3 mapping capability of OMI. With this combined approach, the EOS Aura platform has produced more accurate and detailed measurements of tropospheric ozone. This has led in turn to greater understanding of the sources and transport of tropospheric ozone as well as its radiative forcing effect. The combined use of OMI and MLS data was also vital to the analysis of the severe Arctic ozone depletion event of 2011. The quality of OMI-TOMS total O3 data used in these studies is the result of several factors: a mature and well-validated algorithm, the striking stability of the OMI instrument, and OMI's hyperspectral capabilities used to derive cloud pressures. The latter has changed how we think about the effects of clouds on total ozone retrievals. We will discuss the evolution of the operational V8.5 algorithm and provide an overview and motivation for V9. After reviewing results and developments of the past decade, we finally highlight how ozone observations from EOS Aura are playing an important role in new ozone mapping missions.

  4. Global Free Tropospheric NO2 Abundances Derived Using a Cloud Slicing Technique Applied to Satellite Observations from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Choi, S.; Joiner, J.; Choi, Y.; Duncan, B. N.; Bucsela, E.

    2014-01-01

    We derive free-tropospheric NO2 volume mixing ratios (VMRs) and stratospheric column amounts of NO2 by applying a cloud slicing technique to data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite. In the cloud-slicing approach, the slope of the above-cloud NO2 column versus the cloud scene pressure is proportional to the NO2 VMR. In this work, we use a sample of nearby OMI pixel data from a single orbit for the linear fit. The OMI data include cloud scene pressures from the rotational-Raman algorithm and above-cloud NO2 vertical column density (VCD) (defined as the NO2 column from the cloud scene pressure to the top-of-the-atmosphere) from a differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) algorithm. Estimates of stratospheric column NO2 are obtained by extrapolating the linear fits to the tropopause. We compare OMI-derived NO2 VMRs with in situ aircraft profiles measured during the NASA Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Phase B (INTEX-B) campaign in 2006. The agreement is generally within the estimated uncertainties when appropriate data screening is applied. We then derive a global seasonal climatology of free-tropospheric NO2 VMR in cloudy conditions. Enhanced NO2 in the free troposphere commonly appears near polluted urban locations where NO2 produced in the boundary layer may be transported vertically out of the boundary layer and then horizontally away from the source. Signatures of lightning NO2 are also shown throughout low and middle latitude regions in summer months. A profile analysis of our cloud slicing data indicates signatures of uplifted and transported anthropogenic NO2 in the middle troposphere as well as lightning-generated NO2 in the upper troposphere. Comparison of the climatology with simulations from the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) for cloudy conditions (cloud optical thicknesses > 10) shows similarities in the spatial patterns of continental pollution outflow. However, there are also some differences in

  5. Aura Satellite Mission: Oxford/RAL Spring School in Quantitative Earth Observation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Douglass, Anne

    2005-01-01

    The four instruments on Aura are providing new and exciting measurements of stratospheric and tropospheric ozone, species that contribute to ozone production and loss, and long-lived gases such as nitrous oxide and methane that provide information about atmospheric transport. These discussions of atmospheric chemistry will start with the basic principles of ozone production and loss. Aura data will be used where possible to illustrate the pertinent atmospheric processes. Three-dimensional model simulations will be used both to illustrate present capabilities in constituent modeling and to demonstrate how observations are used to evaluate and improve models and our ability to predict future ozone evolution.

  6. Satellite Observations of Tropospheric Ammonia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shephard, M. W.; Luo, M.; Rinsland, C. P.; Cady-Pereira, K. E.; Beer, R.; Pinder, R. W.; Henze, D.; Payne, V. H.; Clough, S.; Rodgers, C. D.; Osterman, G. B.; Bowman, K. W.; Worden, H. M.

    2008-12-01

    Global high-spectral resolution (0.06 cm-1) nadir measurements from TES-Aura enable the simultaneous retrieval of a number of tropospheric pollutants and trace gases in addition to the TES standard operationally retrieved products (e.g. carbon monoxide, ozone). Ammonia (NH3) is one of the additional species that can be retrieved in conjunction with the TES standard products, and is important for local, regional, and global tropospheric chemistry studies. Ammonia emissions contribute significantly to several well-known environmental problems, yet the magnitude and seasonal/spatial variability of the emissions are poorly constrained. In the atmosphere, an important fraction of fine particulate matter is composed of ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate. These particles are statistically associated with health impacts. When deposited to ecosystems in excess, nitrogen, including ammonia can cause nutrient imbalances, change in ecosystem species composition, eutrophication, algal blooms and hypoxia. Ammonia is also challenging to measure in-situ. Observations of surface concentrations are rare and are particularly sparse in North America. Satellite observations of ammonia are therefore highly desirable. We recently demonstrated that tropospheric ammonia is detectable in the TES spectra and presented some corresponding preliminary retrievals over a very limited range of conditions (Beer et al., 2008). Presented here are results that expand upon these initial TES ammonia retrievals in order to evaluate/validate the retrieval results utilizing in-situ surface observations (e.g. LADCO, CASTNet, EPA /NC State) and chemical models (e.g. GEOS-Chem and CMAQ). We also present retrievals over regions of interest that have the potential to help further understand air quality and the active nitrogen cycle. Beer, R., M. W. Shephard, S. S. Kulawik, S. A. Clough, A. Eldering, K. W. Bowman, S. P. Sander, B. M. Fisher, V. H. Payne, M. Luo, G. B. Osterman, and J. R. Worden, First

  7. Influence of Chlorine Emissions on Ozone Levels in the Troposphere

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chlorine emissions from cooling towers are emitted mainly as hypochlous acid, not as molecular chlorine. Chlorine emissions from cooling towers in electric utilities in the U.S. are estimated to be 4,400 tons per year. Molecular chlorine increases more tropospheric ozone than hyp...

  8. Comparative Analysis of the Methane Data Products from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pagano, T. J.; Worden, J. R.

    2016-12-01

    Methane is the second most powerful greenhouse gas with a highly positive radiative forcing of 0.48 W/m2 (IPCC 2013). Global concentrations of methane have been steadily increasing since 2007 (Bruhwiler 2014), raising concerns about methane's impact on the future global climate. For about the last decade, the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on the Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura spacecraft has been detecting several trace gas species in the troposphere including methane. The goal of this study is to compare TES methane products to that of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS Aqua spacecraft so that scientific investigations may be transferred from TES to AIRS. The two instruments fly in the afternoon constellations (A-Train), providing numerous coincident measurements for comparison. In addition, they also have a similar spectral range, (3.3 to 15.4 µm) for TES (Beer, 2006) and (3.7 to 15.4 µm) for AIRS (Chahine, 2006), making both satellites sensitive to the mid and upper troposphere. This makes them ideal candidates to compare methane data products. In a previous study, total column methane was mapped and global zonal averages were compared. It was found that bias of the total column measurements between the two sounders was about constant over tropical and subtropical regions. However, because AIRS spectral resolution is lower than that of the TES, it is important to analyze the difference in vertical sensitivity. In this study, we will construct vertical profiles of methane concentration and compare them statistically through RMS difference and bias to better understand these differences. In addition, we will compare the error profile and total column errors of the TES and AIRS methane from the data to better understand error characteristics of the products.

  9. Implementation of Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chance, K.; Liu, X.; Suleiman, R. M.; Flittner, D. E.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Janz, S. J.

    2014-12-01

    The updated status of TEMPO, as it proceeds from formulation phase into implementation phase is presented. TEMPO, the first NASA Earth Venture Instrument, will measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City to the Canadian oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution. TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the inherent high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO takes advantage of a GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions by 50%. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available. TEMPO provides much of the atmospheric measurement capability recommended for GEO-CAPE in the 2007 National Research Council Decadal Survey, Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond. GEO-CAPE is not planned for implementation this decade. However, instruments from Europe (Sentinel 4) and Asia (GEMS) will form parts of a global GEO constellation for pollution monitoring later this decade, with a major focus on intercontinental

  10. A New Retrieval Algorithm for OMI NO2: Tropospheric Results and Comparisons with Measurements and Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Swartz, W. H.; Bucesla, E. J.; Lamsal, L. N.; Celarier, E. A.; Krotkov, N. A.; Bhartia, P, K,; Strahan, S. E.; Gleason, J. F.; Herman, J.; Pickering, K.

    2012-01-01

    Nitrogen oxides (NOx =NO+NO2) are important atmospheric trace constituents that impact tropospheric air pollution chemistry and air quality. We have developed a new NASA algorithm for the retrieval of stratospheric and tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities using measurements from the nadir-viewing Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite. The new products rely on an improved approach to stratospheric NO2 column estimation and stratosphere-troposphere separation and a new monthly NO2 climatology based on the NASA Global Modeling Initiative chemistry-transport model. The retrieval does not rely on daily model profiles, minimizing the influence of a priori information. We evaluate the retrieved tropospheric NO2 columns using surface in situ (e.g., AQS/EPA), ground-based (e.g., DOAS), and airborne measurements (e.g., DISCOVER-AQ). The new, improved OMI tropospheric NO2 product is available at high spatial resolution for the years 200S-present. We believe that this product is valuable for the evaluation of chemistry-transport models, examining the spatial and temporal patterns of NOx emissions, constraining top-down NOx inventories, and for the estimation of NOx lifetimes.

  11. Modeling and Observations of the Response of Tropical Tropospheric Ozone to ENSO

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oman, L. D.; Douglass, A. R.; Ziemke, J. R.; Waugh, D. W.; Lang, C.; Rodriquez, J. M.; Nielsen, J. E.

    2012-01-01

    The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of tropical variability on interannual time scales. ENSO appears to extend its influence into the chemical composition of the tropical troposphere, Recent results have revealed an ENSO induced wave-1 anomaly in observed tropical tropospheric column ozone, This results in a dipole over the western and eastern tropical Pacific, whereby differencing the two regions produces an ozone anomaly with an extremely high correlation to the Nino 3.4 Index. We have successfully reproduced this result using the Goddard Earth Observing System Version 5 (GEOS-5) general circulation model coupled to a comprehensive stratospheric and tropospheric chemical mechanism forced with observed sea surface temperatures over the past 25 years, An examination of the modeled ozone field reveals the vertical contributions of tropospheric ozone to the column over the western and eastern Pacific region, We will show targeted comparisons with SHADOZ ozonesondes over these regions to provide insight into the vertical structure. Also, comparisons with NASA's Aura satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and Tropospheric Emissions Spectrometer (TES) instruments and other appropriate data sets will be shown. In addition, the water vapor response to ENSO will be compared to help illuminate its role relative to dynamics in impacting ozone concentrations. These results indicate that the tropospheric ozone response to ENSO is potentially a very useful chemistry-climate diagnostic and should be considered in future modeling assessments.

  12. The Satellite View of Extra-Tropical Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange and the UT/LS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schoeberl, Mark R.

    2004-01-01

    This talk will review satellite studies which have helped define the UT/LS and stratosphere-troposphere exchange. Satellites have provided a global perspective but have had limited temporal and spatial measurements for stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) studies. Nonetheless, long lived tracer measurements from satellites can be used as proxies for age-of-air can thus provide estimates of mixing and transport processes in the UT/LS. These measurements can be compared to model estimates of the mean age-of-air and trace gas fluxes providing an important model diagnostic. With the launch of EOS Aura, the potential for satellite trace gas measurements of the lower-most stratosphere and STE is significantly improved, and Aura s mission will be briefly described.

  13. Status of Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suleiman, R. M.; Chance, K.; Liu, X.; Flittner, D. E.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Janz, S. J.

    2015-12-01

    TEMPO is now well into its implementation phase, having passed both its Key Decision Point C and the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the instrument. The CDR for the ground systems will occur in March 2016 and the CDR for the Mission component at a later date, after the host spacecraft has been selected. TEMPO is on schedule to measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City to the Canadian oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution. TEMPO provides a tropospheric measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the inherent high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small product spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies.TEMPO takes advantage of a GEO host spacecraft to provide a modest cost mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, substantially reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions by 50%. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available.TEMPO provides much of the atmospheric measurement capability recommended for GEO-CAPE in the 2007 National Research Council Decadal Survey, Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond. Instruments from Europe (Sentinel 4) and Asia (GEMS) will form

  14. Inter-Annual and Decadal Changes in Tropospheric and Stratospheric Ozone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ziemke, Jr. R.; Chandra, S.

    2011-01-01

    Ozone data beginning October 2004 from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) are used to evaluate the accuracy of the Cloud slicing technique in effort to develop long data records of tropospheric and stratospheric ozone and studying their long-term changes. Using this technique, we have produced a 32-year (1979-2010) long record of tropospheric and stratospheric ozone from the combined Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (Toms) and OMI. The analyses of these time series suggest that the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is the dominant source of inter-annual changes of 30-40 Dobson Units (DU). Tropospheric ozone also indicates a QBO signal in the peak to peak changes varying from 2 to 7 DU. Decadal changes in global stratospheric ozone indicate a turnaround in ozone loss around mid 1990's with most of these changes occurring in the Northern Hemisphere from the subtropics to high latitudes. The trend results are generally consistent with the prediction of chemistry climate models which include the reduction of ozone destroying substances beginning in the late 1980's mandated by the Montreal Protocol.

  15. Interpretation of Aura satellite observations of CO and aerosol index related to the December 2006 Australia fires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, M.; Boxe, C.; Jiang, J.; Nassar, R.; Livesey, N.

    2009-11-01

    Enhanced Carbon Monoxide (CO) in the upper troposphere (UT) is shown by collocated Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements near and down-wind from the known wildfire region of SE Australia from 12-19 December 2006. Enhanced UV aerosol index (AI) derived from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurements correlate with these high CO concentrations. HYSPLIT model back trajectories trace selected air parcels to the SE Australia fire region as their initial location, where TES observes enhanced CO in the upper and lower troposphere. Simultaneously, they show a lack of vertical advection along their tracks. TES retrieved CO vertical profiles in the higher and lower southern latitudes are examined together with the averaging kernels and show that TES CO retrievals are most sensitive at approximately 300-400 hPa. The enhanced CO observed by TES at the upper (215 hPa) and lower (681 hPa) troposphere are, therefore, influenced by mid-tropospheric CO. GEOS-Chem model simulations with an 8-day emission inventory, as the wildfire source over Australia, are sampled to the TES/MLS observation times and locations. These simulations only show CO enhancements in the lower troposphere near and down-wind from the wildfire region of SE Australia with drastic underestimates of UT CO. Although CloudSat along-track ice-water content curtains are examined to see whether possible vertical convection events can explain the high UT CO values, sparse observations of collocated Aura CO and CloudSat along-track ice-water content measurements for the single event precludes any conclusive correlation. Vertical convection that uplift fire-induced CO (i.e. most notably referred to as pyro-cumulonimbus, pyroCb) may provide an explanation for the incongruence between these simulations and the TES/MLS observations of enhanced CO in the UT. Future GEOS-Chem simulations are needed to validate this conjecture as the the PyroCb mechanism is currently not

  16. Utilizing Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) Special Observations to Study Air Quality Over Megacities: A Case Study of Mexico City

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Osterman, G. B.; Neu, J. L.; Cady-Pereira, K.; Fu, D.; Payne, V.; Pfister, G.

    2016-12-01

    Since the beginning of 2013, the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on the NASA Aura spacecraft has been making special "transect" observations over 19 large cities across the globe. In all there are over 50 transect observations of each city, allowing for studying the chemistry of the troposphere during different seasons and differing atmospheric conditions. The cities that have been observed include, Beijing, Delhi and Mexico City. In addition, the TES group at JPL has been developing new data products using combined radiances from other satellite instruments. They have produced an ozone data product using a combination of TES and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) radiances. There has also been progress in creating an ozone product from combining OMI and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) radiances using the TES retrieval framework. This product offers the possibility of better spatial coverage than the TES or TES/OMI products. We have selected an observation from October 13, 2013 over Mexico City for doing a case study where high values of ozone were seen in the lower troposphere in retrievals from TES and TES/OMI. Other trace gases measured by TES, carbon monoxide, methanol, and formic acid were also enhanced over the city. TES was also able to capture downwind conditions where the trace gases were no longer enhanced except for formic acid and peroxyacetyl nitrate which showed elevated values. We will utilize trajectory analysis, the TES data as well as combined TES-OMI retrievals, the new combined AIRS-OMI retrievals of ozone to examine this case in more detail to understand possible broader scale effects of Mexico City pollution. Model results will be utilized to provide further context in understanding the atmospheric conditions being studied. We feel the TES special observations of megacities will provide an opportunity to study the effects of local sources versus broader regional sources on pollutions of these large cities.

  17. Assessment and Applications of NASA Ozone Data Products Derived from Aura OMI-MLS Satellite Measurements in Context of the GMI Chemical Transport Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ziemke, J. R.; Olsen, M. A.; Witte, J. C.; Douglass, A. R.; Strahan, S. E.; Wargan, K.; Liu, X.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Yang, K.; Kaplan, T. B.; hide

    2013-01-01

    Measurements from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), both onboard the Aura spacecraft, have been used to produce daily global maps of column and profile ozone since August 2004. Here we compare and evaluate three strategies to obtain daily maps of tropospheric and stratospheric ozone from OMI and MLS measurements: trajectory mapping, direct profile retrieval, and data assimilation. Evaluation is based upon an assessment that includes validation using ozonesondes and comparisons with the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemical transport model (CTM). We investigate applications of the three ozone data products from near-decadal and inter-annual timescales to day-to-day case studies. Zonally averaged inter-annual changes in tropospheric ozone from all of the products in any latitude range are of the order 1-2 Dobson Units while changes (increases) over the 8-year Aura record investigated http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/atbd-category/49 vary approximately 2-4 Dobson Units. It is demonstrated that all of the ozone products can measure and monitor exceptional tropospheric ozone events including major forest fire and pollution transport events. Stratospheric ozone during the Aura record has several anomalous inter-annual events including stratospheric warming split events in the Northern Hemisphere extra-tropics that are well captured using the data assimilation ozone profile product. Data assimilation with continuous daily global coverage and vertical ozone profile information is the best of the three strategies at generating a global tropospheric and stratospheric ozone product for science applications.

  18. Observational Diagnoses of Extratropical Ozone STE During the Aura Era

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olsen, Mark A.; Douglass, Anne R.; Witte, Jacquie C.; Kaplan, Trevor B.

    2011-01-01

    The transport of ozone from the stratosphere to the extratropical troposphere is an important boundary condition to tropospheric chemistry. However, previous direct estimates from models and indirect estimates from observations have poorly constrained the magnitude of ozone stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE). In this study we provide a direct diagnosis of the extratropical ozone STE using data from the Microwave Limb Sounder on Aura and output of the MERRA reanalysis over the time period from 2005 to the present. We find that the mean annual STE is about 275 Tg/yr and 205 Tg/yr in the NH and SH, respectively. The interannual variability of the magnitude is about twice as great in the NH than the SH. We find that this variability is dominated by the seasonal variability during the late winter and spring. A comparison of the ozone flux to the mass flux reveals that there is not a simple relationship between the two quantities. This presentation will also examine the magnitude and distribution of ozone in the lower stratosphere relative to the years of maximum and minimum ozone STE. Finally, we will examine any possible signature of increased ozone STE in the troposphere using sonde and tropospheric ozone residual (TOR) data, and output from the Global Modeling Initiative Chemistry Transport Model (GMI CTM).

  19. A Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer HDO/H2O Retrieval Simulator for Climate Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Field, R. D.; Risi, C.; Schmidt, G. A.; Worden, J.; Voulgarakis, A.; LeGrande, A. N.; Sobel, A. H.; Healy, R. J.

    2012-01-01

    Retrievals of the isotopic composition of water vapor from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) have unique value in constraining moist processes in climate models. Accurate comparison between simulated and retrieved values requires that model profiles that would be poorly retrieved are excluded, and that an instrument operator be applied to the remaining profiles. Typically, this is done by sampling model output at satellite measurement points and using the quality flags and averaging kernels from individual retrievals at specific places and times. This approach is not reliable when the model meteorological conditions influencing retrieval sensitivity are different from those observed by the instrument at short time scales, which will be the case for free-running climate simulations. In this study, we describe an alternative, categorical approach to applying the instrument operator, implemented within the NASA GISS ModelE general circulation model. Retrieval quality and averaging kernel structure are predicted empirically from model conditions, rather than obtained from collocated satellite observations. This approach can be used for arbitrary model configurations, and requires no agreement between satellite-retrieved and model meteorology at short time scales. To test this approach, nudged simUlations were conducted using both the retrieval-based and categorical operators. Cloud cover, surface temperature and free-tropospheric moisture content were the most important predictors of retrieval quality and averaging kernel structure. There was good agreement between the D fields after applying the retrieval-based and more detailed categorical operators, with increases of up to 30 over the ocean and decreases of up to 40 over land relative to the raw model fields. The categorical operator performed better over the ocean than over land, and requires further refinement for use outside of the tropics. After applying the TES operator, ModelE had D biases of 8

  20. Accurate Satellite-Derived Estimates of Tropospheric Ozone Radiative Forcing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Joiner, Joanna; Schoeberl, Mark R.; Vasilkov, Alexander P.; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Platnick, Steven; Livesey, Nathaniel J.; Levelt, Pieternel F.

    2008-01-01

    Estimates of the radiative forcing due to anthropogenically-produced tropospheric O3 are derived primarily from models. Here, we use tropospheric ozone and cloud data from several instruments in the A-train constellation of satellites as well as information from the GEOS-5 Data Assimilation System to accurately estimate the instantaneous radiative forcing from tropospheric O3 for January and July 2005. We improve upon previous estimates of tropospheric ozone mixing ratios from a residual approach using the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) by incorporating cloud pressure information from OMI. Since we cannot distinguish between natural and anthropogenic sources with the satellite data, our estimates reflect the total forcing due to tropospheric O3. We focus specifically on the magnitude and spatial structure of the cloud effect on both the shortand long-wave radiative forcing. The estimates presented here can be used to validate present day O3 radiative forcing produced by models.

  1. Impact of Surface Emissions to the Zonal Variability of Tropical Tropospheric Ozone and Carbon Monoxide for November 2004

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bowman, K. W.; Jones, D.; Logan, J.; Worden, H.; Boersma, F.; Chang, R.; Kulawik, S.; Osterman, G.; Worden, J.

    2008-01-01

    The chemical and dynamical processes governing the zonal variability of tropical tropospheric ozone and carbon monoxide are investigated for November 2004 using satellite observations, in-situ measurements, and chemical transport models in conjunction with inverse-estimated surface emissions. Vertical ozone profile estimates from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and ozone sonde measurements from the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) network show the so called zonal 'wave-one' pattern, which is characterized by peak ozone concentrations (70-80 ppb) centered over the Atlantic, as well as elevated concentrations of ozone over Indonesia and Australia (60-70 ppb) in the lower troposphere. Observational evidence from TES CO vertical profiles and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO2 columns point to regional surface emissions as an important contributor to the elevated ozone over Indonesia. This contribution is investigated with the GEOS-Chem chemistry and transport model using surface emission estimates derived from an optimal inverse model, which was constrained by TES and Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) CO profiles (Jones et al., 2007). These a posteriori estimates, which were over a factor of 2 greater than climatological emissions, reduced differences between GEOS-Chem and TES ozone observations by 30-40% and led to changes in GEOS-Chem upper tropospheric ozone of up to 40% over Indonesia. The remaining residual differences can be explained in part by upper tropospheric ozone produced from lightning NOx in the South Atlantic. Furthermore, model simulations from GEOS-Chem indicate that ozone over Indonesian/Australian is more sensitive to changes in surface emissions of NOx than ozone over the tropical Atlantic.

  2. Aura phenomena during syncope.

    PubMed

    Benke, T; Hochleitner, M; Bauer, G

    1997-01-01

    We studied the frequency and clinical characteristics of aura phenomena in 60 patients with cardiac and 40 subjects with vasovagal syncopes. The majority (93%) of all syncope patients recalled having experienced an aura. Aura phenomena were similar in both groups and were mostly compound auras comprising epigastric, vertiginous, visual, or somatosensory experiences, but were more detailed in the noncardiac group. The localizing significance of auras preceding a syncope was generally poor. Although hard to distinguish from epileptic auras from their structure and shape, syncope-related auras lacked symptoms that are commonly reported after epileptic seizures such as tastes, smells, déjà vu phenomena, scenic visual perceptions, and speech impairments. A detailed anamnestic exploration of auras seems worthwhile in unexplained disorders of consciousness.

  3. Tropospheric Ozone Changes, Radiative Forcing and Attribution to Emissions in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stevenson, D.S.; Young, P.J.; Naik, V.; Lamarque, J.-F.; Shindell, D. T.; Voulgarakis, A.; Skeie, R. B.; Dalsoren, S. B.; Myhre, G.; Berntsen, T. K.; hide

    2013-01-01

    Ozone (O3) from 17 atmospheric chemistry models taking part in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP) has been used to calculate tropospheric ozone radiative forcings (RFs). All models applied a common set of anthropogenic emissions, which are better constrained for the present-day than the past. Future anthropogenic emissions follow the four Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios, which define a relatively narrow range of possible air pollution emissions. We calculate a value for the pre-industrial (1750) to present-day (2010) tropospheric ozone RF of 410 mW m-2. The model range of pre-industrial to present-day changes in O3 produces a spread (+/-1 standard deviation) in RFs of +/-17%. Three different radiation schemes were used - we find differences in RFs between schemes (for the same ozone fields) of +/-10 percent. Applying two different tropopause definitions gives differences in RFs of +/-3 percent. Given additional (unquantified) uncertainties associated with emissions, climate-chemistry interactions and land-use change, we estimate an overall uncertainty of +/-30 percent for the tropospheric ozone RF. Experiments carried out by a subset of six models attribute tropospheric ozone RF to increased emissions of methane (44+/-12 percent), nitrogen oxides (31 +/- 9 percent), carbon monoxide (15 +/- 3 percent) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (9 +/- 2 percent); earlier studies attributed more of the tropospheric ozone RF to methane and less to nitrogen oxides. Normalising RFs to changes in tropospheric column ozone, we find a global mean normalised RF of 42 mW m(-2) DU(-1), a value similar to previous work. Using normalised RFs and future tropospheric column ozone projections we calculate future tropospheric ozone RFs (mW m(-2); relative to 1750) for the four future scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5) of 350, 420, 370 and 460 (in 2030), and 200, 300, 280 and 600 (in 2100). Models show some

  4. Seasonal dynamics in methane emissions from the Amazon River floodplain to the troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Devol, Allan H.; Richey, Jeffrey E.; Forsberg, Bruce R.; Martinelli, Luiz A.

    1990-01-01

    Methane fluxes to the troposphere from the three principal habitats of the floodplain of the Amazon River main stem (open waters, emergent macrophyte beds, and flooded forests) were determined along a 1700-km reach of the river during the low-water period of the annual flood cycle (November-December 1988). Overall, emissions averaged 68 mg CH4/sq m per day and were significantly lower than similar emissions determined previously for the high-water period, 184 mg CH4/sq m per day (July-August 1986). This difference was due to significantly lower emissions from floating macrophyte environments. Low-water emissions from open waters and flooded forest areas were not significantly different than at high water. A monthly time series of methane emission from eight lakes located in the central Amazon basis showed similar results. The data were used to calculate a seasonally weighted annual emission to the troposphere from the Amazon River main stem floodplain of 5.1 Tg/yr, which indicates the importance of the area in global atmospheric chemistry.

  5. Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) for the Earth Observing System (EOS) CHEM Satellite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beer, R.; Glavich, T.; Rider, D.

    2000-01-01

    The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) is an imaging infrared Fourier transform spectrometer scheduled to be launched into polar sun-synchronous orbit on the Earth Observing System (EOS) CHEM satellite in December 2002.

  6. Source attribution of tropospheric ozone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Butler, T. M.

    2015-12-01

    Tropospheric ozone is a harmful pollutant with adverse effects on human health and ecosystems. As well as these effects, tropospheric ozone is also a powerful greenhouse gas, with an anthropogenic radiative forcing one quarter of that of CO2. Along with methane and atmospheric aerosol, tropospheric ozone belongs to the so-called Short Lived Climate forcing Pollutants, or SLCP. Recent work has shown that efforts to reduce concentrations of SLCP in the atmosphere have the potential to slow the rate of near-term climate change, while simultaneously improving public health and reducing crop losses. Unlike many other SLCP, tropospehric ozone is not directly emitted, but is instead influenced by two distinct sources: transport of air from the ozone-rich stratosphere; and photochemical production in the troposphere from the emitted precursors NOx (oxides of nitrogen), CO (Carbon Monoxide), and VOC (volatile organic compounds, including methane). Better understanding of the relationship between ozone production and the emissions of its precursors is essential for the development of targeted emission reduction strategies. Several modeling methods have been employed to relate the production of tropospheric ozone to emissions of its precursors; emissions perturbation, tagging, and adjoint sensitivity methods all deliver complementary information about modelled ozone production. Most studies using tagging methods have focused on attribution of tropospheric ozone production to emissions of NOx, even though perturbation methods have suggested that tropospheric ozone is also sensitive to VOC, particularly methane. In this study we describe the implementation into a global chemistry-climate model of a scheme for tagging emissions of NOx and VOC with an arbitrary number of labels, which are followed through the chemical reactions of tropospheric ozone production in order to perform attribution of tropospehric ozone to its emitted precursors. Attribution is performed to both

  7. Status of Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chance, K.; Liu, X.; Suleiman, R. M.; Flittner, D. E.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Janz, S. J.

    2016-12-01

    TEMPO is now in the Assembly, Integration and Test (AI&T) phase, having passed its Key Decision Point C, Critical Design Reviews (CDRs) for the instrument and the ground systems, and the Test Readiness Review (TRR). The TEMPO instrument is scheduled for delivery in August 2017. The request for proposals to host TEMPO on a commercial geostationary satellite is scheduled for release by May 2017, with host selection hopefully completed by the end of calendar 2017. TEMPO is thus on schedule to measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City and Cuba to the Canadian oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution. It provides a measurement suite that includes the key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies.TEMPO takes advantage of a GEO host spacecraft to provide a mission that measures the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, substantially reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available.TEMPO provides much of the atmospheric measurement capability recommended for GEO-CAPE in the 2007 National Research Council Decadal Survey, Earth Science and Applications from Space

  8. Effects of the 2004 El Nino on Tropospheric Ozone and Water Vapor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Froidevaux, L.; Read, W. G.; Levelt, P. F.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2007-01-01

    The global effects of the 2004 El Nino on tropospheric ozone and H2O based on Aura OM1 and MLS measurements are analyzed. Although it was a weak El Nino from a historical perspective, it produced significant changes in these parameters in tropical latitudes. Tropospheric ozone increased by 10-20% over most of the western Pacific region and decreased by about the same amount over the eastern Pacific region. H2O in the upper troposphere showed similar changes but with opposite sign. These zonal changes in tropospheric ozone and H2O are caused by the eastward shift in the Walker circulation in the tropical pacific region during El Nino. For the 2004 El Nino, biomass burning did not have a significant effect on the ozone budget in the troposphere unlike the 1997 El Nino. Zonally averaged tropospheric column ozone did not change significantly either globally or over the tropical and subtropical latitudes.

  9. Top-down NOX Emissions of European Cities Derived from Modelled and Spaceborne Tropospheric NO2 Columns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verstraeten, W. W.; Boersma, K. F.; Douros, J.; Williams, J. E.; Eskes, H.; Delcloo, A. W.

    2017-12-01

    High nitrogen oxides (NOX = NO + NO2) concentrations near the surface impact humans and ecosystems badly and play a key role in tropospheric chemistry. NO2 is an important precursor of tropospheric ozone (O3) which in turn affects the production of the hydroxyl radical controlling the chemical lifetime of key atmospheric pollutants and reactive greenhouse gases. Combustion from industrial, traffic and household activities in large and densely populated urban areas result in high NOX emissions. Accurate mapping of these emissions is essential but hard to do since reported emissions factors may differ from real-time emissions in order of magnitude. Modelled NO2 levels and lifetimes also have large associated uncertainties and overestimation in the chemical lifetime which may mask missing NOX chemistry in current chemistry transport models (CTM's). The simultaneously estimation of both the NO2 lifetime and as well as the concentrations by applying the Exponentially Modified Gaussian (EMG) method on tropospheric NO2 columns lines densities should improve the surface NOX emission estimates. Here we evaluate if the EMG methodology applied on the tropospheric NO2 columns simulated by the LOTOS-EUROS (Long Term Ozone Simulation-European Ozone Simulation) CTM can reproduce the NOX emissions used as model input. First we process both the modelled tropospheric NO2 columns for the period April-September 2013 for 21 selected European urban areas under windy conditions (averaged vertical wind speeds between surface and 500 m from ECMWF > 2 m s-1) as well as the accompanying OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) data providing us with real-time observation-based estimates of midday NO2 columns. Then we compare the top-down derived surface NOX emissions with the 2011 MACC-III emission inventory, used in the CTM as input to simulate the NO2 columns. For cities where NOX emissions can be assumed as originating from one large source good agreement is found between the top-down derived

  10. Welcome to AURA

    Science.gov Websites

    Astronomy in FY2019 May 24, 2018 AURA Welcomes New Mexico Tech as New Member Institution May 24, 2018 Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium Approved as New Member of AURA May 15, 2018 Jeremy Weirich joins AURA as VP Telescope National Optical Astronomy Observatory National Solar Observatory Space Telescope Science

  11. Impact of Lightning-NO Emissions on Summertime U.S. Photochemistry as Determined Using the CMAQ Model with NLDN-Constrained Flash Rates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Dale; Pickering, Kenneth; Pinder, Robert; Koshak, William; Pierce, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    Lightning-NO emissions are responsible for 15-30 ppbv enhancements in upper tropospheric ozone over the eastern United States during the summer time. Enhancements vary from year to year but were particularly large during the summer of 2006, a period during which meteorological conditions were particularly conducive to ozone formation. A lightning-NO parameterization has been developed that can be used with the CMAQ model. Lightning-NO emissions in this scheme are assumed to be proportional to convective precipitation rate and scaled so that monthly average flash rates in each grid box match National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) observed flash rates after adjusting for climatological intracloud to cloud-to-ground (IC/CG) ratios. The contribution of lightning-NO emissions to eastern United States NOx and ozone distributions during the summer of 2006 will be evaluated by comparing results of 12- km CMAQ simulations with and without lightning-NO emissions to measurements from the IONS field campaign and to satellite retrievals from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard the Aura satellite. Special attention will be paid to the impact of the assumed vertical distribution of emissions on upper tropospheric NOx and ozone amounts.

  12. Improving Air Quality Forecasts with AURA Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newchurch, M. J.; Biazer, A.; Khan, M.; Koshak, W. J.; Nair, U.; Fuller, K.; Wang, L.; Parker, Y.; Williams, R.; Liu, X.

    2008-01-01

    Past studies have identified model initial and boundary conditions as sources of reducible errors in air-quality simulations. In particular, improving the initial condition improves the accuracy of short-term forecasts as it allows for the impact of local emissions to be realized by the model and improving boundary conditions improves long range transport through the model domain, especially in recirculating anticyclones. During the August 2006 period, we use AURA/OMI ozone measurements along with MODIS and CALIPSO aerosol observations to improve the initial and boundary conditions of ozone and Particulate Matter. Assessment of the model by comparison of the control run and satellite assimilation run to the IONS06 network of ozonesonde observations, which comprise the densest ozone sounding campaign ever conducted in North America, to AURA/TES ozone profile measurements, and to the EPA ground network of ozone and PM measurements will show significant improvement in the CMAQ calculations that use AURA initial and boundary conditions. Further analyses of lightning occurrences from ground and satellite observations and AURA/OMI NO2 column abundances will identify the lightning NOx signal evident in OMI measurements and suggest pathways for incorporating the lightning and NO2 data into the CMAQ simulations.

  13. The Influence of Biogenic Emissions on Tropospheric Composition over Africa during 2006

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, J. E.; Scheele, R.; van Velthoven, P. F. J.; Cammas, J.-P.; Galy-Lacaux, C.; Thouret, V.

    2009-04-01

    Biogenic emissions of NO and Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOC's) play an important role in determining the oxidizing capacity of the troposphere near tropical regions which have sparse populations. Here we use a 3D global CTM (TM4) for the purpose of examining the effect of using a recent climatology of biogenic emissions from the ORCHIDEE model (Lathiére et al, 2006) on the distribution and concentrations of trace gas species over equatorial Africa during the AMMA measurement year of 2006. We compare the results against simulations which adopt an older biogenic inventory compiled during the POET project (Granier et al, 2005). Sensitivity studies are conducted to determine the effect of both NO emitted from soils and BVOC's emitted from vegetation (namely the cumulative effect of CO, HCHO, ethanol, acetic acid, acetone and CH3CHO) on tropospheric ozone, NOx and the nitrogen reservoir species PAN and HNO3. Comparisons with a host of measurements have been performed to assess the impact on model performance. Finally an analysis of the tropical O3 budget is performed to quantify differences introduced for the oxidizing capacity of the tropical troposphere. Granier, C., Guether, A., Lamarque, J. F., Mieville, A., Muller, J.F., Olivier, J., Orlando, J., Peters, J., Petron, G., Tyndall, G., amd Wallens, S., POET - a database of surface emissions of ozone precursors, available at: http://www.aero.jussieu.fr/project/ACCENT/POET.php, 2005. Lathiére, J., Hauglustaine, D. A., Friend, A. D., De Noblet-Ducoudré, N., Viovy, N., and Folberth, G. A., Impact of climate variability and land use changes on global biogenic volatile organic compound emissions, Atms. Chem. Phys., 6, 2129-2146, 2006.

  14. Increasing Anthropogenic Emissions in China Offset Air Quality Policy Efforts in Western United States: A Satellite and Modelling Perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boersma, F. F.; Verstraeten, W. W.; Williams, J. E.; Neu, J. L.; Bowman, K. W.; Worden, J.

    2014-12-01

    Tropospheric ozone is an important greenhouse gas and a global air pollutant originating from photo-chemical oxidation of ozone precursors in the presence of NOX. Eastern Asia has the fastest growing anthropogenic emissions in the world, possibly affecting both the pollution in the local troposphere as well as in the trans-Pacific region. Local measurements over Asia show that tropospheric ozone has increased by 1 to 3% per year since the start of the millennium. This increase is often invoked to explain positive ozone trends observed in western United States, but to date there is no unambiguous evidence showing that enhanced Asian pollution is responsible for these trends. Here we interpret satellite measurements of tropospheric ozone and its precursor nitrate dioxide from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) using the TM5 global chemistry-transport model to directly show that tropospheric ozone over China has increased by ~10% from 2005-2010 in response to both a ~15% rise in Chinese emissions and an increased downward ozone transport from the stratosphere. What is more, we demonstrate that Chinese export of ozone and its precursors have offset one-third of the reduction in free tropospheric ozone over the western United States that should have occurred during 2005-2010 via emissions reductions associated with air quality policies in the United States. The issue of export and long-range transport of pollution from other countries indicates that global efforts may be required to address both the global as well as the regional air quality and climate change.

  15. Evaluating a Priori Ozone Profile Information Used in TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) Tropospheric Ozone Retrievals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Matthew Stephen

    2017-01-01

    A primary objective for TOLNet is the evaluation and validation of space-based tropospheric O3 retrievals from future systems such as the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite. This study is designed to evaluate the tropopause-based O3 climatology (TB-Clim) dataset which will be used as the a priori profile information in TEMPO O3 retrievals. This study also evaluates model simulated O3 profiles, which could potentially serve as a priori O3 profile information in TEMPO retrievals, from near-real-time (NRT) data assimilation model products (NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) Forward Processing (FP) and Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA2)) and full chemical transport model (CTM), GEOS-Chem, simulations. The TB-Clim dataset and model products are evaluated with surface (0-2 km) and tropospheric (0-10 km) TOLNet observations to demonstrate the accuracy of the suggested a priori dataset and information which could potentially be used in TEMPO O3 algorithms. This study also presents the impact of individual a priori profile sources on the accuracy of theoretical TEMPO O3 retrievals in the troposphere and at the surface. Preliminary results indicate that while the TB-Clim climatological dataset can replicate seasonally-averaged tropospheric O3 profiles observed by TOLNet, model-simulated profiles from a full CTM (GEOS-Chem is used as a proxy for CTM O3 predictions) resulted in more accurate tropospheric and surface-level O3 retrievals from TEMPO when compared to hourly (diurnal cycle evaluation) and daily-averaged (daily variability evaluation) TOLNet observations. Furthermore, it was determined that when large daily-averaged surface O3 mixing ratios are observed (65 ppb), which are important for air quality purposes, TEMPO retrieval values at the surface display higher correlations and less bias when applying CTM a priori profile information

  16. First Satellite Observations of Lower Tropospheric Ammonia and Methanol

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beer, Reinhard; Shephard, Mark W.; Kulawik, Susan S.; Clough, Shepard A.; Eldering, Annmarie; Bowman, Kevin W.; Sander, Stanley P.; Fisher, Brendan M.; Payne, Vivienne H.; Luo, Mingzhao; hide

    2008-01-01

    The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on the EOS Aura satellite makes global measurements of infrared radiances which are used to derive profiles of species such as O3, CO, H2O, HDO and CH4 as routine standard products. In addition, TES has a variety of special modes that provide denser spatial mapping over a limited geographical area. A continuous-coverage mode (called ''transect'', about 460 km long) has now been used to detect additional molecules indicative of regional air pollution. On 10 July 2007 at about 05:37 UTC (13:24 LMST) TES conducted such a transect observation over the Beijing area in northeast China. Examination of the residual spectral radiances following the retrieval of the TES standard products revealed surprisingly strong features attributable to enhanced concentrations of ammonia (NH3) and methanol (CH3OH), well above the normal background levels. This is the first time that these molecules have been detected in space-based nadir viewing measurements that penetrate into the lower atmosphere.

  17. First satellite observations of lower tropospheric ammonia and methanol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beer, Reinhard; Shephard, Mark W.; Kulawik, Susan S.; Clough, Shepard A.; Eldering, Annmarie; Bowman, Kevin W.; Sander, Stanley P.; Fisher, Brendan M.; Payne, Vivienne H.; Luo, Mingzhao; Osterman, Gregory B.; Worden, John R.

    2008-05-01

    The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on the EOS Aura satellite makes global measurements of infrared radiances which are used to derive profiles of species such as O3, CO, H2O, HDO and CH4 as routine standard products. In addition, TES has a variety of special modes that provide denser spatial mapping over a limited geographical area. A continuous-coverage mode (called ``transect'', about 460 km long) has now been used to detect additional molecules indicative of regional air pollution. On 10 July 2007 at about 05:37 UTC (13:24 LMST) TES conducted such a transect observation over the Beijing area in northeast China. Examination of the residual spectral radiances following the retrieval of the TES standard products revealed surprisingly strong features attributable to enhanced concentrations of ammonia (NH3) and methanol (CH3OH), well above the normal background levels. This is the first time that these molecules have been detected in space-based nadir viewing measurements that penetrate into the lower atmosphere.

  18. The possible influences of the increasing anthropogenic emissions in India on tropospheric ozone and OH

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yu; Li, Weiliang; Zhou, Xiuji; Isaksen, I. S. A.; Sundet, J. K.; He, Jinhai

    2003-11-01

    A 3-D chemical transport model (OSLO CTM2) is used to investigate the influences of the increasing anthropogenic emission in India. The model is capable of reproducing the observational results of the INDOEX experiment and the measurements in summer over India well. The model results show that when NO x and CO emissions in India are doubled, ozone concentration increases, and global average OH decreases a little. Under the effects of the Indian summer monsoon, NO x and CO in India are efficiently transported into the middle and upper troposphere by the upward current and the convective activities so that the NO x , CO, and ozone in the middle and upper troposphere significantly increase with the increasing NO x and CO emissions. These increases extensively influence a part of Asia, Africa, and Europe, and persist from June to September.

  19. The influence of boreal biomass burning emissions on the distribution of tropospheric ozone over North America and the North Atlantic during 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parrington, M.; Palmer, P. I.; Henze, D. K.; Tarasick, D. W.; Hyer, E. J.; Owen, R. C.; Helmig, D.; Clerbaux, C.; Bowman, K. W.; Deeter, M. N.; Barratt, E. M.; Coheur, P.-F.; Hurtmans, D.; Jiang, Z.; George, M.; Worden, J. R.

    2012-02-01

    We have analysed the sensitivity of the tropospheric ozone distribution over North America and the North Atlantic to boreal biomass burning emissions during the summer of 2010 using the GEOS-Chem 3-D global tropospheric chemical transport model and observations from in situ and satellite instruments. We show that the model ozone distribution is consistent with observations from the Pico Mountain Observatory in the Azores, ozonesondes across Canada, and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Instrument (IASI) satellite instruments. Mean biases between the model and observed ozone mixing ratio in the free troposphere were less than 10 ppbv. We used the adjoint of GEOS-Chem to show the model ozone distribution in the free troposphere over Maritime Canada is largely sensitive to NOx emissions from biomass burning sources in Central Canada, lightning sources in the central US, and anthropogenic sources in the eastern US and south-eastern Canada. We also used the adjoint of GEOS-Chem to evaluate the Fire Locating And Monitoring of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) inventory through assimilation of CO observations from the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite instrument. The CO inversion showed that, on average, the FLAMBE emissions needed to be reduced to 89% of their original values, with scaling factors ranging from 12% to 102%, to fit the MOPITT observations in the boreal regions. Applying the CO scaling factors to all species emitted from boreal biomass burning sources led to a decrease of the model tropospheric distributions of CO, PAN, and NOx by as much as -20 ppbv, -50 pptv, and -20 pptv respectively. The modification of the biomass burning emission estimates reduced the model ozone distribution by approximately -3 ppbv (-8%) and on average improved the agreement of the model ozone distribution compared to the observations throughout the free troposphere, reducing the mean model bias from 5.5 to 4.0 ppbv

  20. Remote sensing of tropospheric constituents by OMI on the EOS Aura satellite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bhartia, Pawan K.

    2006-01-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) was launched on NASA's EOS Aura satellite in July 2004. This instrument was built in the Netherlands with collaboration with Finland. The science data products are being developed jointly by scientists from the three countries. OMI is the first instrument to combine the high spatial resolution daily global mapping capability of TOMS with high spectral resolution measurements necessary for retrieving a number of trace gases of relevance to atmospheric chemistry, using techniques pioneered by GOME. In this talk I will show what our planet looks like at UV wavelengths and what these data can tell us about the effects of human activities on global air quality and climate.

  1. KSC-04pd1237

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-05-27

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- EOS Aura: The Aura mission will study air quality, climate and stratospheric ozone depletion. Aura is the third of NASA’s major Earth Observing System (EOS) orbital platforms and has four instruments. The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) will make complementary measurements of stratospheric ozone and the chemicals that destroy it. HIRDELS and MLS will also measure upper tropospheric water vapor and ozone - key gases that regulate climate. The Aura payload also includes the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), which will make the first global measurements of lower atmospheric ozone, and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), which will measure the total amount of atmospheric ozone as well as lower atmospheric dust, smoke and other aerosols. Aura is scheduled to launch in 2004. The flags on the decals represent the countries participating in the mission: United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Finland. The EOS Aura mission is being managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

  2. The influence of boreal biomass burning emissions on the distribution of tropospheric ozone over North America and the North Atlantic during 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parrington, M.; Palmer, P. I.; Henze, D. K.; Tarasick, D. W.; Hyer, E. J.; Owen, R. C.; Helmig, D.; Clerbaux, C.; Bowman, K. W.; Deeter, M. N.; Barratt, E. M.; Coheur, P.-F.; Hurtmans, D.; George, M.; Worden, J. R.

    2011-09-01

    We analyse the tropospheric ozone distribution over North America and the North Atlantic to boreal biomass burning emissions during the summer of 2010 using the GEOS-Chem 3-D global tropospheric chemical transport model, and observations from in situ and satellite instruments. In comparison to observations from the PICO-NARE observatory in the Azores, ozonesondes across Canada, and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Instrument (IASI) satellite instruments, the model ozone distribution is shown to be in reasonable agreement with mean biases less than 10 ppbv. We use the adjoint of GEOS-Chem to show the model ozone distribution in the free troposphere over Maritime Canada is largely sensitive to NOx emissions from biomass burning sources in Central Canada, lightning sources in the central US, and anthropogenic sources in eastern US and south-eastern Canada. We also use the adjoint of GEOS-Chem to evaluate the Fire Locating And Monitoring of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) inventory through assimilation of CO observations from the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite instrument. The CO inversion showed that, on average the FLAMBE emissions needed to be reduced to 89 % of their original values, with scaling factors ranging from 12 % to 102 %, to fit the MOPITT observations in the boreal regions. Applying the CO scaling factors to all species emitted from boreal biomass burning sources led to a decrease of the model tropospheric distributions of CO, PAN, and NOx by as much as -20 ppbv, -50 ppbv, and -20 ppbv respectively. The impact of optimizing the biomass burning emissions was to reduce the model ozone distribution by approximately -3 ppbv (-8 %) and on average improved the agreement of the model ozone distribution compared to the observations throughout the free troposphere reducing the mean model bias from 5.5 to 4.0 ppbv for the PICO-NARE observatory, 3.0 to 0.9 ppbv for ozonesondes, 2.0 to 0.9 ppbv

  3. A Decade of Volcanic Observations from Aura and the A-Train

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carn, Simon A.; Krotkov, Nickolay Anatoly; Yang, Kai; Krueger, Arlin J.; Hughes, Eric J.; Wang, Jun; Flower, Verity; Telling, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    Aura observations have made many seminal contributions to volcanology. Prior to the Aura launch, satellite observations of volcanic degassing (e.g., from TOMS) were mostly restricted to large eruptions. However, the vast majority of volcanic gases are released during quiescent 'passive' degassing between eruptions. The improved sensitivity of Aura OMI permitted the first daily, space-borne measurements of passive volcanic SO2 degassing, providing improved constraints on the source locations and magnitude of global SO2 emissions for input to atmospheric chemistry and climate models. As a result of this unique sensitivity to volcanic activity, OMI data were also the first satellite SO2 measurements to be routinely used for volcano monitoring at several volcano observatories worldwide. Furthermore, the Aura OMI SO2 data also offer unprecedented sensitivity to volcanic clouds in the UTLS, elucidating the transport, fate and lifetime of volcanic SO2 and providing critical input to aviation hazard mitigation efforts. Another major advance has been the improved vertical resolution of volcanic clouds made possible by synergy between Aura and other A-Train instruments (e.g., AIRS, CALIPSO, CloudSat), advanced UV SO2 altitude retrievals, and inverse trajectory modeling of detailed SO2 cloud maps. This altitude information is crucial for climate models and aviation hazards. We will review some of the highlights of a decade of Aura observations of volcanic activity and look ahead to the future of volcanic observations from space.

  4. Analysis of the summertime buildup of tropospheric ozone abundances over the Middle East and North Africa as observed by the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Jane J.; Jones, Dylan B. A.; Worden, John R.; Noone, David; Parrington, Mark; Kar, Jay

    2009-03-01

    We use the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model to interpret observations of tropospheric ozone from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) satellite instrument in summer 2005. Observations from TES reveal elevated ozone in the middle troposphere (500-400 hPa) across North Africa and the Middle East. Observed ozone abundances in the middle troposphere are at a maximum in summer and a minimum in winter, consistent with the previously predicted summertime "Middle East ozone maximum." This summertime enhancement in ozone is associated with the Arabian and Sahara anticyclones, centered over the Zagros and Atlas Mountains, respectively. These anticyclones isolate the middle troposphere over northeast Africa and the Middle East, with westerlies to the north and easterlies to the south, facilitating the buildup of ozone. Over the Middle East, we find that in situ production and transport from Asia provides comparable contributions of 30-35% to the ozone buildup. Over North Africa, in situ production is dominant (at about 20%), with transport from Asia, North America, and equatorial Africa each contributing about 10-15% to the total ozone. We find that although the eastern Mediterranean is characterized by strong descent in the middle and upper troposphere in summer, transport from the boundary layer accounts for about 25% of the local Middle Eastern contribution to the ozone enhancement in the middle troposphere. This upward transport of boundary layer air is associated with orographic lifting along the Zagros Mountains in Iran and the Asir and Hijaz Mountain ranges in Saudi Arabia, and is consistent with TES observations of deuterated water.

  5. Impact of road traffic emissions on tropospheric ozone in Europe for present day and future scenarios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mertens, Mariano; Kerkweg, Astrid; Grewe, Volker; Jöckel, Patrick

    2016-04-01

    Road traffic is an important anthropogenic source of NOx, CO and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) which act as precursors for the formation of tropospheric ozone. The formation of ozone is highly non-linear. This means that the contribution of the road traffic sector cannot directly be derived from the amount of emitted species, because they are also determined by local emissions of other anthropogenic and natural sources. In addition, long range transport of precursors and ozone can play an important role in determining the local ozone budget. For a complete assessment of the impact of road traffic emissions it is therefore important to resolve both, local emissions and long range transport. This can be achieved by the use of the newly developed MECO(n) model system, which on-line couples the global chemistry-climate-model EMAC with the regional chemistry-climate-model COSMO-CLM/MESSy. Both models use the same chemical speciation. This allows a highly consistent model chain from the global to the local scale. To quantify the contribution of the road traffic emissions to tropospheric ozone we use an accounting system of the relevant reaction pathways of the different species from different sources (called tagging method). This tagging scheme is implemented consistently on all scales, allowing a direct comparison of the contributions. With this model configuration we investigate the impact of road traffic emissions to the tropospheric ozone budget in Europe. For the year 2008 we compare different emission scenarios and investigate the influence of both model and emission resolution. In addition, results of a mitigation scenario for the year 2030 are presented. They indicate that the contribution of the road traffic sector can be reduced by local reductions of emissions during summer. During winter the importance of long range transport increases. This can lead to increased contributions of the road traffic sector (e.g. by increased emissions in the US) even if local

  6. Tropospheric processes: Observations and interpretation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Isaksen, Ivar S. A.; Fuglestvedt, J. A.; Lee, Yuan-Pern; Johnson, Colin; Atkinson, Roger; Lelieveld, Joseph; Sidebottom, Howard; Thompson, Anne; Brune, William H.; Oppenheimer, Michael

    1991-01-01

    Three aspects of tropospheric chemical processes imposed by manmade emission of source gases will be discussed. First, the implications for the OH distribution and thereby for the lifetime of source gases which are controlled by reactions with OH in the troposphere (e.g., CH4 and HCFC) are investigated. This is of importance for stratosphere ozone and climate. Second, we will study the impact of source gas emission on tropospheric ozone and discuss the possibility to estimate indirect climate effects from the changes in ozone and other climate gases. Finally, the degradation of HFC and HCFC's is discussed.

  7. Next-Generation Aura/OMI NO2 and SO2 Products

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krotkov, Nickolay; Yang, Kai; Bucsela, Eric; Lamsal, Lok; Celarier, Edward; Swartz, William; Carn, Simon; Bhartia, Pawan; Gleason, James; Pickering, Ken; hide

    2011-01-01

    The measurement of both SO2 and NO2 gases are recognized as an essential component of atmospheric composition missions. We describe current capabilities and limitations of the operational Aura/OMI NO2 and SO2 data that have been used by a large number of researchers. Analyses of the data and validation studies have brought to light a number of areas in which these products can be expanded and improved. Major improvements for new NASA standard (SP) NO2 product include more accurate tropospheric and stratospheric column amounts, along with much improved error estimates and diagnostics. Our approach uses a monthly NO2 climatology based on the NASA Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemistry-transport model and takes advantage of OMI data from cloudy scenes to find clean areas where the contribution from the trap NO2 column is relatively small. We then use a new filtering, interpolation and smoothing techniques for separating the stratospheric and tropospheric components of NO2, minimizing the influence of a priori information. The new algorithm greatly improves the structure of stratospheric features relative to the original SP. For the next-generation OMI SO2 product we plan to implement operationally the offline iterative spectral fitting (ISF) algorithm and re-process the OMI Level-2 SO2 dataset using a priori SO2 and aerosol profiles, clouds, and surface reflectivity appropriate for observation conditions. This will improve the ability to detect and quantify weak tropospheric SO2 loadings. The new algorithm is validated using aircraft in-situ data during field campaigns in China (2005 and 2008) and in Maryland (Frostburg, 2010 and DISCOVER-AQ in July 2011). The height of the SO2 plumes will also be estimated for high SO2 loading cases (e.g., volcanic eruptions). The same SO2 algorithm will be applied to the data from OMPS sensor to be launched on NPP satellite later this year. The next-generation NO2 and SO2 products will provide critical information (e

  8. The Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder (EOS MLS) on the Aura Satellite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Waters, Joe W.; Froidevaux, Lucien; Harwood, Robert S.; Jarnot, Robert F.; Pickett, Herbert M.; Read, William G.; Siegel, Peter H.; Cofield, Richard E.; Filipiak, Mark J.; Flower, Dennis A.; hide

    2006-01-01

    The Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder measures several atmospheric chemical species (OH, HO2, H2O, O3, HCl, ClO, HOCl, BrO, HNO3, N2O, CO, HCN, CH3CN, volcanic SO2), cloud ice, temperature, and geopotential height to improve our understanding of stratospheric ozone chemistry, the interaction of composition and climate, and pollution in the upper troposphere. All measurements are made simultaneously and continuously, during both day and night. The instrument uses heterodyne radiometers that observe thermal emission from the atmospheric limb in broad spectral regions centered near 118, 190, 240, and 640 GHz, and 2.5 THz. It was launched July 15, 2004 on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aura satellite and started full-up science operations on August 13, 2004. An atmospheric limb scan and radiometric calibration for all bands are performed routinely every 25 s. Vertical profiles are retrieved every 165 km along the suborbital track, covering 82 S to 82 N latitudes on each orbit. Instrument performance to date has been excellent; data have been made publicly available; and initial science results have been obtained.

  9. Evaluating climate model performance in the tropics with retrievals of water isotopic composition from Aura TES

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Field, Robert; Kim, Daehyun; Kelley, Max; LeGrande, Allegra; Worden, John; Schmidt, Gavin

    2014-05-01

    Observational and theoretical arguments suggest that satellite retrievals of the stable isotope composition of water vapor could be useful for climate model evaluation. The isotopic composition of water vapor is controlled by the same processes that control water vapor amount, but the observed distribution of isotopic composition is distinct from amount itself . This is due to the fractionation that occurs between the abundant H216O isotopes (isotopologues) and the rare and heavy H218O and HDO isotopes during evaporation and condensation. The fractionation physics are much simpler than the underlying moist physics; discrepancies between observed and modeled isotopic fields are more likely due to problems in the latter. Isotopic measurements therefore have the potential for identifying problems that might not be apparent from more conventional measurements. Isotopic tracers have existed in climate models since the 1980s but it is only since the mid 2000s that there have been enough data for meaningful model evaluation in this sense, in the troposphere at least. We have evaluated the NASA GISS ModelE2 general circulation model over the tropics against water isotope (HDO/H2O) retrievals from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), alongside more conventional measurements. A small ensemble of experiments was performed with physics perturbations to the cumulus and planetary boundary layer schemes, done in the context of the normal model development process. We examined the degree to which model-data agreement could be used to constrain a select group of internal processes in the model, namely condensate evaporation, entrainment strength, and moist convective air mass flux. All are difficult to parameterize, but exert strong influence over model performance. We found that the water isotope composition was significantly more sensitive to physics changes than precipitation, temperature or relative humidity through the depth of the tropical troposphere. Among the

  10. Changes in springtime tropospheric ozone at Mt. Happo from 1998 to 2016, linked to Asian emissions and North Pacific climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Okamoto, S.; Tanimoto, H.; Hirota, N.; Ikeda, K.; Akimoto, H.

    2017-12-01

    During the past decades, springtime ozone concentrations in the downwind regions of East Asia have rapidly increased with the increase of anthropogenic emissions. However, recent several studies based on the analysis of satellite tropospheric nitrogen dioxides data inferred possible peaking out of nitrogen oxides emissions in China. In addition to the precursor emissions, climate plays an important role in controlling the variations and distributions of tropospheric ozone. Here we revisited and updated the long-term trend of tropospheric ozone at Mt. Happo, Japan, for the period from 1998 to 2016. Since 1998 the springtime ozone concentration has shown a large increase until 2007, very likely caused by the increase in the emissions of ozone precursors associated with economic growth in eastern China, as evidenced from satellite observations of nitrogen dioxides. After the monotonic increase until 2007, the ozone level has been flattened associated with substantial drop in 2008. Recent low ozone levels were largely influenced by the decrease of the anthropogenic emissions from eastern China. We also found that the efficiency of long-range transport from central eastern China, driven by North Pacific climate, play a role in modulating the year-to-year variations of ozone at Mt. Happo.

  11. Exploding Head Syndrome as Aura of Migraine with Brainstem Aura: A Case Report.

    PubMed

    Rossi, Fabian H; Gonzalez, Elizabeth; Rossi, Elisa Marie; Tsakadze, Nina

    2018-01-01

    This article reports a case of exploding head syndrome (EHS) as an aura of migraine with brainstem aura (MBA). A middle-aged man presented with intermittent episodes of a brief sensation of explosion in the head, visual flashing, vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, confusion, ataxia, dysarthria, and bilateral visual impairment followed by migraine headache. The condition was diagnosed as MBA. Explosive head sensation, sensory phenomena, and headaches improved over time with nortriptyline. This case shows that EHS can present as a primary aura symptom in patients with MBA.

  12. Impact of climate variability on tropospheric ozone.

    PubMed

    Grewe, Volker

    2007-03-01

    A simulation with the climate-chemistry model (CCM) E39/C is presented, which covers both the troposphere and stratosphere dynamics and chemistry during the period 1960 to 1999. Although the CCM, by its nature, is not exactly representing observed day-by-day meteorology, there is an overall model's tendency to correctly reproduce the variability pattern due to an inclusion of realistic external forcings, like observed sea surface temperatures (e.g. El Niño), major volcanic eruption, solar cycle, concentrations of greenhouse gases, and Quasi-Biennial Oscillation. Additionally, climate-chemistry interactions are included, like the impact of ozone, methane, and other species on radiation and dynamics, and the impact of dynamics on emissions (lightning). However, a number of important feedbacks are not yet included (e.g. feedbacks related to biogenic emissions and emissions due to biomass burning). The results show a good representation of the evolution of the stratospheric ozone layer, including the ozone hole, which plays an important role for the simulation of natural variability of tropospheric ozone. Anthropogenic NO(x) emissions are included with a step-wise linear trend for each sector, but no interannual variability is included. The application of a number of diagnostics (e.g. marked ozone tracers) allows the separation of the impact of various processes/emissions on tropospheric ozone and shows that the simulated Northern Hemisphere tropospheric ozone budget is not only dominated by nitrogen oxide emissions and other ozone pre-cursors, but also by changes of the stratospheric ozone budget and its flux into the troposphere, which tends to reduce the simulated positive trend in tropospheric ozone due to emissions from industry and traffic during the late 80s and early 90s. For tropical regions the variability in ozone is dominated by variability in lightning (related to ENSO) and stratosphere-troposphere exchange (related to Northern Hemisphere Stratospheric

  13. Satellite Observations of Tropospheric BrO over Salt Lakes and Northern High Latitudes from EOS/OMI and SNPP/OMPS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurosu, T. P.; Stutz, J.; Brockway, N.; Saiz-Lopez, A.; Suleiman, R. M.; Natraj, V.; Jaross, G.; Seftor, C. J.

    2017-12-01

    We present observations of tropospheric bromine monoxide (BrO) derived from two satellite instruments: the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on EOS-Aura, and the Nadir Mapper component of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) on Suomi/NPP. BrO observations from OMPS constitute a new and experimental measurement that we first report on here and compare with the standard BrO data product from OMI. BrO is a halogen oxide present mostly in the lower stratosphere, where it catalytically destroys ozone with about 25 times the efficiency of ClO. BrO also has a tropospheric component, where it is released from sea surfaces, at the interface of ocean water and sea ice in the polar spring, in volcanic plumes, and in the vicinity of salt lakes. Tropospheric BrO has been linked to mercury (Hg) deposition through BrO-induced conversion of gaseous Hg to reactive Hg, which is then deposited on the surface and enters the food chain, ultimately affecting human health. As part of NASA's Aura Science Team, we are developing an OMI Tropospheric BrO data product that provides a unique global data set on BrO spatial and vertical distribution in the troposphere and stratosphere. Information of this kind is currently unavailable from any of the past and present bromine-monitoring instruments. In this presentation, we focus on multi-year time series of BrO released from a range of salt lakes - the Rann of Kutch, Salar de Uyuni, the Aral Sea, and others. We quantify the amount of bromine released from the lakes and investigate the possibility of lake desiccation monitoring based on independent BrO observations. The quality and limits of OMI and OMPS tropospheric BrO observations is investigated by comparison with ground-based MAX-DOAS observations over central Greenland.

  14. Migraine with prolonged aura: phenotype and treatment.

    PubMed

    Viana, Michele; Afridi, Shazia

    2018-01-01

    We review the published literature on migraine with prolonged aura (PA), specifically with regards to the phenotype and treatment options. PA is not uncommon. A recent study found that about 17% of migraine auras are prolonged and that 26% of patients with migraine with aura have experienced at least one PA. The characteristics of PA are similar to most typical auras with the exception of a higher number of aura symptoms (in particular sensory and/or dysphasic). There are no well-established treatments at present which target the aura component of migraine. Other than case reports, there have been open-label studies of lamotrigine and greater occipital nerve blocks. The only randomised, blinded, controlled trial to date has been of nasal ketamine showing some reduction in aura severity but not duration. A small open-labelled pilot study of amiloride was also promising. Larger randomised, controlled trials are needed to establish whether any of the existing or novel compounds mentioned are significantly effective and safe.

  15. Aura in Cluster Headache: A Cross-Sectional Study.

    PubMed

    de Coo, Ilse F; Wilbrink, Leopoldine A; Ie, Gaby D; Haan, Joost; Ferrari, Michel D

    2018-06-22

    Aura symptoms have been reported in up to 23% of cluster headache patients, but it is not known whether clinical characteristics are different in participants with and without aura. Using validated web-based questionnaires we assessed the presence and characteristics of attack-related aura and other clinical features in 629 subjects available for analysis from an initial cohort of 756 cluster headache subjects. Participants who screened positive for aura were contacted by telephone for confirmation of the ICHD-III criteria for aura. Typical aura symptoms before or during cluster headache attacks were found in 44/629 participants (7.0%) mainly involving visual symptoms (61.4%). Except for lower alcohol consumption and higher prevalence of frontal pain in participants with aura, no differences in clinical characteristics were found compared with participants without aura. At least 7.0% of the participants with cluster headache in our large cohort reported typical aura symptoms, which most often involved visual symptoms. No major clinical differences were found between participants with and without aura. © 2018 The Authors. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Headache Society.

  16. Highlights from the 11-Year Record of Tropospheric Ozone from OMI/MLS and Continuation of that Long Record Using OMPS Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ziemke, J. R.; Kramarova, N. A.; Bhartia, P. K.; Degenstein, D. A.; Deland, M. T.

    2016-01-01

    Since October 2004 the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) onboard the Aura satellite have provided over 11 years of continuous tropospheric ozone measurements. These OMI/MLS measurements have been used in many studies to evaluate dynamical and photochemical effects caused by ENSO, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and shorter timescales, as well as long-term trends and the effects of deep convection on tropospheric ozone. Given that the OMI and MLS instruments have now extended well beyond their expected lifetimes, our goal is to continue their long record of tropospheric ozone using recent Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS) measurements. The OMPS onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership NPP satellite was launched on October 28, 2011 and is comprised of three instruments: the nadir mapper, the nadir profiler, and the limb profiler. Our study combines total column ozone from the OMPS nadir mapper with stratospheric column ozone from the OMPS limb profiler to measure tropospheric ozone residual. The time period for the OMPS measurements is March 2012 present. For the OMPS limb profiler retrievals, the OMPS v2 algorithm from Goddard is tested against the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Algorithm. The retrieved ozone profiles from each of these algorithms are evaluated with ozone profiles from both ozonesondes and the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). Effects on derived OMPS tropospheric ozone caused by the 2015-2016 El Nino event are highlighted. This recent El Nino produced anomalies in tropospheric ozone throughout the tropical Pacific involving increases of approximately 10 DU over Indonesia and decreases approximately 5-10 DU in the eastern Pacific. These changes in ozone due to El Nino were predominantly dynamically-induced, caused by the eastward shift in sea-surface temperature and convection from the western to the eastern Pacific.

  17. Development of a Climate Record of Tropospheric and Stratospheric Column Ozone from Satellite Remote Sensing: Evidence of an Early Recovery of Global Stratospheric Ozone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ziemke, Jerald R.; Chandra, Sushil

    2012-01-01

    Ozone data beginning October 2004 from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) are used to evaluate the accuracy of the Cloud Slicing technique in effort to develop long data records of tropospheric and stratospheric ozone and for studying their long-term changes. Using this technique, we have produced a 32-yr (1979-2010) long record of tropospheric and stratospheric column ozone from the combined Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and OMI. Analyses of these time series suggest that the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is the dominant source of inter-annual variability of stratospheric ozone and is clearest in the Southern Hemisphere during the Aura time record with related inter-annual changes of 30- 40 Dobson Units. Tropospheric ozone for the long record also indicates a QBO signal in the tropics with peak-to-peak changes varying from 2 to 7 DU. The most important result from our study is that global stratospheric ozone indicates signature of a recovery occurring with ozone abundance now approaching the levels of year 1980 and earlier. The negative trends in stratospheric ozone in both hemispheres during the first 15 yr of the record are now positive over the last 15 yr and with nearly equal magnitudes. This turnaround in stratospheric ozone loss is occurring about 20 yr earlier than predicted by many chemistry climate models. This suggests that the Montreal Protocol which was first signed in 1987 as an international agreement to reduce ozone destroying substances is working well and perhaps better than anticipated.

  18. SO2 over Central China: Measurements, Numerical Simulations and the Tropospheric Sulfur Budget

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    He, Hao; Li, Can; Loughner, Christopher P.; Li, Zhangqing; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Yang, Kai; Wang, Lei; Zheng, Youfei; Bao, Xiangdong; Zhao, Guoqiang; hide

    2012-01-01

    SO2 in central China was measured in situ from an aircraft and remotely using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) from the Aura satellite; results were used to develop a numerical tool for evaluating the tropospheric sulfur budget - sources, sinks, transformation and transport. In April 2008, measured ambient SO2 concentrations decreased from approx.7 ppbv near the surface to approx. 1 ppbv at 1800 m altitude (an effective scale height of approx.800 m), but distinct SO2 plumes were observed between 1800 and 4500 m, the aircraft's ceiling. These free tropospheric plumes play a major role in the export of SO2 and in the accuracy of OMI retrievals. The mean SO2 column contents from aircraft measurements (0.73 DU, Dobson Units) and operational OMI SO2 products (0.63+/-0.26 DU) were close. The OMI retrievals were well correlated with in situ measurements (r = 0.84), but showed low bias (slope = 0.54). A new OMI retrieval algorithm was tested and showed improved agreement and bias (r = 0.87, slope = 0.86). The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was used to simulate sulfur chemistry, exhibiting reasonable agreement (r = 0.62, slope = 1.33) with in situ SO2 columns. The mean CMAQ SO2 loading over central and eastern China was 54 kT, approx.30% more than the estimate from OMI SO2 products, 42 kT. These numerical simulations, constrained by observations, indicate that ",50% (35 to 61 %) of the anthropogenic sulfur emissions were transported downwind, and the overall lifetime of tropospheric SO2 was 38+/-7 h.

  19. Migraine headache is present in the aura phase

    PubMed Central

    Hansen, Jakob M.; Lipton, Richard B.; Dodick, David W.; Silberstein, Stephen D.; Saper, Joel R.; Aurora, Sheena K.; Goadsby, Peter J.

    2012-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objectives: Migraine aura is commonly considered to be a distinct phase of a migraine attack that precedes headache. The objective of the study was to examine a large number of prospectively recorded attacks of migraine with aura and determine the timing of headache and other migraine symptoms relative to aura. Methods: As part of a clinical trial we collected prospective data on the time course of headache and other symptoms relative to the aura. Patients (n = 267) were enrolled from 16 centers, and asked to keep a headache diary for 1 month (phase I). They were asked to record headache symptoms as soon as possible after aura began and always within 1 hour of aura onset. A total of 456 attacks were reported during phase I by 201 patients. These patients were then randomized and included in phase II, during which a total of 405 attacks were reported in 164 patients. In total, we present data from 861 attacks of migraine with aura from 201 patients. Results: During the aura phase, the majority of attacks (73%) were associated with headache. Other migraine symptoms were also frequently reported during the aura: nausea (51%), photophobia (88%), and photophobia (73%). During the first 15 minutes within the onset of aura, 54% of patients reported headache fulfilling the criteria for migraine. Conclusion: Our results indicate that headaches as well as associated migraine symptoms are present early, during the aura phase of the migraine attack in the majority of patients. PMID:23115208

  20. A NASA Space Sleuth Hunts the Trail of Earth Water

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-08-13

    This vertical profile view from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer TES instrument on NASA Aura satellite depicts the distribution of water vapor molecules over Earth tropics across one transect of the satellite orbit on January 6, 2006.

  1. Clinical image: MRI during migraine with aura

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McNeal, A.C.

    1996-03-01

    Migraine refers to severe headaches that are usually unilateral, throbbing, and associated with nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and phonophobia. Migraine with aura (formerly called {open_quotes}classic migraine{close_quotes}) consists of the headache preceded or accompanied by neurological dysfunction. This dysfunction (aura) usually involves visual and sensory symptoms. The patient described herein experienced migraine with aura. MRI during and after the attack showed a reversible abnormality of the right posterior cerebral artery, with no parenchymal lesions. This appears to be the first report of abnormal MR vascular imaging during migraine with aura. 10 refs., 2 figs.

  2. Top-down NOX emissions over European cities from LOTOS-EUROS simulated and OMI observed tropospheric NO2 columns using the Exponentially Modified Gaussian approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verstraeten, Willem W.; Folkert Boersma, K.; Douros, John; Williams, Jason E.; Eskes, Henk H.; Delcloo, Andy

    2017-04-01

    High nitrogen oxides concentrations at the surface (NOX = NO + NO2) impact humans and ecosystem badly and play a key role in tropospheric chemistry. Surface NOX emissions drive major processes in regional and global chemistry transport models (CTM). NOX contributes to the formation of acid rain, act as aerosol precursors and is an important trace gas for the formation of tropospheric ozone (O3). Via tropospheric O3, NOX indirectly affects the production of the hydroxyl radical which controls the chemical lifetime of key atmospheric pollutants and reactive greenhouse gases. High NOX emissions are mainly observed in polluted regions produced by anthropogenic combustion from industrial, traffic and household activities typically observed in large and densely populated urban areas. Accurate NOX inventories are essential, but state-of the- art emission databases may vary substantially and uncertainties are high since reported emissions factors may differ in order of magnitude and more. To date, the modelled NO2 concentrations and lifetimes have large associated uncertainties due to the highly non-linear small-scale chemistry that occurs in urban areas and uncertainties in the reaction rate data, missing nitrogen (N) species and volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions, and incomplete knowledge of nitrogen oxides chemistry. Any overestimation in the chemical lifetime may mask missing NOX chemistry in current CTM's. By simultaneously estimating both the NO2 lifetime and concentrations, for instance by using the Exponentially Modified Gaussian (EMG), a better surface NOX emission flux estimate can be obtained. Here we evaluate if the EMG methodology can reproduce the emissions input from the tropospheric NO2 columns simulated by the LOTOS-EUROS (Long Term Ozone Simulation-European Ozone Simulation) CTM model. We apply the EMG methodology on LOTOS-EUROS simulated tropospheric NO2 columns for the period April-September 2013 for 21 selected European urban areas under windy

  3. Ictal mnemestic aura and verbal memory function.

    PubMed

    Vederman, Aaron C; Holtzer, Roee; Zimmerman, Molly E; Devinsky, Orrin; Barr, William B

    2010-04-01

    Déjà vu aura is a well-known phenomenon experienced by some patients with epilepsy. This study sought to explore the relationship between verbal memory and the experience of déjà vu or other types of mnemestic auras in 42 individuals with intractable seizures and 42 age- and education-matched patient controls. Verbal memory was assessed with indices of learning, long delay recall, and recognition from the California Verbal Learning Test. Results indicated that auras of any type were not associated with memory performance on the California Verbal Learning Test. As expected, age and education were related to verbal memory performance. Mnemestic auras were associated with clinical indices of illness, suggesting that the presence of these auras may be regarded as a risk factor for greater chronicity and severity in epilepsy. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The Observed Response of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO2 Columns to NOx Emission Controls on Power Plants in the United States: 2005-2011

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, Bryan N.; Yoshida, Yasuko; deFoy, Benjamin; Lamsal, Lok N.; Streets, David G.; Lu, Zifeng; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Krotkov, Nickolay A.

    2013-01-01

    We show that Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) nitrogen dioxide (NO2) tropospheric column data may be used to assess changes of the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from power plants in the United States, though careful interpretation of the data is necessary. There is a clear response for OMI NO2 data to NOx emission reductions from power plants associated with the implementation of mandated emission control devices (ECDs) over the OMI record (2005e2011). This response is scalar for all intents and purposes, whether the reduction is rapid or incremental over several years. However, it is variable among the power plants, even for those with the greatest absolute decrease in emissions. We document the primary causes of this variability, presenting case examples for specific power plants.

  5. Recent Large Reduction in Sulfur Dioxide Emissions from Chinese Power Plants Observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Can; Zhang, Qiang; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Streets, David G.; He, Kebin; Tsay, Si-Chee; Gleason, James F.

    2010-01-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASA's Aura satellite observed substantial increases in total column SO2 and tropospheric column NO2 from 2005 to 2007, over several areas in northern China where large coal-fired power plants were built during this period. The OMI-observed SO2/NO2 ratio is consistent with the SO2/ NO2, emissions estimated from a bottom-up approach. In 2008 over the same areas, OMI detected little change in NO2, suggesting steady electricity output from the power plants. However, dramatic reductions of S0 2 emissions were observed by OMI at the same time. These reductions confirm the effectiveness of the flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) devices in reducing S02 emissions, which likely became operational between 2007 and 2008. This study further demonstrates that the satellite sensors can monitor and characterize anthropogenic emissions from large point sources.

  6. Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) Ozone Climatology (2005-2009): Tropospheric and Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) Profiles with Comparisons to Omi-based Ozone Products

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, Anne M.; Miller, Sonya K.; Tilmes, Simone; Kollonige, Debra W.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.; Oltmans, Samuel J.; Johnson, Brian J.; Fujiwara, Masatomo; Schmidlin, F. J.; Coetzee, G. J. R.; hide

    2012-01-01

    We present a regional and seasonal climatology of SHADOZ ozone profiles in the troposphere and tropical tropopause layer (TTL) based on measurements taken during the first five years of Aura, 2005-2009, when new stations joined the network at Hanoi, Vietnam; Hilo, Hawaii; Alajuela Heredia, Costa Rica; Cotonou, Benin. In all, 15 stations operated during that period. A west-to-east progression of decreasing convective influence and increasing pollution leads to distinct tropospheric ozone profiles in three regions: (1) western Pacific eastern Indian Ocean; (2) equatorial Americas (San Cristobal, Alajuela, Paramaribo); (3) Atlantic and Africa. Comparisons in total ozone column from soundings, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI, on Aura, 2004-) satellite and ground-based instrumentation are presented. Most stations show better agreement with OMI than they did for EPTOMS comparisons (1998-2004; Earth-ProbeTotal Ozone Mapping Spectrometer), partly due to a revised above-burst ozone climatology. Possible station biases in the stratospheric segment of the ozone measurement noted in the first 7 years of SHADOZ ozone profiles are re-examined. High stratospheric bias observed during the TOMS period appears to persist at one station. Comparisons of SHADOZ tropospheric ozone and the daily Trajectory-enhanced Tropospheric Ozone Residual (TTOR) product (based on OMIMLS) show that the satellite-derived column amount averages 25 low. Correlations between TTOR and the SHADOZ sondes are quite good (typical r2 0.5-0.8), however, which may account for why some published residual-based OMI products capture tropospheric interannual variability fairly realistically. On the other hand, no clear explanations emerge for why TTOR-sonde discrepancies vary over a wide range at most SHADOZ sites.

  7. Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) ozone climatology (2005-2009): Tropospheric and tropical tropopause layer (TTL) profiles with comparisons to OMI-based ozone products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thompson, Anne M.; Miller, Sonya K.; Tilmes, Simone; Kollonige, Debra W.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.; Oltmans, Samuel J.; Johnson, Bryan J.; Fujiwara, Masatomo; Schmidlin, F. J.; Coetzee, G. J. R.; Komala, Ninong; Maata, Matakite; Bt Mohamad, Maznorizan; Nguyo, J.; Mutai, C.; Ogino, S.-Y.; da Silva, F. Raimundo; Leme, N. M. Paes; Posny, Francoise; Scheele, Rinus; Selkirk, Henry B.; Shiotani, Masato; Stübi, René; Levrat, Gilbert; Calpini, Bertrand; Thouret, ValéRie; Tsuruta, Haruo; Canossa, Jessica Valverde; VöMel, Holger; Yonemura, S.; Diaz, Jorge AndréS.; Tan Thanh, Nguyen T.; Thuy Ha, Hoang T.

    2012-12-01

    We present a regional and seasonal climatology of SHADOZ ozone profiles in the troposphere and tropical tropopause layer (TTL) based on measurements taken during the first five years of Aura, 2005-2009, when new stations joined the network at Hanoi, Vietnam; Hilo, Hawaii; Alajuela/Heredia, Costa Rica; Cotonou, Benin. In all, 15 stations operated during that period. A west-to-east progression of decreasing convective influence and increasing pollution leads to distinct tropospheric ozone profiles in three regions: (1) western Pacific/eastern Indian Ocean; (2) equatorial Americas (San Cristóbal, Alajuela, Paramaribo); (3) Atlantic and Africa. Comparisons in total ozone column from soundings, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI, on Aura, 2004-) satellite and ground-based instrumentation are presented. Most stations show better agreement with OMI than they did for EP/TOMS comparisons (1998-2004; Earth-Probe/Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer), partly due to a revised above-burst ozone climatology. Possible station biases in the stratospheric segment of the ozone measurement noted in the first 7 years of SHADOZ ozone profiles are re-examined. High stratospheric bias observed during the TOMS period appears to persist at one station. Comparisons of SHADOZ tropospheric ozone and the daily Trajectory-enhanced Tropospheric Ozone Residual (TTOR) product (based on OMI/MLS) show that the satellite-derived column amount averages 25% low. Correlations between TTOR and the SHADOZ sondes are quite good (typical r2= 0.5-0.8), however, which may account for why some published residual-based OMI products capture tropospheric interannual variability fairly realistically. On the other hand, no clear explanations emerge for why TTOR-sonde discrepancies vary over a wide range at most SHADOZ sites.

  8. Carbon monoxide (CO) emissions and its tropospheric variability over Pakistan using satellite-sensed data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    ul-Haq, Zia; Rana, Asim Daud; Ali, Muhammad; Mahmood, Khalid; Tariq, Salman; Qayyum, Zarmina

    2015-08-01

    This study presents major anthropogenic sources of carbon monoxide (CO) in Pakistan and discusses the spatio-temporal variability of tropospheric CO over Pakistan and neighboring regions of Afghanistan, India and Iran for a period from 2003 to 2012 using satellite-sensed (AIRS/AMSU) data. The results show a large spatio-temporal variability of CO over the study region mostly associated with anthropogenic activities such as crop residue burning, vehicular transport, and electricity and energy generation, and local meteorology. The annual mean value of tropospheric CO is observed to be 115 ± 2 ppbv that remains almost steady during the study period with decadal increase of only 2%. Due to more anthropogenic emissions of CO and its transport, the eastern zone shows a higher average value of 122 ± 2 ppbv with 2.7% decadal increase than the western zone (111 ± 3 ppbv with 1.4% decadal increase). Elevated concentrations of CO have been observed over the Indo-Gangetic Basin, Lahore, Karachi, and Delhi. During the study period large fluctuations in CO mean monthly values are found ranging from 99 ppbv to 131 ppbv. The fact that, in spite of a large increase in the CO emissions from 2003 to 2012, its average concentration remains almost stable indicates that a large scale regional transport contributes substantially to the tropospheric CO. Carbon monoxide concentrations exhibit a strong seasonal pattern with maximum amplitude in spring and minimum in autumn. July is found to have the highest decadal increasing trend of 13% followed by August at 8%, whereas May has the highest decreasing trend of -8% followed by November at -4.4%.

  9. Revisiting the contribution of land transport and shipping emissions to tropospheric ozone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mertens, Mariano; Grewe, Volker; Rieger, Vanessa S.; Jöckel, Patrick

    2018-04-01

    We quantify the contribution of land transport and shipping emissions to tropospheric ozone for the first time with a chemistry-climate model including an advanced tagging method (also known as source apportionment), which considers not only the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx, NO, and NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) separately, but also their non-linear interaction in producing ozone. For summer conditions a contribution of land transport emissions to ground-level ozone of up to 18 % in North America and Southern Europe is estimated, which corresponds to 12 and 10 nmol mol-1, respectively. The simulation results indicate a contribution of shipping emissions to ground-level ozone during summer on the order of up to 30 % in the North Pacific Ocean (up to 12 nmol mol-1) and 20 % in the North Atlantic Ocean (12 nmol mol-1). With respect to the contribution to the tropospheric ozone burden, we quantified values of 8 and 6 % for land transport and shipping emissions, respectively. Overall, the emissions from land transport contribute around 20 % to the net ozone production near the source regions, while shipping emissions contribute up to 52 % to the net ozone production in the North Pacific Ocean. To put these estimates in the context of literature values, we review previous studies. Most of them used the perturbation approach, in which the results for two simulations, one with all emissions and one with changed emissions for the source of interest, are compared. For a better comparability with these studies, we also performed additional perturbation simulations, which allow for a consistent comparison of results using the perturbation and the tagging approach. The comparison shows that the results strongly depend on the chosen methodology (tagging or perturbation approach) and on the strength of the perturbation. A more in-depth analysis for the land transport emissions reveals that the two approaches give different results

  10. Estimates of the changes in tropospheric chemistry which result from human activity and their dependence on NO(x) emissions and model resolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kanakidou, Maria; Crutzen, Paul J.; Zimmermann, Peter H.

    1994-01-01

    As a consequence of the non-linear behavior of the chemistry of the atmosphere and because of the short lifetime of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)), two-dimensional models do not give an adequate description of the production and destruction rates of NO(x) and their effects on the distributions of the concentration of ozone and hydroxyl radical. In this study, we use a three-dimensional model to evaluate the contribution of increasing NO(x) emissions from industrial activity and biomass burning to changes in the chemical composition of the troposphere. By comparing results obtained from longitudinally-uniform and longitudinally-varying emissions of NO(x), we demonstrate that the geographical representation of the NO(x) emissions is crucial in simulating tropospheric chemistry.

  11. Status of the first NASA EV-I Project, Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chance, K.; Liu, X.; Suleiman, R. M.; Flittner, D. E.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Janz, S. J.

    2013-12-01

    TEMPO is the first NASA Earth Venture Instrument. It will measure atmospheric pollution for greater North America from space using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. TEMPO measures from Mexico City to the Canadian tar sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution (2 km N/S × 4.5 km E/W at the center of its field of regard). The status of TEMPO including progress in instrument definition and implementation of the ground system will be presented. TEMPO provides a minimally-redundant measurement suite that includes all key elements of tropospheric air pollution chemistry. Measurements are from geostationary (GEO) orbit, to capture the inherent high variability in the diurnal cycle of emissions and chemistry. The small spatial footprint resolves pollution sources at sub-urban scale. Together, this temporal and spatial resolution improves emission inventories, monitors population exposure, and enables effective emission-control strategies. TEMPO will be delivered in 2017 for integration onto a NASA-selected GEO host spacecraft for launch as early as 2018. It will provide the spectra required to retrieve O3, NO2, SO2, H2CO, C2H2O2, H2O, aerosols, cloud parameters, and UVB radiation. TEMPO thus measures the major elements, directly or by proxy, in the tropospheric O3 chemistry cycle. Multi-spectral observations provide sensitivity to O3 in the lowermost troposphere, substantially reducing uncertainty in air quality predictions. TEMPO quantifies and tracks the evolution of aerosol loading. It provides near-real-time air quality products that will be made widely, publicly available. Additional gases not central to air quality, including BrO, OClO, and IO will also be measured. TEMPO and its Asian (GEMS) and European (Sentinel-4) constellation partners make the first tropospheric trace gas measurements from GEO, building on the heritage of six spectrometers flown in low-earth-orbit (LEO). These LEO instruments measure the needed

  12. The Localizing and Lateralizing Value of Auras in Lesional Partial Epilepsy Patients

    PubMed Central

    Ye, Byoung Seok; Cho, Yang-Je; Jang, Sang Hyun; Lee, Moon Kyu; Lee, Byung In

    2012-01-01

    Purpose We investigated the localizing and lateralizing values of auras in patients with lesional partial epilepsy on an outpatient basis. Materials and Methods A total of 276 subjects were retrospectively selected for this study if they had a unilateral single lobar lesion based on magnetic resonance image (MRI) results, and their scalp electroencephalography (EEG) findings were not discordant with the MRI-defined lobar localization and lateralization. According to the lesion locations, subjects were considered as having mesial temporal (MTLE), lateral temporal (LTLE), frontal (FLE), parietal (PLE), or occipital (OLE) lobe epilepsies. Auras were classified into 13 categories. Results A hundred and seventy-six subjects (63.8%) had experienced at least one aura. FLE subjects had the fewest number of auras. Epigastric and psychic auras were frequent among MTLE subjects, while visual auras were common in those with PLE and OLE. Somatosensory auras and whole body sensations were more frequent in the subjects with PLE than those without. Autonomic auras were more common in MTLE subjects than in LTLE subjects. Dysphasic auras were more frequently found in left-sided epilepsies. Five pairs of aura categories showed concurrent tendencies, which were the epigastric and autonomic auras, autonomic and emotional auras, visual and vestibular auras, auditory and vestibular auras, and whole-body sensation and auditory auras. Autonomic and emotional auras had a concurrent tendency in left-sided epilepsies, but not in right-sided epilepsies. Conclusion Our results support the previously known localizing value of auras, and suggest that dysphasic auras and the association of emotional and autonomic auras may have a lateralizing value. PMID:22476989

  13. Modeling the impact of chlorine emissions from coal combustion and prescribed waste incineration on tropospheric ozone formation in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yiming; Fan, Qi; Chen, Xiaoyang; Zhao, Jun; Ling, Zhenhao; Hong, Yingying; Li, Weibiao; Chen, Xunlai; Wang, Mingjie; Wei, Xiaolin

    2018-02-01

    Chlorine radicals can enhance atmospheric oxidation, which potentially increases tropospheric ozone concentration. However, few studies have been done to quantify the impact of chlorine emissions on ozone formation in China due to the lack of a chlorine emission inventory used in air quality models with sufficient resolution. In this study, the Anthropogenic Chlorine Emissions Inventory for China (ACEIC) was developed for the first time, including emissions of hydrogen chloride (HCl) and molecular chlorine (Cl2) from coal combustion and prescribed waste incineration (waste incineration plant). The HCl and Cl2 emissions from coal combustion in China in 2012 were estimated to be 232.9 and 9.4 Gg, respectively, while HCl emission from prescribed waste incineration was estimated to be 2.9 Gg. Spatially the highest emissions of HCl and Cl2 were found in the North China Plain, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Sichuan Basin. Air quality model simulations with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system were performed for November 2011, and the modeling results derived with and without chlorine emissions were compared. The magnitude of the simulated HCl, Cl2 and ClNO2 agreed reasonably with the observation when anthropogenic chlorine emissions were included in the model. The inclusion of the ACEIC increased the concentration of fine particulate Cl-, leading to enhanced heterogeneous reactions between Cl- and N2O5, which resulted in the higher production of ClNO2. Photolysis of ClNO2 and Cl2 in the morning and the reaction of HCl with OH in the afternoon produced chlorine radicals which accelerated tropospheric oxidation. When anthropogenic chlorine emissions were included in the model, the monthly mean concentrations of fine particulate Cl-, daily maximum 1 h ClNO2, and Cl radicals were estimated to increase by up to about 2.0 µg m-3, 773 pptv, and 1.5 × 103 molecule cm-3 in China, respectively. Meanwhile, the monthly mean daily maximum 8 h O3

  14. Reactive nitrogen, ozone and ozone production in the Arctic troposphere and the impact of stratosphere-troposphere exchange

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Q.; Rodriguez, J. M.; Douglass, A. R.; Crawford, J. H.; Olson, J. R.; Apel, E.; Bian, H.; Blake, D. R.; Brune, W.; Chin, M.; Colarco, P. R.; da Silva, A.; Diskin, G. S.; Duncan, B. N.; Huey, L. G.; Knapp, D. J.; Montzka, D. D.; Nielsen, J. E.; Pawson, S.; Riemer, D. D.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Wisthaler, A.

    2011-12-01

    We use aircraft observations obtained during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) mission to examine the distributions and source attributions of O3 and NOy in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region. Using a number of marker tracers, we distinguish various air masses from the background troposphere and examine their contributions to NOx, O3, and O3 production in the Arctic troposphere. The background Arctic troposphere has a mean O3 of ~60 ppbv and NOx of ~25 pptv throughout spring and summer with CO decreasing from ~145 ppbv in spring to ~100 ppbv in summer. These observed mixing ratios are not notably different from the values measured during the 1988 ABLE-3A and the 2002 TOPSE field campaigns despite the significant changes in emissions and stratospheric ozone layer in the past two decades that influence Arctic tropospheric composition. Air masses associated with stratosphere-troposphere exchange are present throughout the mid and upper troposphere during spring and summer. These air masses, with mean O3 concentrations of 140-160 ppbv, are significant direct sources of O3 in the Arctic troposphere. In addition, air of stratospheric origin displays net O3 formation in the Arctic due to its sustainable, high NOx (75 pptv in spring and 110 pptv in summer) and NOy (~800 pptv in spring and ~1100 pptv in summer). The air masses influenced by the stratosphere sampled during ARCTAS-B also show conversion of HNO3 to PAN. This active production of PAN is the result of increased degradation of ethane in the stratosphere-troposphere mixed air mass to form CH3CHO, followed by subsequent formation of PAN under high NOx conditions. These findings imply that an adequate representation of stratospheric NOy input, in addition to stratospheric O3 influx, is essential to accurately simulate tropospheric Arctic O3, NOx and PAN in chemistry transport models. Plumes influenced by recent anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions

  15. New Results and Insight into Tropospheric Composition - (TES) Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gunson, Michael R.; Eldering, Annmarie

    2006-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation describes the scientific challenges along with the chemical and dynamic processes that govern tropospheric ozone. The contents include: 1) The challenge and why; 2) The how to do 'it'; 3) Did 'it' work; 4) What we are trying to do with 'it'; 5) What else is happening; and 6) What next.

  16. Origins of Tropospheric Ozone Interannual Variation (IAV) over Reunion: A Model Investigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Junhua; Rodriguez, Jose M.; Thompson, Anne M.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Douglass, Anne R.; Olsen, Mark A.; Steenrod, Stephen D.; Posny, Francoise

    2016-01-01

    Observations from long-term ozonesonde measurements show robust variations and trends in the evolution of ozone in the middle and upper troposphere over Reunion Island (21.1 degrees South Latitude, 55.5 degrees East Longitude) in June-August. Here we examine possible causes of the observed ozone variation at Reunion Island using hindcast simulations by the stratosphere-troposphere Global Modeling Initiative chemical transport model for 1992-2014, driven by assimilated Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) meteorological fields. Reunion Island is at the edge of the subtropical jet, a region of strong stratospheric-tropospheric exchange. Our analysis implies that the large interannual variation (IAV) of upper tropospheric ozone over Reunion is driven by the large IAV of the stratospheric influence. The IAV of the large-scale, quasi-horizontal wind patterns also contributes to the IAV of ozone in the upper troposphere. Comparison to a simulation with constant emissions indicates that increasing emissions do not lead to the maximum trend in the middle and upper troposphere over Reunion during austral winter implied by the sonde data. The effects of increasing emission over southern Africa are limited tothe lower troposphere near the surface in August-September.

  17. Ozone correlations between mid-tropospheric partial columns and the near-surface at two mid-atlantic sites during the DISCOVER-AQ campaign in July 2011.

    PubMed

    Martins, Douglas K; Stauffer, Ryan M; Thompson, Anne M; Halliday, Hannah S; Kollonige, Debra; Joseph, Everette; Weinheimer, Andrew J

    The current network of ground-based monitors for ozone (O 3 ) is limited due to the spatial heterogeneity of O 3 at the surface. Satellite measurements can provide a solution to this limitation, but the lack of sensitivity of satellites to O 3 within the boundary layer causes large uncertainties in satellite retrievals at the near-surface. The vertical variability of O 3 was investigated using ozonesondes collected as part of NASA's D eriving I nformation on S urface Conditions from CO lumn and VER tically Resolved Observations Relevant to A ir Q uality (DISCOVER-AQ) campaign during July 2011 in the Baltimore, MD/Washington D.C. metropolitan area. A subset of the ozonesonde measurements was corrected for a known bias from the electrochemical solution strength using new procedures based on laboratory and field tests. A significant correlation of O 3 over the two sites with ozonesonde measurements (Edgewood and Beltsville, MD) was observed between the mid-troposphere (7-10 km) and the near-surface (1-3 km). A linear regression model based on the partial column amounts of O 3 within these subregions was developed to calculate the near-surface O 3 using mid-tropospheric satellite measurements from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) onboard the Aura spacecraft. The uncertainties of the calculated near-surface O 3 using TES mid-tropospheric satellite retrievals and a linear regression model were less than 20 %, which is less than that of the observed variability of O 3 at the surface in this region. These results utilize a region of the troposphere to which existing satellites are more sensitive compared to the boundary layer and can provide information of O 3 at the near-surface using existing satellite infrastructure and algorithms.

  18. Source Attribution of Tropospheric Ozone using a Global Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coates, J.; Lupascu, A.; Butler, T. M.; Zhu, S.

    2016-12-01

    Tropospheric ozone is both a short-lived climate forcing pollutant and a radiatively active greenhouse gas. Ozone is not directly emitted into the troposphere but photochemically produced from chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Emissions of ozone precursors (NOx and VOCs) have both natural and anthropogenic sources and may be transported away from their sources to produce ozone downwind. Also, transport of ozone from the stratosphere into the troposphere also influences tropospheric ozone levels in some regions. Attributing ozone concentrations to the contributions from different sources would indicate the effects of locally emitted or transported precursors on ozone levels in specific regions. This information could be used to inform the emission reduction strategies of ozone precursors by indicating which emission sources could be targeted for effective reductions thus reducing the burden of ozone pollution. We use a "tagging" approach within the CESM global model to attribute ozone levels to their source emissions. We use different tags to quantify the impact from natural (soils, lightning, stratospheric transport) and anthropogenic (aircraft, biomass burning) sources of NOx and VOCs (including methane) on ozone levels. These source sectors of different global regions are assigned based on the global emissions specified by HTAPv2.2. Using these results, we develop a transboundary source-receptor relationship of ozone concentration to its precursor emission regions. Additionally, the transport of ozone precursors from regional anthropogenic sources is analysed to illustrate the extent to which mitigation strategies of regional emissions aid in mitigating global ozone levels.

  19. Linkages Between Ozone-depleting Substances, Tropospheric Oxidation and Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Voulgarakis, A.; Shindell, D. T.; Faluvegi, G.

    2013-01-01

    Coupling between the stratosphere and the troposphere allows changes in stratospheric ozone abundances to affect tropospheric chemistry. Large-scale effects from such changes on chemically produced tropospheric aerosols have not been systematically examined in past studies. We use a composition-climate model to investigate potential past and future impacts of changes in stratospheric ozone depleting substances (ODS) on tropospheric oxidants and sulfate aerosols. In most experiments, we find significant responses in tropospheric photolysis and oxidants, with small but significant effects on methane radiative forcing. The response of sulfate aerosols is sizeable when examining the effect of increasing future nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. We also find that without the regulation of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) through the Montreal Protocol, sulfate aerosols could have increased by 2050 by a comparable amount to the decreases predicted due to relatively stringent sulfur emissions controls. The individual historical radiative forcings of CFCs and N2O through their indirect effects on methane (-22.6mW/sq. m for CFCs and -6.7mW/sq. m for N2O) and sulfate aerosols (-3.0mW/sq. m for CFCs and +6.5mW/sq. m for N2O when considering the direct aerosol effect) discussed here are non-negligible when compared to known historical ODS forcing. Our results stress the importance of accounting for stratosphere-troposphere, gas-aerosol and composition-climate interactions when investigating the effects of changing emissions on atmospheric composition and climate.

  20. BrO, OClO and HCHO Observations from the EOS-Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurosu, T. P.; Chance, K.; Sioris, C. E.

    2004-12-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) was launched on 15 July 2004 on the EOS-Aura platform into a sun-synchronous, polar orbit with an equator crossing time of 13:45h (ascending node). OMI is a nadir-viewing near-UV/Visible spectrometer, covering the spectral region of 270 nm to 500 nm with a resolution between 0.45 nm and 1.0 nm and a nominal ground footprint of 13 km×24 km. Global coverage is achieved in one day. The very high spatial resolution of OMI measurements sets a new standard for trace gas and air quality monitoring from space. Combined with daily global coverage, this significantly advances our ability to answer outstanding questions on air pollution, including the determination of BrO sources in mid and low latitudes, BrO--O3 anti-correlations as a function of latitude, and the production of formaldehyde in cities of the developing world. We introduce the design of the OMI operational retrieval algorithm for BrO, OClO and HCHO. Based on a direct (non-DOAS) non-linear fitting approach, it includes wavelength calibration for radiances and irradiances, an undersampling correction, and the characterization of the instrument slit function. We will present results of BrO (global distribution, and tropospheric contributions from the break-up ice shelves and volcanic emissions), formaldehyde (over regions of isoprene emissions, forest fires, and heavy urban pollution), and, contingent upon the availability of suitable OMI observations, OClO (under ozone hole conditions). Where available, trace gas retrievals from OMI will be compared to results from the SCIAMACHY and GOME instruments.

  1. Origins of tropospheric ozone interannual variation over Réunion: A model investigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Junhua; Rodriguez, Jose M.; Thompson, Anne M.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Douglass, Anne R.; Olsen, Mark A.; Steenrod, Stephen D.; Posny, Françoise

    2016-01-01

    Observations from long-term ozonesonde measurements show robust variations and trends in the evolution of ozone in the middle and upper troposphere over Réunion Island (21.1°S, 55.5°E) in June-August. Here we examine possible causes of the observed ozone variation at Réunion Island using hindcast simulations by the stratosphere-troposphere Global Modeling Initiative chemical transport model for 1992-2014, driven by assimilated Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications meteorological fields. Réunion Island is at the edge of the subtropical jet, a region of strong stratospheric-tropospheric exchange. Our analysis implies that the large interannual variation (IAV) of upper tropospheric ozone over Réunion is driven by the large IAV of the stratospheric influence. The IAV of the large-scale, quasi-horizontal wind patterns also contributes to the IAV of ozone in the upper troposphere. Comparison to a simulation with constant emissions indicates that increasing emissions do not lead to the maximum trend in the middle and upper troposphere over Réunion during austral winter implied by the sonde data. The effects of increasing emission over southern Africa are limited to the lower troposphere near the surface in August-September.

  2. Stratospheric influence on the seasonal cycle of nitrous oxide in the troposphere as deduced from aircraft observations and model simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ishijima, Kentaro; Patra, Prabir K.; Takigawa, Masayuki; Machida, Toshinobu; Matsueda, Hidekazu; Sawa, Yosuke; Steele, L. Paul; Krummel, Paul B.; Langenfelds, Ray L.; Aoki, Shuji; Nakazawa, Takakiyo

    2010-10-01

    The atmospheric N2O variations between the Earth's surface and the lower stratosphere, simulated by an atmospheric general circulation model-based chemistry transport model (ACTM), are compared with aircraft and satellite observations. We validate the newly developed ACTM simulations of N2O for loss rate and transport in the stratosphere using satellite observations from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (Aura-MLS), with optimized surface fluxes for reproducing N2O trends observed at the surface stations. Observations in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UT/LS) obtained by the Japan AirLines commercial flights commuting between Narita (36°N), Japan, and Sydney (34°S), Australia, have been used to study the role of stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) on N2O variability near the tropopause. Low N2O concentration events in the UT region are shown to be captured statistically significantly by the ACTM simulation. This is attributed to successful reproduction of stratospheric air intrusion events and N2O vertical/horizontal gradients in the lower stratosphere. The meteorological fields and N2O concentrations reproduced in the ACTM are used to illustrate the mechanisms of STE and subsequent downward propagation of N2O-depleted stratospheric air in the troposphere. Aircraft observations of N2O vertical profile over Surgut (West Siberia, Russia; 61°N), Sendai-Fukuoka (Japan; 34°N-38°N), and Cape Grim (Tasmania, Australia; 41°S) have been used to estimate the relative contribution of surface fluxes, transport seasonality in the troposphere, and STE to N2O seasonal cycles at different altitude levels. Stratospheric N2O tracers are incorporated in the ACTM for quantitative estimation of the stratospheric influence on tropospheric N2O. The results suggest strong latitude dependency of the stratospheric contribution to the tropospheric N2O seasonal cycle. The periods of seasonal minimum in the upper troposphere, which are spring over Japan and summer over Surgut

  3. Future changes in tropospheric ozone under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kawase, Hiroaki; Nagashima, Tatsuya; Sudo, Kengo; Nozawa, Toru

    2011-03-01

    We consider future changes in tropospheric ozone based on the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), which are new emission and concentration scenarios for the 5th coupled model intercomparison project. In contrast to the SRES scenarios, all the RCP scenarios assume an emission reduction of NOx by the late 21st Century that has the potential to achieve tropospheric ozone reduction. However, increasing radiative forcing (RF) due to greenhouse gases and changes in CH4 concentration also contribute to differences in the tropospheric ozone distribution among RCP scenarios. In the RCP4.5 and RCP6.0, assuming the stabilization of RF, the increase in tropospheric ozone due to enhanced residual circulation is cancelled out by the ozone reduction due to ozone precursor reductions. In contrast, in the RCP8.5, assuming increasing RF even after 2100, further enhanced residual circulation and significant increase in CH4 cause a dramatic increase in tropospheric ozone.

  4. Migraine with Aura

    MedlinePlus

    ... processes visual signals (visual cortex) and causes these visual hallucinations. Many of the same factors that trigger migraine can also trigger migraine with aura, including stress, bright lights, some foods and medications, too much or too little sleep, ...

  5. On Orbit Commissioning of the Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder (EOS MLS) On the Aura Spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lay, Richard R.; Lee, Karen A.; Holden, James R.; Oswald, John E.; Jarnot, Robert F.; Pickett, Herbert M.; Stek, Paul C.; Cofield, Richard E., III; Flower, Dennis A.; Schwartz, Michael J.; hide

    2005-01-01

    The Microwave Limb Sounder instrument was launched aboard NASA's EOS AURA satellite in July, 2004. The overall scientific objectives for MLS are to measure temperature, pressure, and several important chemical species in the upper troposphere and stratosphere relevant to ozone processes and climate change. MLS consists of a suite of radiometers designed to operate from 11 8 GHz to 2.5 THz, with two antennas (one for 2.5 THz, the other for the lower frequencies) that scan vertically through the atmospheric limb, and spectrometers with spectral resolution of 6 MHz at spectral line centers. This paper describes the on-orbit commissioning the MLS instrument which includes activation and engineering functional verifications and calibrations.

  6. Temporal lobe epilepsy: origin and significance of simple and complex auras.

    PubMed Central

    Taylor, D C; Lochery, M

    1987-01-01

    The aura experience of 88 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy was recorded, classified and analysed. Despite the great richness of the 215 experiences described, correlations with left or right brain, nature of lesion, age of onset, etc. were only apparent when a classification into three aura groups was used. "Simple primitive" auras as sole auras were more likely with early onset epilepsy, in lower IQ patients, in males, from the right temporal lobe, and with mesial temporal sclerosis. Exclusively "intellectual" auras were confined to a group of high IQ males. The number of aura experiences described per person correlated with Verbal IQ for males but not females, but also varied with side, sex, and nature of lesion. The results are discussed in terms of the necessary conditions for aura and their relevance and in relationship to the results of brain stimulation studies by Penfield and others. PMID:3612148

  7. Observations and Modeling of Composition of Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere (UTILS): Isentropic Mixing Events and Morphology of HNO3 as Observed by HIRDLS and Comparison with Results from Global Modeling Initiative

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rodriquez, J. M.; Douglass, A.R.; Yoshida, Y.; Strahan, S.; Duncan, B.; Olsen, M.; Gille, J.; Yudin, V.; Nardi, B.

    2008-01-01

    isentropic exchange of air masses between the tropical upper troposphere and mid-latitude lowermost stratosphere (the so-called "middle world") is an important pathway for stratospheric-tropospheric exchange. A seasonal, global view of this process has been difficult to obtain, in part due to the lack of the vertical resolution in satellite observations needed to capture the laminar character of these events. Ozone observations at a resolution of about 1 km from the High Resolution Dynamic Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) on NASA's Aura satellite show instances of these intrusions. Such intrusions should also be observable in HN03 observations; however, the abundances of nitric acid could be additionally controlled by chemical processes or incorporation and removal into ice clouds. We present a systematic examination of the HIRDLS data on O3 and HNO3 to determine the seasonal and spatial characteristics of the distribution of isentropic intrusions. At the same time, we compare the observed distributions with those calculated by the Global Modeling Initiative combined tropospheric-stratospheric model, which has a vertical resolution of about I km. This Chemical Transport Model (CTM) is driven by meteorological fields obtained from the GEOS-4 system of NASA/Goddard Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), for the Aura time period, at a vertical resolution of about 1 km. Such comparison brings out the successes and limitations of the model in representing isentropic stratospheric-tropospheric exchange, and the different processes controlling HNO3 in the UTAS.

  8. Summertime upper tropospheric nitrous oxide over the Mediterranean as a footprint of Asian emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kangah, Yannick; Ricaud, Philippe; Attié, Jean-Luc; Saitoh, Naoko; Hauglustaine, Didier A.; Wang, Rong; El Amraoui, Laaziz; Zbinden, Régina; Delon, Claire

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this paper is to study the transport of nitrous oxide (N2O) from the Asian surface to the eastern Mediterranean Basin (MB). We used measurements from the spectrometer Thermal and Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation Fourier transform spectrometer on board the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) over the period of 2010-2013. We also used the outputs from the chemical transport model LMDz-OR-INCA over the same period. By comparing GOSAT upper tropospheric retrievals to aircraft measurements from the High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research Pole-to-Pole Observations, we calculated a GOSAT High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research standard deviation (SD error) of 2.0 ppbv for a single pixel and a mean bias of approximately -1.3 ppbv (approximately -0.4%). This SD error is reduced to 0.1 ppbv when we average the pixels regionally and monthly over the MB. The use of nitrogen fertilizer coupled with high soil humidity during the summer Asian monsoon produces high N2O emissions, which are transported from Asian surfaces to the eastern MB. This summertime enrichment over the eastern MB produces a maximum in the difference between the eastern and the western MB upper tropospheric N2O (east-west difference) in July in both the measurements and the model. N2O over the eastern MB can therefore be considered as a footprint of Asian summertime emissions. However, the peak-to-peak amplitude of the east-west difference observed by GOSAT ( 1.4 ± 0.3 ppbv) is larger than that calculated by LMDz-OR-INCA ( 0.8 ppbv). This is due to an underestimation of N2O emissions in the model and to a relatively coarse spatial resolution of the model that tends to underestimate the N2O accumulation into the Asian monsoon anticyclone.

  9. Characteristics of biomass burning emission sources, transport, and chemical speciation in enhanced springtime tropospheric ozone profile over Hong Kong

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chan, C. Y.; Chan, L. Y.; Harris, J. M.; Oltmans, S. J.; Blake, D. R.; Qin, Y.; Zheng, Y. G.; Zheng, X. D.

    2003-01-01

    Tropospheric ozone (O3) enhancements have been continuously observed over Hong Kong. We studied the O3 enhancement events and assessed their relation to the springtime O3 maximum in the lower troposphere over Hong Kong using a 6-year (1993 to 1999) ozonesonde data set. We identified the source regions of biomass burning emission, and established the chemical and transport characteristics of O3-rich air masses in the enhanced O3 profiles using satellite imagery, air trajectory and trace gas data measured on board the DC-8 aircraft during the PEM-West-B experiment. We identified a total of 39 O3 enhancement events, among which 35 events (90%) occurred from late February to May and 30 events (77%) had O3 enhancement within the 2.0-6.0 km altitude. The excess O3 in the O3-rich layers adds an additional 12% of O3 into the tropospheric O3 column and results in an overall springtime O3 maximum in the lower troposphere. Forward trajectory analysis suggests that the O3-rich air masses over Hong Kong can reach central Pacific and the western coast of North America within 10 days. Back air trajectories show that the O3-rich air masses in the enhanced profiles pass over the Southeast (SE) Asia subcontinent, where active biomass burning occurs in the O3 enhancement period. We identified the Indo-Burma region containing Burma, Laos and northern Thailand, and the Indian-Nepal region containing northern India and Nepal as the two most active regions of biomass burning emissions in the SE Asia subcontinent. Ozone and trace gas measurement on board the DC-8 aircraft revealed that O3-rich air masses are found over many parts of the tropical SE Asia and subtropical western Pacific regions and they have similar chemical characteristics. The accompanying trace gas measurements suggest that the O3-rich air masses are rich in biomass burning tracer, CH3Cl, but not the general urban emission tracers. We thus believe that the springtime O3 enhancement over Hong Kong is as a result of

  10. Origins of tropospheric ozone interannual variation (IAV) over Réunion: A model investigation.

    PubMed

    Liu, Junhua; Rodriguez, Jose M; Thompson, Anne M; Logan, Jennifer A; Douglass, Anne R; Olsen, Mark A; Steenrod, Stephen D; Posny, Francoise

    2016-01-16

    Observations from long-term ozonesonde measurements show robust variations and trends in the evolution of ozone in the middle and upper troposphere over Réunion Island (21.1°S, 55.5°E) in June-August. Here we examine possible causes of the observed ozone variation at Réunion Island using hindcast simulations by the stratosphere-troposphere Global Modeling Initiative chemical transport model (GMI-CTM) for 1992-2014, driven by assimilated Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) meteorological fields. Réunion Island is at the edge of the subtropical jet, a region of strong stratospheric-tropospheric exchange (STE). Our analysis implies that the large interannual variation (IAV) of upper tropospheric ozone over Réunion is driven by the large IAV of the stratospheric influence. The IAV of the large-scale, quasi-horizontal wind patterns also contributes to the IAV of ozone in the upper troposphere. Comparison to a simulation with constant emissions indicates that increasing emissions do not lead to the maximum trend in the middle and upper troposphere over Réunion during austral winter implied by the sonde data. The effects of increasing emission over southern Africa are limited to the lower troposphere near the surface in August - September.

  11. Origins of tropospheric ozone interannual variation (IAV) over Réunion: A model investigation

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Junhua; Rodriguez, Jose M.; Thompson, Anne M.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Douglass, Anne R.; Olsen, Mark A.; Steenrod, Stephen D.; Posny, Francoise

    2018-01-01

    Observations from long-term ozonesonde measurements show robust variations and trends in the evolution of ozone in the middle and upper troposphere over Réunion Island (21.1°S, 55.5°E) in June-August. Here we examine possible causes of the observed ozone variation at Réunion Island using hindcast simulations by the stratosphere-troposphere Global Modeling Initiative chemical transport model (GMI-CTM) for 1992–2014, driven by assimilated Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) meteorological fields. Réunion Island is at the edge of the subtropical jet, a region of strong stratospheric-tropospheric exchange (STE). Our analysis implies that the large interannual variation (IAV) of upper tropospheric ozone over Réunion is driven by the large IAV of the stratospheric influence. The IAV of the large-scale, quasi-horizontal wind patterns also contributes to the IAV of ozone in the upper troposphere. Comparison to a simulation with constant emissions indicates that increasing emissions do not lead to the maximum trend in the middle and upper troposphere over Réunion during austral winter implied by the sonde data. The effects of increasing emission over southern Africa are limited to the lower troposphere near the surface in August – September. PMID:29657911

  12. Science Objectives of EOS-Aura's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Levelt, P. F.; Veefkind, J. P.; Stammes, P.; Hilsenrath, E.; Bhartia, P. K.; Chance, K. V.; Leppelmeier, G. W.; Maelkki, A.; Bhartia, Pawan (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    OMI is a UV/VIS nadir solar backscatter spectrograph, which provides near global coverage in one day with a spatial resolution of 13 x 24 sq km. OMI is a new instrument, with a heritage from the European satellite instruments GOME, GOMOS and SCIAMACHY. OMI's unique capabilities for measuring important trace gases with a small footprint and daily global coverage, in conjunction with the other Aura instruments, will make a major contribution to our understanding of stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry and climate change. OMI will measure solar irradiance and Earth radiances in the wavelength range of 270 to 500 nm with spectral resolution of about 0.5 nm and a spectral sampling of about 2-3 per FWHM. From these observations, total columns of O3, NO2, BrO and SO2 will be derived from the back-scattered solar radiance using differential absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). The TOMS total ozone record will also be continued by employing the well established TOMS algorithm. Because of the high accuracy and spatial resolution of the measurements, a good estimate of tropospheric amounts of ozone and NO2 are expected. Ozone profiles will be derived using the optimal estimation method. The spectral aerosol optical depth will be determined from measurements between 340 and 500 nm. This will provide information on aerosol concentration, aerosol size distribution and aerosol type. This wavelength range makes it possible to retrieve aerosol information over both land and sea. OMI observations will also allow retrievals of cloud coverage and cloud heights. From these products, the UV-B flux at the surface can then be derived with high spatial resolution.

  13. The Efficacy of Air Pollution Control Efforts: Evidence from AURA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dickerson, Russell R.; Canty, Tim; Duncan, Bryan N.; Hao, He; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Salawitch, Ross J.; Stehr, Jeffrey W.; Vinnikov, Konstatin

    2014-01-01

    Observations of NO2, SO2, and H2CO from OMI on AURA provide an excellent record of pollutant concentrations for the past decade. Abatement strategies to control criteria pollutants including ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have met with varying degrees of success. Sulfur controls had a profound impact on local SO2 concentrations and a measurable impact on PM2.5. Although substantial effort has gone into VOC control, ozone in the eastern US has responded dramatically to NOx emissions controls.

  14. EOS Aura and Future Satellite Studies of the Ozone Layer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schoeberl, Mark R.

    2007-01-01

    The EOS Aura mission, launched in 2004, provides a comprehensive assessment of the stratospheric dynamics and chemistry. This talk will focus on results from Aura including the chemistry of polar ozone depletion. The data from Aura can be directly linked to UARS data to produce long term trends in stratospheric trace gases.

  15. Low to middle tropospheric profiles and biosphere/troposphere fluxes of acidic gases in the summertime Canadian taiga

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Klemm, O.; Talbot, R. W.; Fitzgerald, D. R.; Klemm, K. I.; Lefer, B. L.

    1994-01-01

    We report features of acidic gases in the troposphere from 9 to 5000 m altitude above ground over the Canadian taiga in the summer of 1990. The measurements were conducted at a 30-m meteorological tower and from the NASA Wallops Electra aircraft as part of the joint U.S.-Canadian Arctic Boundary Layer Expedition (ABLE) 3B Northern Wetland Studies (NOWES). We sampled air for acidic gases using the mist chamber collector coupled with subsequent analysis using ion chromatography. At the tower we collected samples at two heights during a 13-day period, including diurnal studies. Using eddy flux and profile data, we estimated the biosphere/troposphere fluxes of nitric, formic, and acetic acids and sulfur dioxide. For the organic acids, emissions from the taiga in the afternoon hours and deposition during the predawn morning hours were observed. The flux intensities alone were however not high enough to explain the observed changes in mixing ratios. The measured deposition fluxes of nitric acid were high enough to have a significant influence on its mixing ratio in the boundary layer. On three days we measured vertical profiles of nitric, formic, and acetic acids through the lower to midtroposphere. We found that the chemical composition of the troposphere was extremely heterogenous. Pronounced layers of polluted air were readily apparent from our measurements. Local photochemical production and episodic long-range transport of trace components, originating from biomass burning and possibly industrial emissions, appear to have a strong influence on the composition of the troposphere and biosphere/troposphere fluxes of acidic gases at this site.

  16. Vertical transport of ozone and CO during super cyclones in the Bay of Bengal as detected by Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer.

    PubMed

    Fadnavis, S; Beig, G; Buchunde, P; Ghude, Sachin D; Krishnamurti, T N

    2011-02-01

    Vertical profiles of carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone retrieved from Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer have been analyzed during two super cyclone systems Mala and Sidr. Super cyclones Mala and Sidr traversed the Bay of Bengal (BOB) region on April 24-29, 2006 and November 12-16, 2007 respectively. The CO and ozone plume is observed as a strong enhancement of these pollutants in the upper troposphere over the BOB, indicating deep convective transport. Longitude-height cross-section of these pollutants shows vertical transport to the upper troposphere. CO mixing ratio ~90 ppb is observed near the 146-mb level during the cyclone Mala and near 316 mb during the cyclone Sidr. Ozone mixing ratio ~60-100 ppb is observed near the 316-mb level during both the cyclones. Analysis of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis vertical winds (omega) confirms vertical transport in the BOB.

  17. Observing Tropospheric Ozone From Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fishman, Jack

    2000-01-01

    The importance of tropospheric ozone embraces a spectrum of relevant scientific issues ranging from local environmental concerns, such as damage to the biosphere and human health, to those that impact global change questions, Such is climate warming. From an observational perspective, the challenge is to determine the tropospheric ozone global distribution. Because its lifetime is short compared with other important greenhouse gases that have been monitored over the past several decades, the distribution of tropospheric ozone cannot be inferred from a relatively small set of monitoring stations. Therefore, the best way to obtain a true global picture is from the use of space-based instrumentation where important spatial gradients over vast ocean expanses and other uninhabited areas can be properly characterized. In this paper, the development of the capability to measure tropospheric ozone from space over the past 15 years is summarized. Research in the late 1980s successfully led to the determination of the climatology of tropospheric ozone as a function of season; more recently, the methodology has improved to the extent where regional air pollution episodes can be characterized. The most recent modifications now provide quasi-global (50 N) to 50 S) maps on a daily basis. Such a data set would allow for the study of long-range (intercontinental) transport of air pollution and the quantification of how regional emissions feed into the global tropospheric ozone budget. Future measurement capabilities within this decade promise to offer the ability to provide Concurrent maps of the precursors to the in situ formation of tropospheric ozone from which the scientific community will gain unprecedented insight into the processes that control global tropospheric chemistry

  18. Ozone, Tropospheric

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fishman, Jack

    1995-01-01

    In the early part of the 20th century, ground-based and balloon-borne measurements discovered that most of atmosphere's ozone is located in the stratosphere with highest concentrations located between 15 and 30 km (9,3 and 18.6 miles). For a long time, it was believed that tropospheric ozone originated from the stratosphere and that most of it was destroyed by contact with the earth's surface. Ozone, O3, was known to be produced by the photo-dissociation of molecular oxygen, O2, a process that can only occur at wavelengths shorter than 242 nm. Because such short-wave-length radiation is present only in the stratosphere, no tropospheric ozone production is possible by this mechanism. In the 1940s, however, it became obvious that production of ozone was also taking place in the troposphere. The overall reaction mechanism was eventually identified by Arie Haagen-Smit of the California Institute of Technology, in highly polluted southern California. The copious emissions from the numerous cars driven there as a result of the mass migration to Los Angeles after World War 2 created the new unpleasant phenomenon of photochemical smog, the primary component of which is ozone. These high levels of ozone were injuring vegetable crops, causing women's nylons to run, and generating increasing respiratory and eye-irritation problems for the populace. Our knowledge of tropospheric ozone increased dramatically in the early 1950s as monitoring stations and search centers were established throughout southern California to see what could be done to combat this threat to human health and the environment.

  19. Climate Impacts on Tropospheric Ozone and Hydroxyl

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shindell, Drew T.; Bell, N.; Faluvegi, G.

    2003-01-01

    Climate change may influence tropospheric ozone and OH via several main pathways: (1) altering chemistry via temperature and humidity changes, (2) changing ozone and precursor sources via surface emissions, stratosphere-troposphere exchange, and light- ning, and (3) affecting trace gas sinks via the hydrological cycle and dry deposition. We report results from a set of coupled chemistry-climate model simulations designed to systematically study these effects. We compare the various effects with one another and with past and projected future changes in anthropogenic and natural emissions of ozone precursors. We find that white the overall impact of climate on ozone is probably small compared to emission changes, some significant seasonal and regional effects are apparent. The global effect on hydroxyl is quite large, however, similar in size to the effect of emission changes. Additionally, we show that many of the chemistry-climate links that are not yet adequately modeled are potentially important.

  20. Clouds and Hazes in Saturn's Troposphere and Stratosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Merlet, Cecile; Irwin, P.; Fletcher, L.

    2012-10-01

    We present new results from the analysis of Saturn's near-infrared spectra measured with the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument on the Cassini orbiter. VIMS near-infrared data are particularly relevant for the study of clouds and hazes in the troposphere and stratosphere of Saturn. Thermal emission in the 4.5-5.1 wavelength range is absorbed and scattered mainly by tropospheric clouds and radiatively active gases. The vertical structure as well as the optical and physical properties of tropospheric aerosols are obtained from Saturn's thermal emission spectra by using the retrieval algorithm Nemesis. The distribution of tropospheric phosphine and ammonia in gas phase will also be presented here. We managed to break the degeneracies inherent to the retrieval problem by analysing Saturn's thermal emission simultaneously at various viewing geometries. By using this method, we found that VIMS spectra at 4.5-5.1 microns are also sensitive to the hazes formed above the cloud layers. Saturn's reflected sunlight spectra at 0.8-3.5 microns measured with VIMS were also analysed in order to constrain the haze properties in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere of the planet. Results from both the 0.8-3.5 and 4.5-5.1 wavelength ranges were combined to determine the cloud and haze model most consistent with VIMS spectroscopy over a wide range of viewing geometries and lighting conditions. An increase of temperature below the tropopause, often referred to as the temperature knee, was retrieved from Cassini/CIRS spectra. Seasonal variations of the knee and haze structure are compared, and as a result the assumption of local heating by the hazes to explain this feature will be discussed.

  1. A randomized controlled trial of intranasal ketamine in migraine with prolonged aura.

    PubMed

    Afridi, Shazia K; Giffin, Nicola J; Kaube, Holger; Goadsby, Peter J

    2013-02-12

    The aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that ketamine would affect aura in a randomized controlled double-blind trial, and thus to provide direct evidence for the role of glutamatergic transmission in human aura. We performed a double-blinded, randomized parallel-group controlled study investigating the effect of 25 mg intranasal ketamine on migraine with prolonged aura in 30 migraineurs using 2 mg intranasal midazolam as an active control. Each subject recorded data from 3 episodes of migraine. Eighteen subjects completed the study. Ketamine reduced the severity (p = 0.032) but not duration of aura in this group, whereas midazolam had no effect. These data provide translational evidence for the potential importance of glutamatergic mechanisms in migraine aura and offer a pharmacologic parallel between animal experimental work on cortical spreading depression and the clinical problem. This study provides class III evidence that intranasal ketamine is effective in reducing aura severity in patients with migraine with prolonged aura.

  2. Evaluation of UTLS Carbon Monoxide Simulations in GMI and GEOS-Chem Chemical Transport Models using Aura MLS Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huang, Lei; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Murray, Lee T.; Damon, Megan R.; Su, Hui; Livesey, Nathaniel J.

    2016-01-01

    This study evaluates the distribution and variation of carbon monoxide (CO) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) during 2004-2012 as simulated by two chemical transport models, using the latest version of Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) observations. The simulated spatial distributions, temporal variations and vertical transport of CO in the UTLS region are compared with those observed by MLS. We also investigate the impact of surface emissions and deep convection on CO concentrations in the UTLS over different regions, using both model simulations and MLS observations. Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) and GEOS-Chem simulations of UTLS CO both show similar spatial distributions to observations. The global mean CO values simulated by both models agree with MLS observations at 215 and 147 hPa, but are significantly underestimated by more than 40% at 100 hPa. In addition, the models underestimate the peak CO values by up to 70% at 100 hPa, 60% at 147 hPa and 40% at 215 hPa, with GEOS-Chem generally simulating more CO at 100 hPa and less CO at 215 hPa than GMI. The seasonal distributions of CO simulated by both models are in better agreement with MLS in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) than in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), with disagreements between model and observations over enhanced CO regions such as southern Africa. The simulated vertical transport of CO shows better agreement with MLS in the tropics and the SH subtropics than the NH subtropics. We also examine regional variations in the relationships among surface CO emission, convection and UTLS CO concentrations. The two models exhibit emission-convection- CO relationships similar to those observed by MLS over the tropics and some regions with enhanced UTLS CO.

  3. Influence of enhanced Asian NOx emissions on ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in chemistry-climate model simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roy, Chaitri; Fadnavis, Suvarna; Müller, Rolf; Ayantika, D. C.; Ploeger, Felix; Rap, Alexandru

    2017-01-01

    The Asian summer monsoon (ASM) anticyclone is the most pronounced circulation pattern in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) during northern hemispheric summer. ASM convection plays an important role in efficient vertical transport from the surface to the upper-level anticyclone. In this paper we investigate the potential impact of enhanced anthropogenic nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions on the distribution of ozone in the UTLS using the fully coupled aerosol-chemistry-climate model, ECHAM5-HAMMOZ. Ozone in the UTLS is influenced both by the convective uplift of ozone precursors and by the uplift of enhanced-NOx-induced tropospheric ozone anomalies. We performed anthropogenic NOx emission sensitivity experiments over India and China. In these simulations, covering the years 2000-2010, anthropogenic NOx emissions have been increased by 38 % over India and by 73 % over China with respect to the emission base year 2000. These emission increases are comparable to the observed linear trends of 3.8 % per year over India and 7.3 % per year over China during the period 2000 to 2010. Enhanced NOx emissions over India by 38 % and China by 73 % increase the ozone radiative forcing in the ASM anticyclone (15-40° N, 60-120° E) by 16.3 and 78.5 mW m-2 respectively. These elevated NOx emissions produce significant warming over the Tibetan Plateau and increase precipitation over India due to a strengthening of the monsoon Hadley circulation. However, increase in NOx emissions over India by 73 % (similar to the observed increase over China) results in large ozone production over the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Tibetan Plateau. The higher ozone concentrations, in turn, induce a reversed monsoon Hadley circulation and negative precipitation anomalies over India. The associated subsidence suppresses vertical transport of NOx and ozone into the ASM anticyclone.

  4. Present-day distribution and trends of global tropospheric ozone from satellite observations: Results from the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaudel, A.; Cooper, O. R.; Barret, B.; Boynard, A.; Clerbaux, C.; Pierre-Francois, C.; Huang, G.; Hurtmans, D.; Kerridge, B. J.; Latter, B.; Le Flochmoen, E.; Liu, X.; Neu, J. L.; Siddans, R.; Wespes, C.; Worden, H. M.; Ziemke, J. R.

    2017-12-01

    Tropospheric ozone is a greenhouse gas and pollutant detrimental to human health and crop and ecosystem productivity. Since 1990 a large portion of the anthropogenic emissions that react in the atmosphere to produce ozone have shifted from North America and Europe to Asia. This rapid shift, coupled with limited ozone monitoring in developing nations, has left scientists unable to answer the most basic questions: Is ozone continuing to decline in nations with strong emission controls? To what extent is ozone increasing in the developing world? IGAC's Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR) has been designed to answer these questions and this presentation will show the results from the TOAR-Climate initiative, focusing on the present-day distribution and trends of global tropospheric ozone from satellite observations. Five satellite products based on OMI (2 products using two different retrieval methods) and IASI (also 2 products using two different retrieval methods) and the OMI/MLS combined product were intercompared. An important result is the close agreement among the five products regarding the quantification of the total mass of all tropospheric ozone, the so called tropospheric ozone burden (TOB). The mean estimate for TOB between 60° N and 60° S is 296 Tg, with all products agreeing within ± 4%. However, on a regional basis the five satellite products have notable differences and there is no agreement in terms of ozone trends over the past decade. Continuing work is exploring the causes of these differences.

  5. Drivers of the tropospheric ozone budget throughout the 21st century under the medium-high climate scenario RCP 6.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Revell, L. E.; Tummon, F.; Stenke, A.; Sukhodolov, T.; Coulon, A.; Rozanov, E.; Garny, H.; Grewe, V.; Peter, T.

    2015-01-01

    Because tropospheric ozone is both a~greenhouse gas and harmful air pollutant, it is important to understand how anthropogenic activities may influence its abundance and distribution through the 21st century. Here, we present model simulations performed with the chemistry-climate model SOCOL, in which spatially disaggregated chemistry and transport tracers have been implemented in order to better understand the distribution and projected changes in tropospheric ozone. We examine the influences of ozone precursor emissions (nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)), climate change and stratospheric ozone recovery on the tropospheric ozone budget, in a~simulation following the climate scenario Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 6.0. Changes in ozone precursor emissions have the largest effect, leading to a global-mean increase in tropospheric ozone which maximises in the early 21st century at 23%. The increase is most pronounced at northern midlatitudes, due to regional emission patterns: between 1990 and 2060, northern midlatitude tropospheric ozone remains at constantly large abundances: 31% larger than in 1960. Over this 70 year period, attempts to reduce emissions in Europe and North America do not have an effect on zonally-averaged northern midlatitude ozone because of increasing emissions from Asia, together with the longevity of ozone in the troposphere. A~simulation with fixed anthropogenic ozone precursor emissions of NOx, CO and non-methane VOCs at 1960 conditions shows a 6 % increase in global-mean tropospheric ozone, and an 11% increase at northern midlatitudes. This increase maximises in the 2080s, and is mostly caused by methane, which maximises in the 2080s following RCP 6.0, and plays an important role in controlling ozone directly, and indirectly through its influence on other VOCs and CO. Enhanced flux of ozone from the stratosphere to the troposphere as well as climate change-induced enhancements in

  6. Multi-year composite view of ozone enhancements and stratosphere-to-troposphere transport in dry intrusions of northern hemisphere extratropical cyclones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jaegle, L.; Wood, R.; Wargan, K.

    2017-12-01

    We examine the role of extratropical cyclones in stratosphere-to-troposphere (STT) exchange by using cyclone-centric composites of O3 retrievals from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) onboard the Aura satellite and contrasting them to composites obtained with Modern-Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA and MERRA-2) as well as with the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. MERRA sea level pressure fields are used to identify 15,978 extratropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere (NH) between 2005 and 2012. The lowermost stratosphere (261 hPa) and middle troposphere (424 hPa) composites of these cyclones feature a distinct 1,000 km wide O3 enhancement in the dry intrusion to the southwest of the cyclone center, coinciding with a lowered tropopause, enhanced potential vorticity, and decreased water vapor. In the lowermost stratosphere, MLS composites show that the dry intrusion O3 enhancements reach a 210 ppbv maximum in April. In the middle troposphere, TES composites display dry intrusion maximum O3 enhancements of 27 ppbv in May. The magnitude and seasonality of these enhancements are captured by MERRA and MERRA-2, but GEOS-Chem is a factor of two too low. The MERRA-2 composites show that the O3-rich dry intrusion forms a coherent and vertically aligned structure between 300 and 800 hPa, wrapping cyclonically with the warm conveyor belt. In winter and spring dry intrusions, O3 is enhanced by 100 pbbv or 100-130% relative to background conditions at 300 hPa, with a significant contribution reaching pressure altitudes below 500 hPa (6-20 ppbv or 15-30% enhancement). We calculate that extratropical cyclones result in a STT flux of 119 Tg O3 yr-1, accounting for 42% of the annual NH O3 extratropical STT flux. The STT flux in cyclones is highest in spring and displays a strong dependence on westerly 300 hPa wind speeds.

  7. Development of an Aura Chemical Reanalysis in support Air Quality Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pierce, R. B.; Lenzen, A.; Schaack, T.

    2015-12-01

    We present results of chemical data assimilation experiments utilizing the NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), University of Wisconsin Space Science and Engineering (SSEC) Real-time Air Quality Modeling System (RAQMS) in conjunction with the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Operational Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) 3-dimensional variational data assimilation system. The impact of assimilating NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) total column ozone, OMI tropospheric nitrogen dioxide columns, and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) stratospheric ozone profiles on background ozone is assessed using measurements from the 2010 NSF High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) Pole-to-Pole Observation (HIPPO) and NOAA California Nexus (CalNex) campaigns. Results show that the RAQMS/GSI Chemical Reanalysis is able to provide very good estimates of background ozone and large-scale ozone variability and is suitable for use in constraining regional air quality modeling activities. These experiments are being used to guide the development of a multi-year global chemical and aerosol reanalysis using NASA Aura and A-Train measurements to support air quality applications.

  8. Mission Status at Aura Science Team MOWG Meeting: EOS Aura

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, Dominic

    2016-01-01

    Presentation at the 24797-16 Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura Science Team Meeting (Mission Operations Work Group (MOWG)) at Rotterdam, Netherlands August 29, 2016. Presentation topics include mission summary, spacecraft subsystems summary, recent and planned activities, spacecraft anomalies, data capture, propellant usage and lifetime estimates, spacecraft maneuvers and ground track history, mission highlights and past spacecraft anomalies and reliability estimates.

  9. Validation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder Temperature and Geopotential Height Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schwartz, M. J.; Lambert, A.; Manney, G. L.; Read, W. G.; Livesey, N. J.; Froidevaux, L.; Ao, C. O.; Bernath, P. F.; Boone, C. D.; Cofield, R. E.; hide

    2007-01-01

    This paper describes the retrievals algorithm used to determine temperature and height from radiance measurements by the Microwave Limb Sounder on EOS Aura. MLS is a "limbscanning" instrument, meaning that it views the atmosphere along paths that do not intersect the surface - it actually looks forwards from the Aura satellite. This means that the temperature retrievals are for a "profile" of the atmosphere somewhat ahead of the satellite. Because of the need to view a finite sample of the atmosphere, the sample spans a box about 1.5km deep and several tens of kilometers in width; the optical characteristics of the atmosphere mean that the sample is representative of a tube about 200-300km long in the direction of view. The retrievals use temperature analyses from NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5 (GEOS-5) data assimilation system as a priori states. The temperature retrievals are somewhat deperrdezt on these a priori states, especially in the lower stratosphere. An important part of the validation of any new dataset involves comparison with other, independent datasets. A large part of this study is concerned with such comparisons, using a number of independent space-based measurements obtained using different techniques, and with meteorological analyses. The MLS temperature data are shown to have biases that vary with height, but also depend on the validation dataset. MLS data are apparently biased slightly cold relative to correlative data in the upper troposphere and slightly warm in the middle stratosphere. A warm MLS bias in the upper stratosphere may be due to a cold bias in GEOS-5 temperatures.

  10. Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) Satellite Validations of Ammonia, Methanol, Formic Acid, and Carbon Monoxide over the Canadian Oil Sands

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The URLs link to the data archive of the Troposphere Emission Spectrometer (TES) retrievals. These include the transects included in the Canadian Tar Sands study. A brief description of TES is listed below. TES is a spectrometer that measures the infrared-light energy (radiance) emitted by Earth's surface and by gases and particles in Earth's atmosphere. Every substance warmer than absolute zero emits infrared radiation at certain signature wavelengths. Spectrometers measure this radiation as a means of identifying the substances.TES has very high spectral resolution, which gives it the ability to pinpoint the wavelengths at which the substances are emitting. This enables precise identification of the substances, and also provides information about their location in the atmosphere. Emission wavelengths can vary with temperature and pressure, so seeing the emissions with great precision enables scientists to infer the temperature and pressure of the chemicals from which they came. This, in turn, implies that the chemicals being observed are at a certain altitude where those temperatures and pressures apply. The ability to determine the altitude of the observed chemicals enables TES to distinguish radiation from the upper and lower atmosphere, and focus on the lower layer - the troposphere.Since it observes light in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, similar to night-vision goggles, TES can observe both day and night. Its spectral range overlaps t

  11. High resolution modeling of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere region over the Arctic - GEM-AC simulations for the future climate with and without aviation emissions.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Porebska, Magdalena; Struzewska, Joanna; Kaminski, Jacek W.

    2016-04-01

    Upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region is a layer around the tropopause. Perturbation of the chemical composition in the UTLS region can impact physical and dynamical processes that can lead to changes in cloudiness, precipitation, radiative forcing, stratosphere-troposphere exchange and zonal flow. The objective of this study is to investigate the potential impacts of aviation emissions on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. In order to assess the impact of the aviation emissions we will focus on changes in atmospheric dynamic due to changes in chemical composition in the UTLS over the Arctic. Specifically, we will assess perturbations in the distribution of the wind, temperature and pressure fields in the UTLS region. Our study will be based on simulations using a high resolution chemical weather model for four scenarios of current (2006) and future (2050) climate: with and without aircraft emissions. The tool that we use is the GEM-AC (Global Environmental Multiscale with Atmospheric Chemistry) chemical weather model where air quality, free tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry processes are on-line and interactive in an operational weather forecast model of Environment Canada. In vertical, the model domain is defined on 70 hybrid levels with model top at 0.1 mb. The gas-phase chemistry includes detailed reactions of Ox, NOx, HOx, CO, CH4, ClOx and BrO. Also, the model can address aerosol microphysics and gas-aerosol partitioning. Aircraft emissions are from the AEDT 2006 database developed by the Federal Aviation Administration (USA) and the future climate simulations are based on RCP8.5 projection presented by the IPCC in the fifth Assessment Report AR5. Results from model simulations on a global variable grid with 0.5o x 0.5o uniform resolution over the Arctic will be presented.

  12. Impact of convection on stratospheric humidity and upper tropospheric clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ueyama, R.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Jensen, E. J.; Pfister, L.; Avery, M. A.

    2017-12-01

    The role of convection on stratospheric water vapor and upper tropospheric cloud fraction is investigated using two sets of complementary transport and microphysical models driven by MERRA-2 and ERA-Interim meteorological analyses: (1) computationally efficient ensembles of forward trajectories with simplified cloud microphysics, and (2) one-dimensional simulations with detailed microphysics along back trajectories. Convective influence along the trajectories is diagnosed based on TRMM/GPM rainfall products and geostationary infrared satellite cloud-top measurements, with convective cloud-top height adjusted to match the CloudSat, CALIPSO, and CATS measurements. We evaluate and constrain the model results by comparison with satellite observations (e.g., Aura MLS, CALIPSO CALIOP) and high-altitude aircraft campaigns (e.g., ATTREX, POSIDON). Convection moistens the lower stratosphere by approximately 10-15% and increases the cloud fraction in the upper troposphere by 35-50%. Convective moistening is dominated by the saturating effect of parcels; convectively-lofted ice has a negligible impact on lower stratospheric humidity. We also find that the highest convective clouds have a disproportionately large impact on stratospheric water vapor because stratospheric relative humidity is low. Implications of these model results on the role of convection on present and future climate will be discussed.

  13. MeSMarT - Measurements of Shipping Emissions in the Marine Troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kattner, Lisa; Mathieu-Üffing, Barbara; Chirkov, Maksym; Burrows, John; Matthias, Volker; Richter, Andreas; Schmolke, Stefan; Theobald, Norbert; Weigelt-Krenz, Sieglinde; Wittrock, Folkard

    2013-04-01

    A new project called MeSMarT (Measurements of shipping emissions in the marine troposphere) to estimate the influence of ship emissions on the chemistry of the atmospheric boundary layer over the North Sea has been established in cooperation with the German Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency). Over the last years discussions about ship emissions have increased and grown in importance due to the increase of commercial shipping as well as studies about their dangerous health effects. While industrial and traffic air pollution from ashore is decreasing because of technological improvements and stronger political regulations the impact of ship emissions becomes more relevant, especially in coastal areas and harbor cities. The establishment of a Sulfur Emission Controlled Area (SECA) for the North Sea and the Baltic Sea has been a first step to control and reduce ship emissions by consecutively regulating the sulfur content of fuels. The project MeSMarT aims to monitor background concentration as well as elevated signals of gases and particles related to ship emissions with various physical and chemical methods to cover a wide range of relevant pollutants and their spatial and seasonal distribution. SO2, NO2, NO, CO2 and O3 are measured with in situ techniques, SO2 and NO2 as well by remote sensing applying the MAXDOAS-technique. The data will also be compared with satellite measurements and passive sampling in order to find a method to observe the long-term effect of regulations like SECA. High volume filter samples will be taken and analyzed especially for sulfate, nitrate, organics and elemental composition to investigate possible sources, sinks and conversion of ship emission derived compounds. Measurements and sampling take place during ship campaigns primarily in the North Sea and will be complemented with stationary measurements located on a coastal site close to the main shipping routes through the German

  14. Drivers of the tropospheric ozone budget throughout the 21st century under the medium-high climate scenario RCP 6.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Revell, L. E.; Tummon, F.; Stenke, A.; Sukhodolov, T.; Coulon, A.; Rozanov, E.; Garny, H.; Grewe, V.; Peter, T.

    2015-05-01

    Because tropospheric ozone is both a greenhouse gas and harmful air pollutant, it is important to understand how anthropogenic activities may influence its abundance and distribution through the 21st century. Here, we present model simulations performed with the chemistry-climate model SOCOL, in which spatially disaggregated chemistry and transport tracers have been implemented in order to better understand the distribution and projected changes in tropospheric ozone. We examine the influences of ozone precursor emissions (nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)), climate change (including methane effects) and stratospheric ozone recovery on the tropospheric ozone budget, in a simulation following the climate scenario Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 6.0 (a medium-high, and reasonably realistic climate scenario). Changes in ozone precursor emissions have the largest effect, leading to a global-mean increase in tropospheric ozone which maximizes in the early 21st century at 23% compared to 1960. The increase is most pronounced at northern midlatitudes, due to regional emission patterns: between 1990 and 2060, northern midlatitude tropospheric ozone remains at constantly large abundances: 31% larger than in 1960. Over this 70-year period, attempts to reduce emissions in Europe and North America do not have an effect on zonally averaged northern midlatitude ozone because of increasing emissions from Asia, together with the long lifetime of ozone in the troposphere. A simulation with fixed anthropogenic ozone precursor emissions of NOx, CO and non-methane VOCs at 1960 conditions shows a 6% increase in global-mean tropospheric ozone by the end of the 21st century, with an 11 % increase at northern midlatitudes. This increase maximizes in the 2080s and is mostly caused by methane, which maximizes in the 2080s following RCP 6.0, and plays an important role in controlling ozone directly, and indirectly through its

  15. Tropospheric Ozone Over North America

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oltmans, S. J.; Thompson, A. M.; Cooper, O. R.; Merrill, J. T.; Tarasick, D. W.; Newchurch, M. J.

    2007-05-01

    Ozone in the troposphere plays a significant role as an absorber of infrared radiation (greenhouse gas), in the cleansing capacity of the atmosphere as a precursor of hydroxol radical formation, and a regulated air pollutant capable of deleterious health and ecosystem effects. Knowledge of the ozone budget in the troposphere over North America (NA) is required to properly understand the various mechanisms that contribute to the measured distribution and to develop and test models capable of simulating and predicting this key player in atmospheric chemical and physical processes. Recent field campaigns including the 2004 and 2006 INTEX Ozone Network Studies (IONS) http:croc.gsfc.nasa.gov/intexb/ions06.html that have included intensive ozone profile measurements from ozonesondes provide a unique data set for describing tropospheric ozone over a significant portion of the North American continent. These campaigns have focused on the spring and summer seasons when tropospheric ozone over NA is particularly influenced by long-range transport processes, significant photochemical ozone production resulting from both anthropogenic and natural (lightning) precursor emissions, and exchange with the stratosphere. This study uses ozone profiles measured over NA in the latitude band from approximately 12-60N, extending from the tropics to the high mid latitudes, to describe the seasonal behavior of tropospheric ozone over NA with an emphasis on the spring and summer. This includes the variability within seasons at a particular site as well as the contrasts between the seasons. Emphasis is placed on the variations among the sites including latitudinal and longitudinal gradients and how these differ through the seasons and with altitude in the troposphere. Regional differences are most pronounced during the summer season likely reflecting the influence of a wider variation in processes influencing the tropospheric ozone distribution including lightning NOX production in the upper

  16. A comprehensive overview of the climatological composition of the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone based on 10 years of Aura Microwave Limb Sounder measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santee, M. L.; Manney, G. L.; Livesey, N. J.; Schwartz, M. J.; Neu, J. L.; Read, W. G.

    2017-05-01

    Intense deep convection associated with the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) lofts surface pollutants to the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS), where strong winds and long chemical lifetimes allow intercontinental transport, affecting atmospheric composition around the globe. The Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), launched in 2004, makes simultaneous colocated measurements of trace gases and cloud ice water content (a proxy for deep convection) in the UTLS on a daily basis. Here we exploit the dense spatial and temporal coverage, long-term data record, extensive measurement suite, and insensitivity to aerosol and most clouds of Aura MLS to characterize the climatological (2005-2014) composition of the ASM anticyclone throughout its annual life cycle. We use version 4 MLS data to quantify spatial and temporal variations in both tropospheric (H2O, CO, CH3Cl, CH3CN, CH3OH) and stratospheric (O3, HNO3, HCl) tracers on four potential temperature surfaces (350-410 K). Inside the mature anticyclone, all species exhibit substantial changes, not only from their premonsoon distributions in the ASM region but also from their summertime distributions in the rest of the hemisphere. Different tracers exhibit dissimilar seasonal evolution, and the exact location and timing of their extreme values vary. Although individual aspects of the anticyclone have been described previously, we present a uniquely comprehensive overview of the climatological seasonal evolution of the ASM and its impact on UTLS composition. This work provides valuable context for planned in situ measurements as well as a benchmark for model evaluation and future investigations of interannual variability and long-term changes in monsoon processes.

  17. A Total Ozone Dependent Ozone Profile Climatology Based on Ozone-Sondes and Aura MLS Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Labow, G. J.; McPeters, R. D.; Ziemke, J. R.

    2014-12-01

    A new total ozone-based ozone profile climatology has been created for use in satellite and/or ground based ozone retrievals. This climatology was formed by combining data from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) with data from balloon sondes and binned by zone and total ozone. Because profile shape varies with total column ozone, this climatology better captures the ozone variations than the previously used seasonal climatologies, especially near the tropopause. This is significantly different than ozone climatologies used in the past as there is no time component. The MLS instrument on Aura has excellent latitude coverage and measures ozone profiles daily from the upper troposphere to the lower mesosphere at ~3.5 km resolution. Almost a million individual MLS ozone measurements are merged with data from over 55,000 ozonesondes which are then binned as a function of total ozone. The climatology consists of average ozone profiles as a function of total ozone for six 30 degree latitude bands covering altitudes from 0-75 km (in Z* pressure altitude coordinates). This new climatology better represents the profile shape as a function of total ozone than previous climatologies and shows some remarkable and somewhat unexpected correlations between total ozone and ozone in the lower altitudes, particularly in the lower and middle troposphere. These data can also be used to infer biases and errors in either the MLS retrievals or ozone sondes.

  18. Tropospheric ozone using an emission tagging technique in the CAM-Chem and WRF-Chem models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lupascu, A.; Coates, J.; Zhu, S.; Butler, T. M.

    2017-12-01

    Tropospheric ozone is a short-lived climate forcing pollutant. High concentration of ozone can affect human health (cardiorespiratory and increased mortality due to long-term exposure), and also it damages crops. Attributing ozone concentrations to the contributions from different sources would indicate the effects of locally emitted or transported precursors on ozone levels in specific regions. This information could be used as an important component of the design of emissions reduction strategies by indicating which emission sources could be targeted for effective reductions, thus reducing the burden of ozone pollution. Using a "tagging" approach within the CAM-Chem (global) and WRF-Chem (regional) models, we can quantify the contribution of individual emission of NOx and VOC precursors on air quality. Hence, when precursor emissions of NOx are tagged, we have seen that the largest contributors on ozone levels are the anthropogenic sources, while in the case of precursor emissions of VOCs, the biogenic sources and methane account for more than 50% of ozone levels. Further, we have extended the NOx tagging method in order to investigate continental source region contributions to concentrations of ozone over various receptor regions over the globe, with a zoom over Europe. In general, summertime maximum ozone in most receptor regions is largely attributable to local emissions of anthropogenic NOx and biogenic VOC. During the rest of the year, especially during springtime, ozone in most receptor regions shows stronger influences from anthropogenic emissions of NOx and VOC in remote source regions.

  19. Exploding head syndrome followed by sleep paralysis: a rare migraine aura.

    PubMed

    Evans, Randolph W

    2006-04-01

    A 26-year-old patient is described with a unique migraine aura. She described an 8-year history of episodes occurring 1 to 2 times yearly of exploding head syndrome followed by sleep paralysis followed by a migraine headache. She also had identical headaches without aura about once per week. Both aura symptoms, which may occur in the brainstem, resulted in activation of the trigeminovascular system through an unknown mechanism.

  20. Uncertainties in models of tropospheric ozone based on Monte Carlo analysis: Tropospheric ozone burdens, atmospheric lifetimes and surface distributions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Derwent, Richard G.; Parrish, David D.; Galbally, Ian E.; Stevenson, David S.; Doherty, Ruth M.; Naik, Vaishali; Young, Paul J.

    2018-05-01

    Recognising that global tropospheric ozone models have many uncertain input parameters, an attempt has been made to employ Monte Carlo sampling to quantify the uncertainties in model output that arise from global tropospheric ozone precursor emissions and from ozone production and destruction in a global Lagrangian chemistry-transport model. Ninety eight quasi-randomly Monte Carlo sampled model runs were completed and the uncertainties were quantified in tropospheric burdens and lifetimes of ozone, carbon monoxide and methane, together with the surface distribution and seasonal cycle in ozone. The results have shown a satisfactory degree of convergence and provide a first estimate of the likely uncertainties in tropospheric ozone model outputs. There are likely to be diminishing returns in carrying out many more Monte Carlo runs in order to refine further these outputs. Uncertainties due to model formulation were separately addressed using the results from 14 Atmospheric Chemistry Coupled Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP) chemistry-climate models. The 95% confidence ranges surrounding the ACCMIP model burdens and lifetimes for ozone, carbon monoxide and methane were somewhat smaller than for the Monte Carlo estimates. This reflected the situation where the ACCMIP models used harmonised emissions data and differed only in their meteorological data and model formulations whereas a conscious effort was made to describe the uncertainties in the ozone precursor emissions and in the kinetic and photochemical data in the Monte Carlo runs. Attention was focussed on the model predictions of the ozone seasonal cycles at three marine boundary layer stations: Mace Head, Ireland, Trinidad Head, California and Cape Grim, Tasmania. Despite comprehensively addressing the uncertainties due to global emissions and ozone sources and sinks, none of the Monte Carlo runs were able to generate seasonal cycles that matched the observations at all three MBL stations. Although

  1. Hubert Airy, contemporary men of science and the migraine aura.

    PubMed

    Eadie, M J

    2009-09-01

    Although there had been occasional references to the visual aura of migraine even in ancient medicine, little attention was given to the phenomenon until the first half of the nineteenth century when French authors began to describe it. In the medicine of English-speaking countries, apart from a few descriptions, it went largely unnoticed until the British Astronomer Royal, Sir George Airy, described his own experience of the visual aura in 1865. Five years later his son, Hubert Airy, also described his experience of it and that of a number of eminent contemporary men of science. The topic of the migraine aura was almost immediately taken up by two of the younger Airy's contemporaries and fellow Cambridge medical graduates, Peter Wallrock Latham and Edward Liveing, in their monographs. Subsequently, migraine with aura quickly became a well-recognised clinical entity in British medicine.

  2. In-Flight Performance of the TES Loop Heat Pipe Rejection System: Seven Years in Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rodriquez, Jose I.; Na-Nakornpanom, Arthur

    2012-01-01

    The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) is an infrared, high spectral resolution Fourier transform spectrometer with a 3.3 to 15.4 micron wavelength coverage. TES is a scanning instrument intended for determining the chemical state of the Earth's lower atmosphere (troposphere) from the surface to 30+ km. TES produces vertical profiles of important pollutant and greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide, ozone, methane, and water vapor on a global scale every other day. TES was launched into orbit onboard NASA's earth Observing System Aura spacecraft on July 15, 2004 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

  3. Effects of tonabersat on migraine with aura: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study.

    PubMed

    Hauge, Anne W; Asghar, Mohammed S; Schytz, Henrik W; Christensen, Karl; Olesen, Jes

    2009-08-01

    Migraine with aura is thought likely to be caused by cortical spreading depression (CSD). Tonabersat inhibits CSD, and we therefore investigated whether tonabersat has a preventive effect in migraine with aura. In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, 40 mg tonabersat once daily was compared with matched placebo in patients who had at least one aura attack per month during the past 3 months. Randomisation was by computer-generated list. Patients kept a detailed diary to enable objective diagnosis of each attack as migraine with aura, migraine without aura, or other type of headache. Primary endpoints were a reduction in aura attacks with or without headache and a reduction in migraine headache days with or without an aura. Analysis was per protocol. This trial is registered, number NCT00332007. 39 patients were included in the study, of whom 31 were included in the statistical analysis of efficacy. Median (IQR) attacks of aura were reduced from 3.2 (1.0-5.0) per 12 weeks on placebo to 1.0 (0-3.0) on tonabersat (p=0.01), whereas the other primary outcome measure, median migraine headache days with or without aura, was not significantly different between placebo and tonabersat groups (3.0 days in each group; p=0.09). Tonabersat was well tolerated but overall had more side-effects than placebo. Tonabersat showed a preventive effect on attacks of migraine aura but no efficacy on non-aura attacks, in keeping with its known inhibitory effect on CSD. The results support the theory that auras are caused by CSD and that this phenomenon is not involved in attacks without aura. Minster Pharmaceuticals; Lundbeck Foundation.

  4. New Collections of Aura Atmospheric data Products at the GES DISC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, James; Ahmad, Suraiya; Gerasimov, Irina; Lepthoukh, Gregory

    2008-01-01

    The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) is the primary archive of atmospheric composition data from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), Microwave Limb sounder (MLS), and High-Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) instruments. The most recent versions of Aura OMI, MLS and HIRDLS data are available free to the public (http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/Aura). TES data are at ASDC (http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov).

  5. Contribution of tropical wetland and biomass burning emissions to the methane growth rate: new insights from lower tropospheric partial column retrievals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, Y.; Worden, J. R.; Bloom, A. A.; Frankenberg, C.

    2017-12-01

    Atmospheric CH4 concentration stabilized in the early 2000s and began to increase again since 2007. Recent literature has explored various explanations for possible causes of the growth rate change in CH4 with considerable contradictions among each other, suggesting this problem being ill-conditioned with currently available observations. Satellite observations of CH4 in the near infrared (NIR) with full column sensitivity began with SCIAMACHY (2003-2012) and extend to the present with GOSAT (2009-). Observations in the thermal infrared (TIR) such as from TES (2004-2011) and CrIS (2012-) provide data in the free troposphere. Combining the information pieces from TIR and NIR, we could resolve the lower tropospheric partial column of CH4 that is more sensitive to the surface methane fluxes. Here, using a newly developed lower tropospheric partial column retrieval and supplemented by MOPITT CO retrievals, we discuss the interannual variations of tropical CH4 emissions from wetland and biomass burning respectively, and further, we explore the relationship between those fluxes and climate variability.

  6. Epileptic auras and their role in driving safety in people with epilepsy.

    PubMed

    Punia, Vineet; Farooque, Pue; Chen, William; Hirsch, Lawrence J; Berg, Anne T; Blumenfeld, Hal

    2015-11-01

    The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of auras in preventing motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) among patients with medically refractory epilepsy. The Multicenter Study of Epilepsy Surgery database was used to perform a case-control study by identifying patients who had seizures while driving that led to MVAs (cases) and those who had seizures while driving without MVAs (controls). We compared presence of reliable auras and other aura-related features between the two groups. Two hundred fifteen of 553 patients reported having seizure(s) while driving; 74 were identified as "controls" and 141 as "cases." The two groups had similar demographic and clinical features. The presence of reliable auras was not different between the two groups (67% in cases vs. 65% in controls; odds ratio [OR] 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49-1.61, p = 0.76). In addition, the groups did not differ in the proportion of patients who reported longer (>1 min) auras (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.28-1.76, p = 0.47), or who thought that their auras were of sufficient duration to be protective (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.62-2.00, p = 0.77). Our study questions the long-held belief of a protective role of reliable auras against MVAs in people with epilepsy. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 International League Against Epilepsy.

  7. Epileptic auras and their role in driving safety in people with epilepsy

    PubMed Central

    Punia, Vineet; Farooque, Pue; Chen, William; Hirsch, Lawrence J.; Berg, Anne T.; Blumenfeld, Hal

    2015-01-01

    Summary The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of auras in preventing motor vehicle accidents (MVA) among medically-refractory epilepsy patients. The Multicenter Study of Epilepsy Surgery database was used to perform a case-control study by identifying patients who had seizures while driving that led to MVAs (Cases) and those who had seizures while driving without MVAs (Controls). We compared presence of reliable auras and other aura-related features between the two groups. 215 out of 553 patients reported having seizure(s) while driving; 74 were identified as ‘Controls’ and 141 as ‘Cases’. The two groups had similar demographic and clinical features. The presence of reliable auras was not different between the two groups (67% in Cases vs 65% in Controls; OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.49 – 1.61, p = 0.76). In addition, the groups did not differ in the proportion of patients who reported longer (>1 minute) auras (OR 0.7; 95% CI 0.28 – 1.76; p = 0.47), or who thought that their auras were sufficiently long to protect themselves (OR 1.19; 95% CI 0.62 – 2.00; p = 0.77). Our study questions the long-held belief of a protective role of reliable auras against MVAs in people with epilepsy. PMID:26391317

  8. Effects of the 2006 El Nino on Tropospheric Ozone and Carbon Monoxide: Implications for Dynamics and Biomass Burning

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Duncan, B. N.; Diehl, t. L.

    2008-01-01

    We have studied the effects of the 2006 El Nino on tropospheric O3 and CO at tropical and sub-tropical latitudes measured from the OMI and MLS instruments on the Aura satellite. The 2006 El Nino-induced drought allowed forest fires set to clear land to burn out of control during October and November in the Indonesian region. The effects of these fires are clearly seen in the enhancement of GO concentration measured from the MLS instrument. We have used a global model of atmospheric chemistry and transport (GMI CTM) to quantify the relative irrrportance of biomass burning and large scale transport: in producing observed changes in tropospheric O3 and CO . The model results show that during October and November both biomass burning and meteorological changes contributed almost equally to the observed increase in tropospheric O3 in the Indonesian region. The biomass component was 4-6 DU but it was limited to the Indonesian region where the fires were most intense, The dynamical component was 4-8 DU but it covered a much larger area in the Indian Ocean extending from South East Asia in the north to western Australia in the south. By December 2006, the effect of biomass taming was reduced to zero and the obsemed changes in tropospheric O3 were mostly due to dynamical effects. The model results show an increase of 2-3% in the global burden of tropospheric ozone. In comparison, the global burdean of CO increased by 8-12%.

  9. Global Distribution and Trends of Tropospheric Ozone: An Observation-Based Review

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, O. R.; Parrish, D. D.; Ziemke, J.; Cupeiro, M.; Galbally, I. E.; Gilge, S.; Horowitz, L.; Jensen, N. R.; Lamarque, J.-F.; Naik, V.; hide

    2014-01-01

    Tropospheric ozone plays a major role in Earth's atmospheric chemistry processes and also acts as an air pollutant and greenhouse gas. Due to its short lifetime, and dependence on sunlight and precursor emissions from natural and anthropogenic sources, tropospheric ozone's abundance is highly variable in space and time on seasonal, interannual and decadal time-scales. Recent, and sometimes rapid, changes in observed ozone mixing ratios and ozone precursor emissions inspired us to produce this up-to-date overview of tropospheric ozone's global distribution and trends. Much of the text is a synthesis of in situ and remotely sensed ozone observations reported in the peer-reviewed literature, but we also include some new and extended analyses using well-known and referenced datasets to draw connections between ozone trends and distributions in different regions of the world. In addition, we provide a brief evaluation of the accuracy of rural or remote surface ozone trends calculated by three state-of-the-science chemistry-climate models, the tools used by scientists to fill the gaps in our knowledge of global tropospheric ozone distribution and trends.

  10. The Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR): A community-wide effort to quantify tropospheric ozone in a rapidly changing world

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cooper, O. R.; Schultz, M.; Paoletti, E.; Galbally, I. E.; Naja, M. K.; Tarasick, D. W.; Evans, M. J.; Thompson, A. M.

    2017-12-01

    Tropospheric ozone is a greenhouse gas and pollutant detrimental to human health and crop and ecosystem productivity. Since 1990 a large portion of the anthropogenic emissions that react in the atmosphere to produce ozone has shifted from North America and Europe to Asia. This rapid shift, coupled with limited ozone monitoring in developing nations, left scientists unable to answer the most basic questions: Which regions of the world have the greatest human and plant exposure to ozone pollution? Is ozone continuing to decline in nations with strong emissions controls? To what extent is ozone increasing in the developing world? How can the atmospheric sciences community facilitate access to the ozone metrics necessary for quantifying ozone's impact on human health and crop/ecosystem productivity? To answer these questions the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project (IGAC) initiated the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR). With over 220 member scientists and air quality specialists from 36 nations, TOAR's mission is to provide the research community with an up-to-date scientific assessment of tropospheric ozone's global distribution and trends from the surface to the tropopause. TOAR has also built the world's largest database of surface ozone observations and generated ozone exposure and dose metrics at thousands of measurement sites around the world, freely accessible for research on the global-scale impact of ozone on climate, human health and crop/ecosystem productivity. Plots of these metrics show the regions of the world with the greatest ozone exposure for humans and crops/ecosystems, at least in areas where observations are available. The results also highlight regions where air quality is improving and where it has degraded. TOAR has also conducted the first intercomparison of tropospheric column ozone from ozonesondes and multiple satellite instruments, which provide similar estimates of the present-day tropospheric ozone burden.

  11. New Insights in Tropospheric Ozone and its Variability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oman, Luke D.; Douglass, Anne R.; Ziemke, Jerry R.; Rodriquez, Jose M.

    2011-01-01

    We have produced time-slice simulations using the Goddard Earth Observing System Version 5 (GEOS-5) coupled to a comprehensive stratospheric and tropospheric chemical mechanism. These simulations are forced with observed sea surface temperatures over the past 25 years and use constant specified surface emissions, thereby providing a measure of the dynamically controlled ozone response. We examine the model performance in simulating tropospheric ozone and its variability. Here we show targeted comparisons results from our simulations with a multi-decadal tropical tropospheric column ozone dataset obtained from satellite observations of total column ozone. We use SHADOZ ozonesondes to gain insight into the observed vertical response and compare with the simulated vertical structure. This work includes but is not limited to ENSO related variability.

  12. Seasonal variability of stratospheric methane: implications for constraining tropospheric methane budgets using total column observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saad, Katherine M.; Wunch, Debra; Deutscher, Nicholas M.; Griffith, David W. T.; Hase, Frank; De Mazière, Martine; Notholt, Justus; Pollard, David F.; Roehl, Coleen M.; Schneider, Matthias; Sussmann, Ralf; Warneke, Thorsten; Wennberg, Paul O.

    2016-11-01

    Global and regional methane budgets are markedly uncertain. Conventionally, estimates of methane sources are derived by bridging emissions inventories with atmospheric observations employing chemical transport models. The accuracy of this approach requires correctly simulating advection and chemical loss such that modeled methane concentrations scale with surface fluxes. When total column measurements are assimilated into this framework, modeled stratospheric methane introduces additional potential for error. To evaluate the impact of such errors, we compare Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) and GEOS-Chem total and tropospheric column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of methane. We find that the model's stratospheric contribution to the total column is insensitive to perturbations to the seasonality or distribution of tropospheric emissions or loss. In the Northern Hemisphere, we identify disagreement between the measured and modeled stratospheric contribution, which increases as the tropopause altitude decreases, and a temporal phase lag in the model's tropospheric seasonality driven by transport errors. Within the context of GEOS-Chem, we find that the errors in tropospheric advection partially compensate for the stratospheric methane errors, masking inconsistencies between the modeled and measured tropospheric methane. These seasonally varying errors alias into source attributions resulting from model inversions. In particular, we suggest that the tropospheric phase lag error leads to large misdiagnoses of wetland emissions in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

  13. Causes of Interannual Variability over the Southern Hemispheric Tropospheric Ozone Maximum

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Junhua; Rodriguez, Jose M.; Steenrod, Stephen D.; Douglass, Anne R.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Olsen, Mark A.; Wargan, Krzysztog; Ziemke, Jerald R.

    2017-01-01

    We examine the relative contribution of processes controlling the interannual variability (IAV) of tropospheric ozone over four sub-regions of the southern hemispheric tropospheric ozone maximum (SHTOM) over a 20-year period. Our study is based on hindcast simulations from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Global Modeling Initiative chemistry transport model (NASA GMI-CTM) of tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry, driven by assimilated Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) meteorological fields. Our analysis shows that over SHTOM region, the IAV of the stratospheric contribution is the most important factor driving the IAV of upper tropospheric ozone (270 hectopascals), where ozone has a strong radiative effect. Over the South Atlantic region, the contribution from surface emissions to the IAV of ozone exceeds that from stratospheric input at and below 430 hectopascals. Over the South Indian Ocean, the IAV of stratospheric ozone makes the largest contribution to the IAV of ozone with little or no influence from surface emissions at 270 and 430 hectopascals in austral winter. Over the tropical South Atlantic region, the contribution from IAV of stratospheric input dominates in austral winter at 270 hectopascals and drops to less than half but is still significant at 430 hectopascals. Emission contributions are not significant at these two levels. The IAV of lightning over this region also contributes to the IAV of ozone in September and December. Over the tropical southeastern Pacific, the contribution of the IAV of stratospheric input is significant at 270 and 430 hectopascals in austral winter, and emissions have little influence.

  14. Causes of interannual variability over the southern hemispheric tropospheric ozone maximum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Junhua; Rodriguez, Jose M.; Steenrod, Stephen D.; Douglass, Anne R.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Olsen, Mark A.; Wargan, Krzysztof; Ziemke, Jerald R.

    2017-03-01

    We examine the relative contribution of processes controlling the interannual variability (IAV) of tropospheric ozone over four sub-regions of the southern hemispheric tropospheric ozone maximum (SHTOM) over a 20-year period. Our study is based on hindcast simulations from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Global Modeling Initiative chemistry transport model (NASA GMI-CTM) of tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry, driven by assimilated Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) meteorological fields. Our analysis shows that over SHTOM region, the IAV of the stratospheric contribution is the most important factor driving the IAV of upper tropospheric ozone (270 hPa), where ozone has a strong radiative effect. Over the South Atlantic region, the contribution from surface emissions to the IAV of ozone exceeds that from stratospheric input at and below 430 hPa. Over the South Indian Ocean, the IAV of stratospheric ozone makes the largest contribution to the IAV of ozone with little or no influence from surface emissions at 270 and 430 hPa in austral winter. Over the tropical South Atlantic region, the contribution from IAV of stratospheric input dominates in austral winter at 270 hPa and drops to less than half but is still significant at 430 hPa. Emission contributions are not significant at these two levels. The IAV of lightning over this region also contributes to the IAV of ozone in September and December. Over the tropical southeastern Pacific, the contribution of the IAV of stratospheric input is significant at 270 and 430 hPa in austral winter, and emissions have little influence.

  15. Analysis of 1970-1995 Trends in Tropospheric Ozone at Northern Hemisphere Midlatitudes with the GEOS-CHEM Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fusco, Andrew C.; Logan, Jennifer A.

    2004-01-01

    I ] The causes of trends in tropospheric ozone at Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes from 1970 to 1995 are investigated with the GEOS-CHEM model, a global three-dimensional model of the troposphere driven by assimilated meteorological observations from the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS). This model is used to investigate the sensitivity of tropospheric ozone with respect to (1) changes in the anthropogenic emission of nitrogen oxides and nonmethane hydrocarbons, (2) increases in methane concentrations, (3) variations in the stratospheric source of ozone, (4) changes in solar radiation resulting from stratospheric ozone depletion, and ( 5 ) increases in tropospheric temperatures. Model results indicate that local increases in NO, emissions have caused most of the increases seen in lower tropospheric ozone over Europe and Japan. Increases in methane are responsible for roughly one fifth of the anthropogenically induced increase in tropospheric ozone at northern midlatitudes. However, changes in ozone precursors do not adequately explain either the spatial differences in observed ozone trends across midlatitudes or the observed decreases in ozone over Canada throughout the troposphere. We argue that ozone depletion in the lowermost stratosphere is likely to have reduced the stratospheric source by as much as 30% from the early 1970s to the mid 1990s. Model simulations that account for such a reduction along with reported changes in anthropogenic emissions show steep declines of ozone in the upper troposphere and variable increases in the lower troposphere that are more consistent with observations. Differential temperature trends in summer between North America and Europe may account for at least some of the remaining spatial variation in tropospheric ozone trends. Increases in ultraviolet (UV) radiation due to stratospheric ozone depletion do not appear to significantly reduce tropospheric ozone, except at midlatitudes in the Southern Hemisphere following the

  16. Migraine with aura: a predictor of patent foramen ovale in children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Choi, Deok Young; Shin, Dong Hoon; Cho, Kang Ho; Lee, Sang Pyo; Park, Sanghui

    2013-05-01

    The prevalence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) is higher among adult migraine patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of PFO in children and adolescent migraine patients. A total of 32 patients with migraine (divided into two subgroups, the migraine with aura subgroup and the migraine without aura subgroup) and 31 normal control subjects were enrolled in this study. All of the participants underwent transthoracic echocardiography with an agitated saline test. We compared the prevalence of PFO and the severity of right-to-left shunt (RLS) in each group. No statistical difference in age and sex ratio was observed in either group. The prevalence of PFO was higher in the migraine group than in the control group, but without statistical significance (46.9% vs. 25.8%, P = 0.084). The prevalence of PFO was significantly higher in the migraine with aura subgroup than in the migraine without aura subgroup ( P = 0.031) and the normal control group ( P = 0.0074). Migraine with aura was the only significant factor showing an association with PFO (<0.01). RLS size did not have an influence on migraine. Considering the significantly high prevalence of PFO in pediatric migraine with aura patients, migraine with aura is a clear predictor of PFO among children and adolescents.

  17. A cloud-ozone data product from Aura OMI and MLS satellite measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ziemke, Jerald R.; Strode, Sarah A.; Douglass, Anne R.; Joiner, Joanna; Vasilkov, Alexander; Oman, Luke D.; Liu, Junhua; Strahan, Susan E.; Bhartia, Pawan K.; Haffner, David P.

    2017-11-01

    Ozone within deep convective clouds is controlled by several factors involving photochemical reactions and transport. Gas-phase photochemical reactions and heterogeneous surface chemical reactions involving ice, water particles, and aerosols inside the clouds all contribute to the distribution and net production and loss of ozone. Ozone in clouds is also dependent on convective transport that carries low-troposphere/boundary-layer ozone and ozone precursors upward into the clouds. Characterizing ozone in thick clouds is an important step for quantifying relationships of ozone with tropospheric H2O, OH production, and cloud microphysics/transport properties. Although measuring ozone in deep convective clouds from either aircraft or balloon ozonesondes is largely impossible due to extreme meteorological conditions associated with these clouds, it is possible to estimate ozone in thick clouds using backscattered solar UV radiation measured by satellite instruments. Our study combines Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite measurements to generate a new research product of monthly-mean ozone concentrations in deep convective clouds between 30° S and 30° N for October 2004-April 2016. These measurements represent mean ozone concentration primarily in the upper levels of thick clouds and reveal key features of cloud ozone including: persistent low ozone concentrations in the tropical Pacific of ˜ 10 ppbv or less; concentrations of up to 60 pphv or greater over landmass regions of South America, southern Africa, Australia, and India/east Asia; connections with tropical ENSO events; and intraseasonal/Madden-Julian oscillation variability. Analysis of OMI aerosol measurements suggests a cause and effect relation between boundary-layer pollution and elevated ozone inside thick clouds over landmass regions including southern Africa and India/east Asia.

  18. Magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in familial temporal lobe epilepsy with auditory auras.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Eliane; Santos, Neide F; Torres, Fabio R; Secolin, Rodrigo; Sardinha, Luiz A C; Lopez-Cendes, Iscia; Cendes, Fernando

    2003-11-01

    Two forms of familial temporal lobe epilepsy (FTLE) have been described: mesial FTLE and FTLE with auditory auras. The gene responsible for mesial FTLE has not been mapped yet, whereas mutations in the LGI1 (leucine-rich, glioma-inactivated 1) gene, localized on chromosome 10q, have been found in FTLE with auditory auras. To describe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with FTLE with auditory auras. We performed detailed clinical and molecular studies as well as MRI evaluation (including volumetry) in all available individuals from one family, segregating FTLE from auditory auras. We evaluated 18 of 23 possibly affected individuals, and 13 patients reported auditory auras. In one patient, auditory auras were associated with déjà vu; in one patient, with ictal aphasia; and in 2 patients, with visual misperception. Most patients were not taking medication at the time, although all of them reported sporadic auras. Two-point lod scores were positive for 7 genotyped markers on chromosome 10q, and a Zmax of 6.35 was achieved with marker D10S185 at a recombination fraction of 0.0. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the LGI1 gene showed a point mutation, VIIIS7(-2)A-G, in all affected individuals. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 22 individuals (7 asymptomatic, 4 of them carriers of the affected haplotype on chromosome 10q and the VIIIS7[-2]A-G mutation). Lateral temporal lobe malformations were identified by visual analysis in 10 individuals, 2 of them with global enlargement demonstrated by volumetry. Mildly reduced hippocampi were observed in 4 individuals. In this family with FTLE with auditory auras, we found developmental abnormalities in the lateral cortex of the temporal lobes in 53% of the affected individuals. In contrast with mesial FTLE, none of the affected individuals had MRI evidence of hippocampal sclerosis.

  19. Seasonal and spatial changes in trace gases over megacities from Aura TES observations: two case studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cady-Pereira, Karen E.; Payne, Vivienne H.; Neu, Jessica L.; Bowman, Kevin W.; Miyazaki, Kazuyuki; Marais, Eloise A.; Kulawik, Susan; Tzompa-Sosa, Zitely A.; Hegarty, Jennifer D.

    2017-08-01

    The Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) is collecting closely spaced observations over 19 megacities. The objective is to obtain measurements that will lead to better understanding of the processes affecting air quality in and around these cities, and to better estimates of the seasonal and interannual variability. We explore the TES measurements of ozone, ammonia, methanol and formic acid collected around the Mexico City metropolitan area (MCMA) and in the vicinity of Lagos (Nigeria). The TES data exhibit seasonal signals that are correlated with Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) CO and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD), with in situ measurements in the MCMA and with Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS)-Chem model output in the Lagos area. TES was able to detect an extreme pollution event in the MCMA on 9 April 2013, which is also evident in the in situ data. TES data also show that biomass burning has a greater impact south of the city than in the caldera where Mexico City is located. TES measured enhanced values of the four species over the Gulf of Guinea south of Lagos. Since it observes many cities from the same platform with the same instrument and applies the same retrieval algorithms, TES data provide a very useful tool for easily comparing air quality measures of two or more cities. We compare the data from the MCMA and Lagos, and show that, while the MCMA has occasional extreme pollution events, Lagos consistently has higher levels of these trace gases.

  20. Influence of Tropospheric SO2 Emissions on Particle Formation and the Stratospheric Humidity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Notholt, J.; Luo, B. P.; Fueglistaler, S.; Weisenstein, D.; Rex, M.; Lawrence, M. G.; Bingemer, H.; Wohltmann, I.; Corti, T.; Warneke, T.; hide

    2005-01-01

    Stratospheric water vapor plays an important role in the chemistry and radiation budget of the stratosphere. Throughout the last decades stratospheric water vapor levels have increased and several processes have been suggested to contribute to this trend. Here we present a mechanism that would link increasing anthropogenic SO2 emissions in southern and eastern Asia with an increase in stratospheric water. Trajectory studies and model simulations suggest that the SO2 increase results in the formation of more sulfuric acid aerosol particles in the upper tropical troposphere. As a consequence, more ice crystals of smaller size are formed in the tropical tropopause, which are lifted into the stratosphere more readily. Our model calculations suggest that such a mechanism could increase the amount of water that entered the stratosphere in the condensed phase by up to 0.5 ppmv from 1950-2000.

  1. Identification of tropospheric emissions sources from satellite observations: Synergistic use of HCHO, NO2, and SO2 trace gas measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marbach, T.; Beirle, S.; Khokhar, F.; Platt, U.

    2005-12-01

    We present case studies for combined HCHO, NO2, and SO2 satellite observations, derived from GOME measurements. Launched on the ERS-2 satellite in April 1995, GOME has already performed continuous operations over 8 years providing global observations of the different trace gases. In this way, satellite observations provide unique opportunities for the identifications of trace gas sources. The satellite HCHO observations provide information concerning the localization of biomass burning (intense source of HCHO). The principal biomass burning areas can be observed in the Amazon basin region and in central Africa Weaker HCHO sources (south east of the United States, northern part of the Amazon basin, and over the African tropical forest), not correlated with biomass burning, could be due to biogenic isoprene emissions. The HCHO data can be compared with NO2 and SO2 results to identify more precisely the tropospheric sources (biomass burning events, human activities, additional sources like volcanic emissions). Biomass burning are important tropospheric sources for both HCHO and NO2. Nevertheless HCHO reflects more precisely the biomass burning as it appears in all biomass burning events. NO2 correlate with HCHO over Africa (grassland fires) but not over Indonesia (forest fires). In south America, an augmentation of the NO2 concentrations can be observed with the fire shift from the forest to grassland vegetation. So there seems to be a dependence between the NO2 emissions during biomass burning and the vegetation type. Other high HCHO, SO2, and NO2 emissions can be correlated with climatic events like the El Nino in 1997, which induced dry conditions in Indonesia causing many forest fires.

  2. Impacts of the large increase in international ship traffic 2000-2007 on tropospheric ozone and methane.

    PubMed

    Dalsøren, Stig B; Eide, Magnus S; Myhre, Gunnar; Endresen, Oyvind; Isaksen, Ivar S A; Fuglestvedt, Jan S

    2010-04-01

    The increase in civil world fleet ship emissions during the period 2000-2007 and the effects on key tropospheric oxidants are quantified using a global Chemical Transport Model (CTM). We estimate a substantial increase of 33% in global ship emissions over this period. The impact of ship emissions on tropospheric oxidants is mainly caused by the relatively large fraction of NOx in ship exhaust. Typical increases in yearly average surface ozone concentrations in the most impacted areas are 0.5-2.5 ppbv. The global annual mean radiative forcing due to ozone increases in the troposphere is 10 mWm(-2) over the period 2000-2007. We find global average tropospheric OH increase of 1.03% over the same period. As a result of this the global average tropospheric methane concentration is reduced by approximately 2.2% over a period corresponding to the turnover time. The resulting methane radiative forcing is -14 mWm(-2) with an additional contribution of -6 mWm(-2) from methane induced reduction in ozone. The net forcing of the ozone and methane changes due to ship emissions changes between 2000 and 2007 is -10 mWm(-2). This is significant compared to the net forcing of these components in 2000. Our findings support earlier observational studies indicating that ship traffic may be a major contributor to recent enhancement of background ozone at some coastal stations. Furthermore, by reducing global mean tropospheric methane by 40 ppbv over its turnover time it is likely to contribute to the recent observed leveling off in global mean methane concentration.

  3. Aura in some patients with familial hemiplegic migraine can be stopped by intranasal ketamine.

    PubMed

    Kaube, H; Herzog, J; Käufer, T; Dichgans, M; Diener, H C

    2000-07-12

    Migraine aura is probably caused by cortical-spreading depression. No treatment for acute and severe migraine aura has been described previously. The effect of ketamine (25 mg intranasally) was studied in 11 patients with severe, disabling auras resulting from familial hemiplegic migraine. In five patients ketamine reproducibly reduced the severity and duration of the neurologic deficits, whereas in the remaining six patients no beneficial effect was seen. Ketamine offers, for the first time, a possible treatment option for severe and prolonged aura.

  4. Application of Satellite and Ozonesonde Data to the Study of Nighttime Tropospheric Ozone Impacts and Relationship to Air Quality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Osterman, G. B.; Eldering, A.; Neu, J. L.; Tang, Y.; McQueen, J.; Pinder, R. W.

    2011-12-01

    To help protect human health and ecosystems, regional-scale atmospheric chemistry models are used to forecast high ozone events and to design emission control strategies to decrease the frequency and severity of ozone events. Despite the impact that nighttime aloft ozone can have on surface ozone, regional-scale atmospheric chemistry models often do not simulate the nighttime ozone concentrations well and nor do they sufficiently capture the ozone transport patterns. Fully characterizing the importance of the nighttime ozone has been hampered by limited measurements of the vertical distribution of ozone and ozone-precursors. The main focus of this work is to begin to utilize remote sensing data sets to characterize the impact of nighttime aloft ozone to air quality events. We will describe our plans to use NASA satellite data sets, transport models and air quality models to study ozone transport, focusing primarily on nighttime ozone and provide initial results. We will use satellite and ozonesonde data to help understand how well the air quality models are simulating ozone in the lower free troposphere and attempt to characterize the impact of nighttime ozone to air quality events. Our specific objectives are: 1) Characterize nighttime aloft ozone using remote sensing data and sondes. 2) Evaluate the ability of the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model and the National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC) model to capture the nighttime aloft ozone and its relationship to air quality events. 3) Analyze a set of air quality events and determine the relationship of air quality events to the nighttime aloft ozone. We will achieve our objectives by utilizing the ozone profile data from the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and other sensors, ozonesonde data collected during the Aura mission (IONS), EPA AirNow ground station ozone data, the CMAQ continental-scale air quality model, and the National Air Quality

  5. Applications of Satellite Observations of Tropospheric Composition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Monks, Paul S.; Beirle, Steffen

    A striking feature of the field of tropospheric composition is the sheer number of chemical species that have been detected and measured with satellite instruments. The measurements have found application both in atmospheric chemistry itself, providing evidence, for example, of unexpected cryochemistry in the Arctic regions, and also in environmental monitoring with, for example, the observed growth in NO2 emissions over eastern Asia. Chapter 8 gives an overview of the utility of satellite observations for measuring tropospheric composition, dealing with each of the many compounds seen in detail. A comprehensive compound by compound table of the many studies performed is a most useful feature.

  6. Tropospheric Chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mohnen, V.

    1984-01-01

    The fundamental processes that control the chemical composition and cycles of the global troposphere and how these processes and properties affect the physical behavior of the atmosphere are examined. The long-term information needs for tropospheric chemistry are: to be able to predict tropospheric responses to perturbations, both natural and anthropogenic, of these cycles, and to provide the information required for the maintenance and effective future management of the atmospheric component of our global life support system. The processes controlling global tropospheric biogeochemical cycles include: the input of trace species into the troposphere, their long-range transport and distribution as affected by the mean wind and vertical venting, their chemical transformations, including gas to particle conversion, leading to the appearance of aerosols or aqueous phase reactions inside cloud droplets, and their removal from the troposphere via wet (precipitation) and dry deposition.

  7. Global tropospheric hydroxyl distribution, budget and reactivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lelieveld, Jos; Gromov, Sergey; Pozzer, Andrea; Taraborrelli, Domenico

    2016-10-01

    The self-cleaning or oxidation capacity of the atmosphere is principally controlled by hydroxyl (OH) radicals in the troposphere. Hydroxyl has primary (P) and secondary (S) sources, the former mainly through the photodissociation of ozone, the latter through OH recycling in radical reaction chains. We used the recent Mainz Organics Mechanism (MOM) to advance volatile organic carbon (VOC) chemistry in the general circulation model EMAC (ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry) and show that S is larger than previously assumed. By including emissions of a large number of primary VOC, and accounting for their complete breakdown and intermediate products, MOM is mass-conserving and calculates substantially higher OH reactivity from VOC oxidation compared to predecessor models. Whereas previously P and S were found to be of similar magnitude, the present work indicates that S may be twice as large, mostly due to OH recycling in the free troposphere. Further, we find that nighttime OH formation may be significant in the polluted subtropical boundary layer in summer. With a mean OH recycling probability of about 67 %, global OH is buffered and not sensitive to perturbations by natural or anthropogenic emission changes. Complementary primary and secondary OH formation mechanisms in pristine and polluted environments in the continental and marine troposphere, connected through long-range transport of O3, can maintain stable global OH levels.

  8. The Impact of ENSO on Trace Gas Composition in the Upper Troposphere to Lower Stratosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oman, Luke; Douglass, Anne; Ziemke, Jerry; Waugh, Darryn Warwick

    2016-01-01

    The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of interannual variability in the tropical troposphere and its effects extend well into the stratosphere. Its impact on atmospheric dynamics and chemistry cause important changes to trace gas constituent distributions. A comprehensive suite of satellite observations, reanalyses, and chemistry climate model simulations are illuminating our understanding of processes like ENSO. Analyses of more than a decade of observations from NASAs Aura and Aqua satellites, combined with simulations from the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model (GEOSCCM) and other Chemistry Climate Modeling Initiative (CCMI) models, and the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis have provided key insights into the response of atmospheric composition to ENSO. While we will primarily focus on ozone and water vapor responses in the upper troposphere to lower stratosphere, the effects of ENSO ripple through many important trace gas species throughout the atmosphere. The very large 2015-2016 El Nino event provides an opportunity to closely examine these impacts with unprecedented observational breadth. An improved quantification of natural climate variations, like those from ENSO, is needed to detect and quantify anthropogenic climate changes.

  9. Increasing springtime ozone mixing ratios in the free troposphere over western North America.

    PubMed

    Cooper, O R; Parrish, D D; Stohl, A; Trainer, M; Nédélec, P; Thouret, V; Cammas, J P; Oltmans, S J; Johnson, B J; Tarasick, D; Leblanc, T; McDermid, I S; Jaffe, D; Gao, R; Stith, J; Ryerson, T; Aikin, K; Campos, T; Weinheimer, A; Avery, M A

    2010-01-21

    In the lowermost layer of the atmosphere-the troposphere-ozone is an important source of the hydroxyl radical, an oxidant that breaks down most pollutants and some greenhouse gases. High concentrations of tropospheric ozone are toxic, however, and have a detrimental effect on human health and ecosystem productivity. Moreover, tropospheric ozone itself acts as an effective greenhouse gas. Much of the present tropospheric ozone burden is a consequence of anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors resulting in widespread increases in ozone concentrations since the late 1800s. At present, east Asia has the fastest-growing ozone precursor emissions. Much of the springtime east Asian pollution is exported eastwards towards western North America. Despite evidence that the exported Asian pollution produces ozone, no previous study has found a significant increase in free tropospheric ozone concentrations above the western USA since measurements began in the late 1970s. Here we compile springtime ozone measurements from many different platforms across western North America. We show a strong increase in springtime ozone mixing ratios during 1995-2008 and we have some additional evidence that a similar rate of increase in ozone mixing ratio has occurred since 1984. We find that the rate of increase in ozone mixing ratio is greatest when measurements are more heavily influenced by direct transport from Asia. Our result agrees with previous modelling studies, which indicate that global ozone concentrations should be increasing during the early part of the twenty-first century as a result of increasing precursor emissions, especially at northern mid-latitudes, with western North America being particularly sensitive to rising Asian emissions. We suggest that the observed increase in springtime background ozone mixing ratio may hinder the USA's compliance with its ozone air quality standard.

  10. Increasing Springtime Ozone Mixing Ratios in the Free Troposphere Over Western North America

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, O. R.; Parrish, D. D.; Stohl, A.; Trainer, M.; Nedelec, P.; Thouret, V.; Cammas, J. P.; Oltmans, S. J.; Johnson, B. J.; Tarasick, D.; hide

    2010-01-01

    In the lowermost layer of the atmosphere - the troposphere - ozone is an important source of the hydroxyl radical, an oxidant that breaks down most pollutants and some greenhouse gases. High concentrations of tropospheric ozone are toxic, however, and have a detrimental effect on human health and ecosystem productivity1. Moreover, tropospheric ozone itself acts as an effective greenhouse gas. Much of the present tropospheric ozone burden is a consequence of anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors resulting in widespread increases in ozone concentrations since the late 1800s. At present, east Asia has the fastest-growing ozone precursor emissions. Much of the springtime east Asian pollution is exported eastwards towards western North America. Despite evidence that the exported Asian pollution produces ozone, no previous study has found a significant increase in free tropospheric ozone concentrations above the western USA since measurements began in the late 1970s. Here we compile springtime ozone measurements from many different platforms across western North America. We show a strong increase in springtime ozone mixing ratios during 1995-2008 and we have some additional evidence that a similar rate of increase in ozone mixing ratio has occurred since 1984. We find that the rate of increase in ozone mixing ratio is greatest when measurements are more heavily influenced by direct transport from Asia. Our result agrees with previous modelling studies, which indicate that global ozone concentrations should be increasing during the early part of the twenty-first century as a result of increasing precursor emissions, especially at northern mid-latitudes, with western North America being particularly sensitive to rising Asian emissions. We suggest that the observed increase in springtime background ozone mixing ratio may hinder the USA s compliance with its ozone air quality standard.

  11. Tropospheric Ozone and Biomass Burning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2001-05-01

    This paper studies the significance of pyrogenic (e.g., biomass burning) emissions in the production of tropospheric ozone in the tropics associated with the forest and savanna fires in the African, South American, and Indonesian regions. Using aerosol index (AI) and tropospheric column ozone (TCO) time series from 1979 to 2000 derived from the Nimbus-7 and Earth Probe TOMS measurements, our study shows significant differences in the seasonal and spatial characteristics of pyrogenic emissions north and south of the equator in the African region and Brazil in South America. In general, they are not related to the seasonal and spatial characteristics of tropospheric ozone in these regions. In the Indonesian region, the most significant increase in TCO occurred during September and October 1997, following large-scale forest and savanna fires associated with the El Niño-induced dry condition. However, the increase in TCO extended over most of the western Pacific well outside the burning region and was accompanied by a decrease in the eastern Pacific resembling a west-to-east dipole about the dateline. The net increase in TCO integrated over the tropical region between 15N and 15S was about 6-8 Tg (terragram) over the mean climatological value of about 72 Tg. This increase is within the range of interannual variability of TCO in the tropical region and does not necessarily suggest a photochemical source related to biomass burning. The interannual variability in TCO appears to be out of phase with the interannual variability of stratospheric column ozone (SCO). These variabilities seem to be manifestations of solar cycle and quasi-biennial oscillations.

  12. Tropospheric Ozone and Biomass Burning

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chandra, Sushil; Ziemke, J. R.; Bhartia, P. K.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    This paper studies the significance of pyrogenic (e.g., biomass burning) emissions in the production of tropospheric ozone in the tropics associated with the forest and savanna fires in the African, South American, and Indonesian regions. Using aerosol index (Al) and tropospheric column ozone (TCO) time series from 1979 to 2000 derived from the Nimbus-7 and Earth Probe TOMS measurements, our study shows significant differences in the seasonal and spatial characteristics of pyrogenic emissions north and south of the equator in the African region and Brazil in South America. In general, they are not related to the seasonal and spatial characteristics of tropospheric ozone in these regions. In the Indonesian region, the most significant increase in TCO occurred during September and October 1997, following large-scale forest and savanna fires associated with the El Nino-induced dry season. However, the increase in TCO extended over most of the western Pacific well outside the burning region and was accompanied by a decrease in the eastern Pacific resembling a west-to-east dipole about the date-line. The net increase in TCO integrated over the tropical region between 15 deg N and 15 deg S was about 6-8 Tg (1 Tg = 10(exp 12) gm) over the mean climatological value of about 72 Tg. This increase is well within the range of interannual variability of TCO in the tropical region and does not necessarily suggest a photochemical source related to biomass burning. The interannual variability in TCO appears to be out of phase with the interannual variability of stratospheric column ozone (SCO). These variabilities seem to be manifestations of solar cycle and quasibiennial oscillations.

  13. Relationships between ten-year trends of tropospheric ozone and temperature over Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Kuang-Jung

    2007-03-01

    The analyses of ten-year ozonesonde observations from 1993 till 2002, over Taipei, Taiwan show influences of climate change. Despite huge increases in its precursor emissions in this region, there were little variations in tropospheric ozone. Results indicate a warmer troposphere, a statistically insignificant rising tropopause, 79+/-206 m per decade, and decreasing tropopause temperature at -1.0+/-0.89 K per decade. The derived mean tropospheric ozone is 40.58+/-10.99 DU, and has a statistically insignificant small trend of -0.78+/-1.7 DU per decade. The derived ten-year vertical trends of temperature and ozone are inversely correlated with each other from the middle troposphere up to the lower stratosphere. The averaged monthly vertical temperature trends show a generally warmer middle troposphere. The tropospheric ozone monthly trend has small increases only in the lower troposphere during winter and spring. Strong decreases occur in summer, from the surface up into the stratosphere. For ozone variation, results suggest that influences of climate forcing are stronger than those from precursor increases. More frequent and/or intense convection in summer and other climate-induced effects may contribute to the less than expected ozone observed in the troposphere.

  14. A Cloud-Ozone Data Product from Aura OMI and MLS Satellite Measurements.

    PubMed

    Ziemke, Jerald R; Strode, Sarah A; Douglass, Anne R; Joiner, Joanna; Vasilkov, Alexander; Oman, Luke D; Liu, Junhua; Strahan, Susan E; Bhartia, Pawan K; Haffner, David P

    2017-01-01

    Ozone within deep convective clouds is controlled by several factors involving photochemical reactions and transport. Gas-phase photochemical reactions and heterogeneous surface chemical reactions involving ice, water particles, and aerosols inside the clouds all contribute to the distribution and net production and loss of ozone. Ozone in clouds is also dependent on convective transport that carries low troposphere/boundary layer ozone and ozone precursors upward into the clouds. Characterizing ozone in thick clouds is an important step for quantifying relationships of ozone with tropospheric H 2 O, OH production, and cloud microphysics/transport properties. Although measuring ozone in deep convective clouds from either aircraft or balloon ozonesondes is largely impossible due to extreme meteorological conditions associated with these clouds, it is possible to estimate ozone in thick clouds using backscattered solar UV radiation measured by satellite instruments. Our study combines Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite measurements to generate a new research product of monthly-mean ozone concentrations in deep convective clouds between 30°S to 30°N for October 2004 - April 2016. These measurements represent mean ozone concentration primarily in the upper levels of thick clouds and reveal key features of cloud ozone including: persistent low ozone concentrations in the tropical Pacific of ~10 ppbv or less; concentrations of up to 60 pphv or greater over landmass regions of South America, southern Africa, Australia, and India/east Asia; connections with tropical ENSO events; and intra-seasonal/Madden-Julian Oscillation variability. Analysis of OMI aerosol measurements suggests a cause and effect relation between boundary layer pollution and elevated ozone inside thick clouds over land-mass regions including southern Africa and India/east Asia.

  15. Future changes in large-scale transport and stratosphere-troposphere exchange

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abalos, M.; Randel, W. J.; Kinnison, D. E.; Garcia, R. R.

    2017-12-01

    Future changes in large-scale transport are investigated in long-term (1955-2099) simulations of the Community Earth System Model - Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (CESM-WACCM) under an RCP6.0 climate change scenario. We examine artificial passive tracers in order to isolate transport changes from future changes in emissions and chemical processes. The model suggests enhanced stratosphere-troposphere exchange in both directions (STE), with decreasing tropospheric and increasing stratospheric tracer concentrations in the troposphere. Changes in the different transport processes are evaluated using the Transformed Eulerian Mean continuity equation, including parameterized convective transport. Dynamical changes associated with the rise of the tropopause height are shown to play a crucial role on future transport trends.

  16. An aura of confusion: 'seeing auras-vital energy or human physiology?' Part 1 of a three part series.

    PubMed

    Duerden, Tim

    2004-02-01

    The first of three papers that considers claims made for the perception or detection of vital energy. Many systems of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) assume the existence of a vital force that mediates therapeutic efficacy, for example chi or qi in Traditional Chinese medicine. Vital energy directly perceived or imaged that surrounds living organisms is frequently termed the aura. This paper aims to show how phenomena that arise as a consequence of the normal functioning of the human visual system can be inappropriately offered as support of claims for the direct perception of vital energy or the aura. Specifically, contrast and complementary colour phenomena, entoptic phenomena and the deformation phosphene, the 'flying corpuscle effect', the blind spot and the 'reverse telescope effect' are explained and discussed.

  17. Recent Biomass Burning in the Tropics and Related Changes in Tropospheric Ozone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ziemke; Chandra, J. R. S.; Duncan, B. N.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Torres, O.; Damon, M. R.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2009-01-01

    Biomass burning is an important source of chemical precursors of tropospheric ozone. In the tropics, biomass burning produces ozone enhancements over broad regions of Indonesia, Africa, and South America including Brazil. Fires are intentionally set in these regions during the dry season each year to clear cropland and to clear land for human/industrial expansion. In Indonesia enhanced burning occurs during dry El Nino conditions such as in 1997 and 2006. These burning activities cause enhancement in atmospheric particulates and trace gases which are harmful to human health. Measurements from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) from October 2004-November 2008 are used to evaluate the effects of biomass burning on tropical tropospheric ozone. These measurements show sizeable decreases approx.15-20% in ozone in Brazil during 2008 compared to 2007 which we attribute to the reduction in biomass burning. Three broad biomass burning regions in the tropics (South America including Brazil, western Africa, and Indonesia) were analyzed in the context of OMI/MLS measurements and the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemical transport model developed at Goddard Space Flight Center. The results indicate that the impact of biomass burning on ozone is significant within and near the burning regions with increases of approx.10-25% in tropospheric column ozone relative to average background concentrations. The model suggests that about half of the increases in ozone from these burning events come from altitudes below 3 km. Globally the model indicates increases of approx.4-5% in ozone, approx.7-9% in NO, (NO+NO2), and approx.30-40% in CO.

  18. A decade of global volcanic SO2 emissions measured from space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carn, S. A.; Fioletov, V. E.; McLinden, C. A.; Li, C.; Krotkov, N. A.

    2017-03-01

    The global flux of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted by passive volcanic degassing is a key parameter that constrains the fluxes of other volcanic gases (including carbon dioxide, CO2) and toxic trace metals (e.g., mercury). It is also a required input for atmospheric chemistry and climate models, since it impacts the tropospheric burden of sulfate aerosol, a major climate-forcing species. Despite its significance, an inventory of passive volcanic degassing is very difficult to produce, due largely to the patchy spatial and temporal coverage of ground-based SO2 measurements. We report here the first volcanic SO2 emissions inventory derived from global, coincident satellite measurements, made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite in 2005-2015. The OMI measurements permit estimation of SO2 emissions from over 90 volcanoes, including new constraints on fluxes from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Aleutian Islands, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. On average over the past decade, the volcanic SO2 sources consistently detected from space have discharged a total of ~63 kt/day SO2 during passive degassing, or ~23 ± 2 Tg/yr. We find that ~30% of the sources show significant decadal trends in SO2 emissions, with positive trends observed at multiple volcanoes in some regions including Vanuatu, southern Japan, Peru and Chile.

  19. A decade of global volcanic SO2 emissions measured from space

    PubMed Central

    Carn, S. A.; Fioletov, V. E.; McLinden, C. A.; Li, C.; Krotkov, N. A.

    2017-01-01

    The global flux of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted by passive volcanic degassing is a key parameter that constrains the fluxes of other volcanic gases (including carbon dioxide, CO2) and toxic trace metals (e.g., mercury). It is also a required input for atmospheric chemistry and climate models, since it impacts the tropospheric burden of sulfate aerosol, a major climate-forcing species. Despite its significance, an inventory of passive volcanic degassing is very difficult to produce, due largely to the patchy spatial and temporal coverage of ground-based SO2 measurements. We report here the first volcanic SO2 emissions inventory derived from global, coincident satellite measurements, made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite in 2005–2015. The OMI measurements permit estimation of SO2 emissions from over 90 volcanoes, including new constraints on fluxes from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Aleutian Islands, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. On average over the past decade, the volcanic SO2 sources consistently detected from space have discharged a total of ~63 kt/day SO2 during passive degassing, or ~23 ± 2 Tg/yr. We find that ~30% of the sources show significant decadal trends in SO2 emissions, with positive trends observed at multiple volcanoes in some regions including Vanuatu, southern Japan, Peru and Chile. PMID:28275238

  20. A Decade of Global Volcanic SO2 Emissions Measured from Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carn, S. A.; Fioletov, V. E.; McLinden, C. A.; Li, C.; Krotkov, N. A.

    2017-01-01

    The global flux of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted by passive volcanic degassing is a key parameter that constrains the fluxes of other volcanic gases (including carbon dioxide, CO2) and toxic trace metals (e.g., mercury). It is also a required input for atmospheric chemistry and climate models, since it impacts the tropospheric burden of sulfate aerosol, a major climate-forcing species. Despite its significance, an inventory of passive volcanic degassing is very difficult to produce, due largely to the patchy spatial and temporal coverage of ground-based SO2 measurements. We report here the first volcanic SO2 emissions inventory derived from global, coincident satellite measurements, made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite in 2005-2015. The OMI measurements permit estimation of SO2 emissions from over 90 volcanoes, including new constraints on fluxes from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Aleutian Islands, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. On average over the past decade, the volcanic SO2 sources consistently detected from space have discharged a total of approximately 63 kt/day SO2 during passive degassing, or approximately 23 +/- 2 Tg/yr. We find that approximately 30% of the sources show significant decadal trends in SO2 emissions, with positive trends observed at multiple volcanoes in some regions including Vanuatu, southern Japan, Peru and Chile.

  1. A decade of global volcanic SO2 emissions measured from space.

    PubMed

    Carn, S A; Fioletov, V E; McLinden, C A; Li, C; Krotkov, N A

    2017-03-09

    The global flux of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emitted by passive volcanic degassing is a key parameter that constrains the fluxes of other volcanic gases (including carbon dioxide, CO 2 ) and toxic trace metals (e.g., mercury). It is also a required input for atmospheric chemistry and climate models, since it impacts the tropospheric burden of sulfate aerosol, a major climate-forcing species. Despite its significance, an inventory of passive volcanic degassing is very difficult to produce, due largely to the patchy spatial and temporal coverage of ground-based SO 2 measurements. We report here the first volcanic SO 2 emissions inventory derived from global, coincident satellite measurements, made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite in 2005-2015. The OMI measurements permit estimation of SO 2 emissions from over 90 volcanoes, including new constraints on fluxes from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Aleutian Islands, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. On average over the past decade, the volcanic SO 2 sources consistently detected from space have discharged a total of ~63 kt/day SO 2 during passive degassing, or ~23 ± 2 Tg/yr. We find that ~30% of the sources show significant decadal trends in SO 2 emissions, with positive trends observed at multiple volcanoes in some regions including Vanuatu, southern Japan, Peru and Chile.

  2. PM2.5 and tropospheric ozone in China: overview of situation and responses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Hua

    This work reviewed the observational status of PM2.5 and tropospheric ozone in China. It told us the observational facts on the ratios of typical types of aerosol components to the total PM2.5/PM10, and daily and seasonal change of near surface ozone concentration at different cities of China; the global concentration distribution of tropospheric ozone observed by satellite in 2010-2013 was also given for comparison; the PM2.5 concentration distribution and their seasonal change in China region were simulated by an aerosol chemistry-global climate modeling system. Different contribution from five kinds of aerosols to the simulated PM2.5 was analyzed. Then, it linked the emissions of aerosol and greenhouse gases and their radiative forcing and thus gave their climatic effect by reducing their emissions on the basis of most recently published IPCC AR5. Finally it suggested policies on reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) (such as PM2.5 and tropospheric ozone) in China from protecting both climate and environment.

  3. Changes in SO2 and NO2 Pollution over the Past Decade Observed by Aura OMI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krotkov, N. A.; Li, C.; Lamsal, L. N.; Celarier, E. A.; Marchenko, S. V.; Swartz, W.; Bucsela, E. J.; Fioletov, V.; McLinden, C. A.; Joiner, J.; Bhartia, P. K.; Duncan, B. N.; Dickerson, R. R.

    2014-12-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a NASA partnership with the Netherlands and Finland, flies on the EOS Aura satellite and uses reflected sunlight to measure two critical atmospheric trace gases, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), characterizing daily air quality. Both gases and the secondary pollutants they produce (particulate matter, PM2.5, and tropospheric ozone) are among USEPA designated criteria pollutants, posing serious threats to human health and the environment (e.g., acid rain, plant damage, and reduced visibility). A new generation of the OMI standard SO2 and NO2 products (based on critically improved DOAS spectral fitting for NO2 and innovative Principal Component Analysis method for SO2) provides a valuable dataset for studying anthropogenic pollution on local to global scales. Here we highlight some of the OMI observed long-term changes in air quality over several regions. Over the US, average NO2 and SO2 pollution levels have decreased dramatically as a result of both technological improvements (e.g., catalytic converters on cars) and stricter regulations of emissions. We see continued decline in NO2 and SO2 pollution over Europe. Over China OMI observed a ~ 60% increase in NO2 pollution between 2005 and 2013, despite a temporary reversal of the growing trend due to both 2008 Olympic Games and the economic recession in 2009. Chinese SO2 pollution seems to have stabilized since peaking in 2007, probably due to government efforts to curb SO2 emissions from the power sector. We have also observed large increases in both SO2 and NO2 pollution particularly in Eastern India where a number of new large coal power plants have been built in recent years. We expect that further improvements in the OMI NO2 and SO2 products will allow more robust quantification of long-term trends in local to global air quality.

  4. What have we learned about global SO2 pollution with Aura/OMI data?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krotkov, N.; Yang, K.; Bhartia, P. K.; Carn, S.; Krueger, A.; Dickerson, R.; Li, C.

    2008-05-01

    Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) is a short-lived gas produced by volcanoes, power plants, refineries, metal smelting and general burning of fossil fuels. It is one of five EPA criteria pollutants. Emitted SO2 is soon converted to sulfate aerosol, with climate effects that include direct radiative forcing and aerosol-induced changes in cloud microphysics and the hydrological cycle. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) launched on NASA Aura satellite in July 2004 offers unprecedented spatial resolution, coupled with contiguous daily global coverage, for space- based UV measurements of volcanic and anthropogenic SO2 emissions. Anthropogenic SO2 emissions in the PBL present challenges, because these typically weak signals need to be separated from the noise in the radiances. Plumes from strong surface sources of SO2 (such as smelters and coal burning power plants) and from strong regional pollution can currently be detected in the operational pixel data. Operational data were evaluated with in-situ aircraft SO2 profiles measured in the lower troposphere over China during the East-AIRE campaign in April 2005. This comparison demonstrates that OMI can distinguish between background SO2 conditions and heavy pollutions on a daily basis, suggesting potential of using OMI SO2 data for the regional pollution monitoring. Chinese SO2 pollution lofting above the PBL and long-range transport over Pacific Ocean was first confirmed using OMI data. Quantification of anthropogenic SO2 emissions requires off-line corrections of the average photon path, characterized by the operational air-mass factor (AMF). The AMF corrections in turn require a-priori information about the altitude of the SO2 plume center of mass, the total ozone, and surface albedo. In addition, aerosols and subpixel clouds affect the AMF in different ways depending on their amounts and vertical distribution. Therefore, ancillary cloud, snow and aerosol information available from near simultaneous A-train sensors is valuable

  5. The Response of Tropical Tropospheric Ozone to ENSO

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oman, L. D.; Ziemke, J. R.; Douglass, A. R.; Waugh, D. W.; Lang, C.; Rodriguez, J. M.; Nielsen, J. E.

    2011-01-01

    We have successfully reproduced the Ozone ENSO Index (OEI) in the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) chemistry-climate model (CCM) forced by observed sea surface temperatures over a 25-year period. The vertical ozone response to ENSO is consistent with changes in the Walker circulation. We derive the sensitivity of simulated ozone to ENSO variations using linear regression analysis. The western Pacific and Indian Ocean region shows similar positive ozone sensitivities from the surface to the upper troposphere, in response to positive anomalies in the Nino 3.4 Index. The eastern and central Pacific region shows negative sensitivities with the largest sensitivity in the upper troposphere. This vertical response compares well with that derived from SHADOZ ozonesondes in each region. The OEI reveals a response of tropospheric ozone to circulation change that is nearly independent of changes in emissions and thus it is potentially useful in chemistry-climate model evaluation.

  6. Eleven years of tropospheric NO2 measured by GOME, SCIAMACHY and OMI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eskes, H.; Boersma, F.; Dirksen, R.; van der A, R.; Veefkind, P.; Levelt, P.; Brinksma, E.; van Roozendael, M.; de Smedt, I.; Gleason, J.

    2006-12-01

    Based on measurements of GOME on ESA ERS-2, SCIAMACHY on ESA-ENVISAT, and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the NASA EOS-Aura satellite there is now a unique 11-year dataset of global tropospheric nitrogen dioxide measurements from space. The retrieval approach consists of two steps. The first step is an application of the DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) approach which delivers the total absorption optical thickness along the light path (the slant column). For GOME and SCIAMACHY this is based on the DOAS implementation developed by BIRA/IASB. For OMI the DOAS implementation was developed in a collaboration between KNMI and NASA. The second retrieval step, developed at KNMI, estimates the tropospheric vertical column of NO2 based on the slant column, cloud fraction and cloud top height retrieval, stratospheric column estimates derived from a data assimilation approach and vertical profile estimates from space-time collocated profiles from the TM chemistry-transport model. The second step was applied with only minor modifications to all three instruments to generate a uniform 11-year data set. In our talk we will address the following topics: - A short summary of the retrieval approach and results - Comparisons with other retrievals - Comparisons with global and regional-scale models - OMI-SCIAMACHY and SCIAMACHY-GOME comparisons - Validation with independent measurements - Trend studies of NO2 for the past 11 years

  7. Increased brainstem perfusion, but no blood-brain barrier disruption, during attacks of migraine with aura.

    PubMed

    Hougaard, Anders; Amin, Faisal M; Christensen, Casper E; Younis, Samaira; Wolfram, Frauke; Cramer, Stig P; Larsson, Henrik B W; Ashina, Messoud

    2017-06-01

    See Moskowitz (doi:10.1093/brain/awx099) for a scientific commentary on this article.The migraine aura is characterized by transient focal cortical disturbances causing dramatic neurological symptoms that are usually followed by migraine headache. It is currently not understood how the aura symptoms are related to the headache phase of migraine. Animal studies suggest that cortical spreading depression, the likely mechanism of migraine aura, causes disruption of the blood-brain barrier and noxious stimulation of trigeminal afferents leading to activation of brainstem nuclei and triggering of migraine headache. We used the sensitive and validated technique of dynamic contrast-enhanced high-field magnetic resonance imaging to simultaneously investigate blood-brain barrier permeability and tissue perfusion in the brainstem (at the level of the lower pons), visual cortex, and brain areas of the anterior, middle and posterior circulation during spontaneous attacks of migraine with aura. Patients reported to our institution to undergo magnetic resonance imaging during the headache phase after presenting with typical visual aura. Nineteen patients were scanned during attacks and on an attack-free day. The mean time from attack onset to scanning was 7.6 h. We found increased brainstem perfusion bilaterally during migraine with aura attacks. Perfusion also increased in the visual cortex and posterior white matter following migraine aura. We found no increase in blood-brain barrier permeability in any of the investigated regions. There was no correlation between blood-brain barrier permeability, brain perfusion, and time from symptom onset to examination or pain intensity. Our findings demonstrate hyperperfusion in brainstem during the headache phase of migraine with aura, while the blood-brain barrier remains intact during attacks of migraine with aura. These data thus contradict the preclinical hypothesis of cortical spreading depression-induced blood-brain barrier

  8. Feasibility of Sensing Tropospheric Ozone with MODIS 9.6 Micron Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prabhakara, C.; Iacovazzi, R., Jr.; Moon-Yoo, Jung

    2004-01-01

    With the infrared observations made by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on board the EOS-Aqua satellite, which include the 9.73 micron channel, a method is developed to deduce horizontal patterns of tropospheric ozone in cloud free conditions on a scale of about 100 km. It is assumed that on such small scale, at a given instant, horizontal changes in stratospheric ozone are small compared to that in the troposphere. From theoretical simulations it is found that uncertainties in the land surface emissivity and the vertical thermal stratification in the troposphere can lead to significant errors in the inferred tropospheric ozone. Because of this reason in order to derive horizontal patterns of tropospheric ozone in a given geographic area a tuning of this method is necessary with the help of a few dependent cases. After tuning, this method is applied to independent cases of MODIS data taken over Los Angeles basin in cloud free conditions to derive horizontal distribution of ozone in the troposphere. Preliminary results indicate that the derived patterns of ozone resemble crudely the patterns of surface ozone reported by EPA.

  9. TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Nadir V6 (TL2ATMTN)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-01-18

    TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Nadir (TL2ATMTN) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact User Services Parameters:  Atmospheric Temperature Temperature Precision Vertical Resolution ...

  10. TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Limb V6 (TL2TLS)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-03-01

    TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Limb (TL2TLS) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb ... OPeNDAP Access: OPeNDAP Parameters:  Atmospheric Temperature Temperature Precision Vertical Resolution ...

  11. TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Limb V6 (TL2ATMTL)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-03-01

    TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Limb (TL2ATMTL) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb ... OPeNDAP Access: OPeNDAP Parameters:  Atmospheric Temperature Temperature Precision Vertical Resolution ...

  12. Non Urban Troposphere Composition Symposium, Hollywood, Fla., November 10-12, 1976, Proceedings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1977-01-01

    Papers are presented which originate from a conference on 'The Non-Urban Troposphere Composition', held in 1976. Attention is given to distributions of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere, and to tropospheric and stratospheric compositions which are perturbed by NO(x) emissions from high-altitude aircraft. Ozone is studied in terms of in situ measurements; various meteorological analyses of tropopause folding, ozone measurements in the Boston area, and ozone measurements in rural areas are presented. A one-dimensional model used to study tropospheric photochemistry numerically is presented as are vertical profiles of tropospheric and stratospheric molecular hydrogen. The oxidation of ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulfide is assessed in nonurban tropospheres along with nonurban measurements of ethane and methane for various atmospheric conditions. With reference to the particle size distribution of chloride in the marine aerosol, organic and inorganic chlorine concentrations are evaluated, and measurements of sea-air CO2 flux by eddy correlation are investigated.

  13. TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Nadir V6 (TL2TNS)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-01-22

    TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Nadir (TL2TNS) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact ASDC User Services Parameters:  Atmospheric Temperature Temperature Precision Vertical Resolution ...

  14. Implementation of Cloud Retrievals for Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) Atmospheric Retrievals: Part 1. Description and Characterization of Errors on Trace Gas Retrievals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kulawik, Susan S.; Worden, John; Eldering, Annmarie; Bowman, Kevin; Gunson, Michael; Osterman, Gregory B.; Zhang, Lin; Clough, Shepard A.; Shephard, Mark W.; Beer, Reinhard

    2006-01-01

    We develop an approach to estimate and characterize trace gas retrievals in the presence of clouds in high spectral measurements of upwelling radiance in the infrared spectral region (650-2260/cm). The radiance contribution of clouds is parameterized in terms of a set of frequency-dependent nonscattering optical depths and a cloud height. These cloud parameters are retrieved jointly with surface temperature, emissivity, atmospheric temperature, and trace gases such as ozone from spectral data. We demonstrate the application of this approach using data from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and test data simulated with a scattering radiative transfer model. We show the value of this approach in that it results in accurate estimates of errors for trace gas retrievals, and the retrieved values improve over the initial guess for a wide range of cloud conditions. Comparisons are made between TES retrievals of ozone, temperature, and water to model fields from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), temperature retrievals from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), tropospheric ozone columns from the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) GEOS-Chem, and ozone retrievals from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS). In each of these cases, this cloud retrieval approach does not introduce observable biases into TES retrievals.

  15. Influence of coal-based thermal power plants on the spatial-temporal variability of tropospheric NO2 column over India.

    PubMed

    Prasad, Anup K; Singh, Ramesh P; Kafatos, Menas

    2012-04-01

    The oxides of nitrogen--NO(x) (NO and NO(2))--are an important constituent of the troposphere. The availability of relatively higher spatial (0.25° grid) and temporal (daily) resolution data from ozone monitoring instrument (OMI) onboard Aura helps us to better differentiate between the point sources such as thermal power plants from large cities and rural areas compared to previous sensors. The annual and seasonal (summer and winter) distributions shows very high mean tropospheric NO(2) in specific pockets over India especially over the Indo-Gangetic plains (up to 14.2 × 10(15) molecules/cm(2)). These pockets correspond with the known locations of major thermal power plants. The tropospheric NO(2) over India show a large seasonal variability that is also observed in the ground NO(2) data. The multiple regression analysis show that the influence of a unit of power plant (in gigawatts) over tropospheric NO(2) (×10(15) molecules/cm(2)) is around ten times compared to a unit of population (in millions) over India. The OMI data show that the NO(2) increases by 0.794 ± 0.12 (×10(15) molecules/cm(2); annual) per GW compared to a previous estimate of 0.014 (×10(15) molecules/cm(2)) over India. The increase of tropospheric NO(2) per gigawatt is found to be 1.088 ± 0.18, 0.898 ± 0.14, and 0.395 ± 0.13 (×10(15) molecules/cm(2)) during winter, summer, and monsoon seasons, respectively. The strong seasonal variation is attributed to the enhancement or suppression of NO(2) due to various controlling factors which is discussed here. The recent increasing trend (2005-2007) over rural thermal power plants pockets like Agori and Korba is due to recent large capacity additions in these regions.

  16. Source attribution of interannual variability of tropospheric ozone over the southern hemisphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, J.; Rodriguez, J. M.; Logan, J. A.; Steenrod, S. D.; Douglass, A. R.; Olsen, M. A.; Wargan, K.; Ziemke, J. R.

    2015-12-01

    Both model simulations and GMAO assimilated ozone product derived from OMI/MLS show a high tropospheric ozone column centered over the south Atlantic from the equator to 30S. This ozone maximum extends eastward to South America and the southeast Pacific; it extends southwestward to southern Africa, south Indian Ocean. In this study, we use hindcast simulations from the GMI model of tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry, driven by assimilated MERRA meteorological fields, to investigate the factors controlling the interannual variations (IAV) of this ozone maximum during the last two decades. We also use various GMI tracer diagnostics, including a stratospheric ozone tracer to tag the impact of stratospheric ozone, and a tagged CO tracer to track the emission sources, to ascertain the contribution of difference processes to IAV in ozone at different altitudes, as well as partial columns above different pressure level. Our initial model analysis suggests that the IAV of the stratospheric contribution plays a major role on in the IAV of the upper tropospheric ozone and explains a large portion of variance during its winter season. Over the south Atlantic region, the IAV of surface emissions from both South America and southern Africa also contribute significantly to the IAV of ozone, especially in the middle and lower troposphere

  17. Microwave limb sounding of the UT/LS: Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange And Climate Monitor (STEAM) and related projects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Urban, Joachim

    The Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange And climate Monitor (STEAM) radiometer is designed to provide vertically and horizontally well resolved profiles of key species in the climate relevant upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS) altitude region such as H2O, O3, CO, HCN, CH3CN, CH3Cl, N2O, HNO3, and temperature. The instrument is a multi-beam limb sounder employing 12GHz wide sub-harmonically pumped double sideband mixers targeting the 324-336GHz (lower sideband) and 343.25-355.25GHz (upper sideband) spectral bands with a local oscillator set at 339.625GHz. Whilst the instrument configuration had been optimized during the recent years to fit the ESA Earth Explorer 7 candidate mission PREMIER, the instrument payload is now being studied in a smaller configuration for a different satellite mission in collaboration with international partners. The presentation provides an overview of the STEAM project and its science objectives and focuses on a description of the measurement capabilities of the newly configured STEAM radiometer, in comparison to related projects and existing sensors such as Odin/SMR and Aura/MLS.

  18. Discoveries about Tropical Tropospheric Ozone from Satellite and SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes) and a Future Perspective on NASA's Ozone Sensors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, Anne

    2003-01-01

    We have been producing near-real tropical tropospheric ozone ('TTO') data from TOMS since 1997 with Prof. Hudson and students at the University of Maryland. Maps for 1996-2000 for the operational Earth-Probe instrument reside at: . We also have archived 'TTO' data from the Nimbus 7/TOMS satellite (1979-1992). The tropics is a region strongly influenced by natural variability and anthropogenic activity and the satellite data have been used to track biomass burning pollution and to detect interannual variability and climate signals in ozone. We look forward to future ozone sensors from NASA; four will be launched in 2004 as part of the EOS AURA Mission. The satellite view of chemical-dynamical interactions in tropospheric ozone is not adequate to capture vertical variability. Thus, in 1998, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA's Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) and a team of international sponsors established the SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere ADditional OZonesondes) project to address the gap in tropical ozone soundings. SHADOZ augments launches at selected sites and provides a public archive of ozonesonde data from twelve tropical and subtropical stations at http://croc.nsfc.nasa.gov/shadoz. The stations are: Ascension Island; Nairobi, Kenya; Irene, South Africa; R,union Island; Watukosek, Java; Fiji; Tahiti; American Samoa; San Cristobal, Galapagos; Natal, Brazil, Malindi, Kenya; Paramaribo, Surinam. From the first 3-4 years of data (presently greater than 1700 sondes), the following features emerge: (a) highly variable tropospheric ozone; (b) a zonal wave-one pattern in tropospheric column ozone; (c) tropospheric ozone variability over the Indian and Pacific Ocean displays strong convective signatures.

  19. Changes in the photochemical environment of the temperate North Pacific troposphere in response to increased Asian emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parrish, D. D.; Dunlea, E. J.; Atlas, E. L.; Schauffler, S.; Donnelly, S.; Stroud, V.; Goldstein, A. H.; Millet, D. B.; McKay, M.; Jaffe, D. A.; Price, H. U.; Hess, P. G.; Flocke, F.; Roberts, J. M.

    2004-12-01

    Measurements during the Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation 2002 (ITCT 2K2) field study characterized the springtime, eastern Pacific ozone distribution at two ground sites, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration WP-3D aircraft, and from a light aircraft operated by the University of Washington. D. Jaffe and colleagues compared the 2002 ozone distribution with measurements made in the region over the two previous decades and show that average ozone levels over the eastern midlatitude Pacific have systematically increased by ˜10 ppbv in the last two decades. Here we provide substantial evidence that a marked change in the photochemical environment in the springtime troposphere of the North Pacific is responsible for this increased O3. This change is evidenced in the eastern North Pacific ITCT 2K2 study region by (1) larger increases in the minimum observed ozone levels compared to more modest increases in the maximum levels, (2) increased peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) levels that parallel trends in NOx emissions, and (3) decreased efficiency of photochemical O3 destruction, i.e., less negative O3 photochemical tendency (or net rate of O3 photochemical production; P(O3)). This changed photochemical environment is hypothesized to be due to anthropogenic emissions from Asia, which are believed to have substantially increased over the two decades preceding the study. We propose that their influence has changed the springtime Pacific tropospheric photochemistry from predominately ozone destroying to more nearly ozone producing. However, chemical transport model calculations indicate the possible influence of a confounding factor; unusual transport of tropical air to the western North Pacific during one early field study may have played a role in this apparent change in the photochemistry.

  20. Grey zones in the diagnosis of adult migraine without aura based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders-III beta: exploring the covariates of possible migraine without aura.

    PubMed

    Ozge, Aynur; Aydinlar, Elif; Tasdelen, Bahar

    2015-01-01

    Exploring clinical characteristics and migraine covariates may be useful in the diagnosis of migraine without aura. To evaluate the diagnostic value of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD)-III beta-based diagnosis of migraine without aura; to explore the covariates of possible migraine without aura using an analysis of grey zones in this area; and, finally, to make suggestions for the final version of the ICHD-III. A total of 1365 patients (mean [± SD] age 38.5±10.4 years, 82.8% female) diagnosed with migraine without aura according to the criteria of the ICHD-III beta were included in the present tertiary care-based retrospective study. Patients meeting all of the criteria of the ICHD-III beta were classified as having full migraine without aura, while those who did not meet one, two or ≥3 of the diagnostic criteria were classified as zones I, II and III, respectively. The diagnostic value of the clinical characteristics and covariates of migraine were determined. Full migraine without aura was evident in 25.7% of the migraineurs. A higher likelihood of zone I classification was shown for an attack lasting 4 h to 72 h (OR 1.560; P=0.002), with pulsating quality (OR 4.096; P<0.001), concomitant nausea⁄vomiting (OR 2.300; P<0.001) and photophobia⁄phonophobia (OR 4.865; P<0.001). The first-rank determinants for full migraine without aura were sleep irregularities (OR 1.596; P=0.005) and periodic vomiting (OR 1.464; P=0.026). However, even if not mentioned in ICHD-III beta, the authors determined that motion sickness, abdominal pain or infantile colic attacks in childhood, associated dizziness and osmophobia have important diagnostic value. In cases that do not fulfill all of the diagnostic criteria although they are largely consistent with the characteristics of migraine in clinical terms, the authors believe that a history of infantile colic; periodic vomiting (but not periodic vomiting syndrome); recurrent abdominal pain; the

  1. Changes in tropospheric composition and air quality due to stratospheric ozone depletion.

    PubMed

    Solomon, Keith R; Tang, Xiaoyan; Wilson, Stephen R; Zanis, Prodromos; Bais, Alkiviadis F

    2003-01-01

    Increased UV-B through stratospheric ozone depletion leads to an increased chemical activity in the lower atmosphere (the troposphere). The effect of stratospheric ozone depletion on tropospheric ozone is small (though significant) compared to the ozone generated anthropogenically in areas already experiencing air pollution. Modeling and experimental studies suggest that the impacts of stratospheric ozone depletion on tropospheric ozone are different at different altitudes and for different chemical regimes. As a result the increase in ozone due to stratospheric ozone depletion may be greater in polluted regions. Attributable effects on concentrations are expected only in regions where local emissions make minor contributions. The vertical distribution of NOx (NO + NO2), the emission of volatile organic compounds and the abundance of water vapor, are important influencing factors. The long-term nature of stratospheric ozone depletion means that even a small increase in tropospheric ozone concentration can have a significant impact on human health and the environment. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and chlorodifluoroacetic acid (CDFA) are produced by the atmospheric degradation of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). TFA has been measured in rain, rivers, lakes, and oceans, the ultimate sink for these and related compounds. Significant anthropogenic sources of TFA other than degradation HCFCs and HFCs have been identified. Toxicity tests under field conditions indicate that the concentrations of TFA and CDFA currently produced by the atmospheric degradation of HFCs and HCFCs do not present a risk to human health and the environment. The impact of the interaction between ozone depletion and future climate change is complex and a significant area of current research. For air quality and tropospheric composition, a range of physical parameters such as temperature, cloudiness and atmospheric transport will modify the impact of UV-B. Changes in the

  2. Prescience as an aura of temporal lobe epilepsy.

    PubMed

    Sadler, R Mark; Rahey, Susan

    2004-08-01

    A patient with a distinct aura of prescience as a manifestation of temporal lobe epilepsy was encountered. The experience prompted a review of this ictal phenomenon among patients attending a tertiary care epilepsy outpatient clinic. A computer epilepsy database was searched for patients with simple partial sensory seizures and complex partial seizures with auras. Identified patients had charts reviewed for details of the auras; patients were contacted and asked to provide written descriptions of their experiences. Literature searches (PubMed) were done by using the terms "precognition" or "prescience" and "seizures" or "epilepsy." Standard comprehensive epilepsy textbooks were reviewed. The charts of 218 patients were reviewed from 927 in the database; three had prescience as an ictal feature. The patients' descriptions were very similar in all cases (a profound sense of "knowing" what was going to happen in their environment in the immediate future). The experience was distinct from déjà vu and other psychic experiences. All patients probably have temporal lobe epilepsy. Only one other description of prescience as an ictal feature was found in the literature. Prescience can occur as an ictal feature of temporal lobe epilepsy and represents a previously underreported psychic phenomenon. The potential lateralizing value of this symptom is yet to be determined.

  3. Mechanisms of migraine aura revealed by functional MRI in human visual cortex

    PubMed Central

    Hadjikhani, Nouchine; Sanchez del Rio, Margarita; Wu, Ona; Schwartz, Denis; Bakker, Dick; Fischl, Bruce; Kwong, Kenneth K.; Cutrer, F. Michael; Rosen, Bruce R.; Tootell, Roger B. H.; Sorensen, A. Gregory; Moskowitz, Michael A.

    2001-01-01

    Cortical spreading depression (CSD) has been suggested to underlie migraine visual aura. However, it has been challenging to test this hypothesis in human cerebral cortex. Using high-field functional MRI with near-continuous recording during visual aura in three subjects, we observed blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes that demonstrated at least eight characteristics of CSD, time-locked to percept/onset of the aura. Initially, a focal increase in BOLD signal (possibly reflecting vasodilation), developed within extrastriate cortex (area V3A). This BOLD change progressed contiguously and slowly (3.5 ± 1.1 mm/min) over occipital cortex, congruent with the retinotopy of the visual percept. Following the same retinotopic progression, the BOLD signal then diminished (possibly reflecting vasoconstriction after the initial vasodilation), as did the BOLD response to visual activation. During periods with no visual stimulation, but while the subject was experiencing scintillations, BOLD signal followed the retinotopic progression of the visual percept. These data strongly suggest that an electrophysiological event such as CSD generates the aura in human visual cortex. PMID:11287655

  4. First determination of the tropospheric CO abundance in Saturn

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fouchet, Thierry; Lellouch, Emmanuel; Cavalié, Thibault; Bézard, Bruno

    2017-10-01

    In Giant Planets, CO has two potential origins: i) an external source in form of cometary impacts, infalling ring/satellite dust or/and interplanetary particles; ii) an internal origin that involves convective transport from the deep, dense, hot atmosphere where the thermodynamic equilibrium CO abundance is relatively large.In Saturn, submilimeter stratospheric CO emissions have been detected (Cavalié et al. A&A, 510, A88, 2010; Cavalié et al. Icarus, 203, 531, 2009), suggesting a cometary impact 200 years ago. In contrast, no observation was in position to confirm or rule out the presence of CO in Saturn's troposphere (Noll et al. Icarus, 89, 168, 1990).Here, we present CRIRES/ELT 5-μm observations of Saturn that definitely confirm the presence of CO in Saturn's troposphere. We will present the derived CO abundance and its implication for Saturn's tropospheric transport rate and water deep abundance.

  5. Vertical distribution and sources of tropospheric ozone over South China in spring 2004: Ozonesonde measurements and modeling analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Y.; Liu, H.; Crawford, J. H.; Considine, D. B.; Chan, C.; Scientific Team Of Tapto

    2010-12-01

    The Transport of Air Pollutant and Tropospheric Ozone over China (TAPTO-China) science initiative is a two-year (TAPTO 2004 and 2005) field measurement campaign to help improve our understanding of the physical and chemical processes that control the tropospheric ozone budget over the Chinese subcontinent (including the Asian Pacific rim) and its surrounding SE Asia. In this paper, we use two state-of-the-art 3-D global chemical transport models (GEOS-Chem and Global Modeling Initiative or GMI) to examine the characteristics of vertical distribution and quantify the sources of tropospheric ozone by analysis of TAPTO in-situ ozonesonde data obtained at five stations in South China during spring (April and May) 2004: Lin’an (30.30N, 119.75E), Tengchong (25.01N, 98.30E), Taipei (25.0N, 121.3E), Hong Kong (22.21N, 114.30E) and Sanya (18.21N, 110.31E). The observed tropospheric ozone concentrations show strong spatial and temporal variability, which is largely captured by the models. The models simulate well the observed vertical gradients of tropospheric ozone at higher latitudes but are too low at lower latitudes. Model tagged ozone simulations suggest that stratosphere has a large impact on the upper and middle troposphere (UT/MT) at Lin’an and Tengchong. Continental SE Asian biomass burning emissions are maximum in March but still contribute significantly to the photochemical production of tropopheric ozone in South China in early April. Asian anthropogenic emissions are the major contribution to lower tropospheric ozone at all stations. On the other hand, there are episodes of influence from European/North American anthropogenic emissions. For example, model tagged ozone simulations show that over Lin’an in April 2004, stratosphere contributes 20% (13 ppbv) at 5 km, Asian boundary layer contributes 70% (46 ppbv) to ozone in the boundary layer, European boundary layer contributes 5% (3-4 ppbv) at 1.2 km, and North American boundary layer contributes 4.5% (3

  6. Relationship between clinical variables and cognitive performances in migraineurs with and without aura.

    PubMed

    Le Pira, Francesco; Lanaia, Filippo; Zappalà, Giuseppe; Morana, Rosanna; Panetta, Maria Rosa; Reggio, Ester; Reggio, Arturo

    2004-01-01

    Conflicting data on cognitive defects in migraine could be explained by differences in the clinical variables of the populations studied. We investigated 21 patients with migraine with aura and 24 with migraine without aura, diagnosed according to the International Headache Society criteria. The patients were submitted to a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests and grouped according to attack frequency and side of pain. Attack frequency was not associated with significant differences in any of the tasks, while location of pain was found to be significantly related to poorer performance on both the immediate and delayed recall of Rey Complex Figure in migraineurs both with and without aura, and a significant relationship between side of pain and number of clusters in the second trial of California Verbal Learning Test was found only in migraine with aura patients. The finding of worse performances in patients with right-sided pain seems to support a right hemisphere dysfunction hypothesis.

  7. Aura OMI Observations of Global SO2 and NO2 Pollution from 2005 to 2013

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krotkov, Nickolay; Li, Can; Lamsal, Lok; Celarier, Edward; Marchenko, Sergey; Swartz, William H.; Bucsela, Eric; Fioletov, Vitali; McLinden, Chris; Joiner, Joanna; hide

    2014-01-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a NASA partnership with the Netherlands and Finland, flies on the NASA Aura satellite and uses reflected sunlight to measure the two critical atmospheric trace gases: nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) characterizing daily air quality. Both gases and the secondary pollutants they produce (particulate matter, PM2.5, and tropospheric ozone) are USEPA designated criteria pollutants, posing serious threats to human health and the environment (e.g., acid rain, plant damage and reduced visibility). Our group at NASA GSFC has developed and maintained OMI standard SO2 and NO2 data products. We have recently released an updated version of the standard NO2 L2 and L3 products (SP v2.1) and continue improving the algorithm. We are currently in the process of releasing next generation pollution SO2 product, based on an innovative Principal Component Analysis (PCA) algorithm, which greatly reduces the noise and biases. These new standard products provide valuable datasets for studying anthropogenic pollution on local to global scales. Here we highlight some of the OMI observed changes in air quality over several regions. Over the US average NO2 and SO2 pollution levels had decreased dramatically as a result of both technological improvements (e.g., catalytic converters on cars) and stricter regulations of emissions. We see continued decline in pollution over Europe. Over China OMI observed an increase of about 60 percent in NO2 pollution between 2005 and 2013, despite a temporal reversal of the growing trend due to both 2008 Olympic Games and the economic recession in 2009. Chinese SO2 pollution seems to have stabilized since peaking in 2007, probably due to government efforts to curb SO2 emissions from the power sector. We have also observed large increases in both SO2 and NO2 pollution particularly in Eastern India where a number of large new coal power plants had been built in recent years. We expect that further

  8. Cross-validation of IASI/MetOp derived tropospheric δD with TES and ground-based FTIR observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lacour, J.-L.; Clarisse, L.; Worden, J.; Schneider, M.; Barthlott, S.; Hase, F.; Risi, C.; Clerbaux, C.; Hurtmans, D.; Coheur, P.-F.

    2014-11-01

    The Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) flying on-board MetOpA and MetOpB is able to capture fine isotopic variations of the HDO to H2O ratio (δD) in the troposphere. Such observations at the high spatio temporal resolution of the sounder are of great interest to improve our understanding of the mechanisms controlling humidity in the troposphere. In this study we aim to empirically assess the validity of our error estimation previously evaluated theoretically. To achieve this, we compare IASI δD retrieved profiles with other available profiles of δD, from the TES infrared sounder onboard AURA and from three ground-based FTIR stations produced within the MUSICA project: the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) sites Kiruna and Izana, and the TCCON site Karlsruhe, which in addition to near-infrared TCCON spectra also records mid-infrared spectra. We describe the achievable level of agreement between the different retrievals and show that these theoretical errors are in good agreement with empirical differences. The comparisons are made at different locations from tropical to Arctic latitudes, above sea and above land. Generally IASI and TES are similarly sensitive to δD in the free troposphere which allows to compare their measurements directly. At tropical latitudes where IASI's sensitivity is lower than that of TES, we show that the agreement improves when taking into account the sensitivity of IASI in the TES retrieval. For the comparison IASI-FTIR only direct comparisons are performed because of similar sensitivities. We identify a quasi negligible bias in the free troposphere (-3‰) between IASI retrieved δD with the TES one, which are bias corrected, but an important with the ground-based FTIR reaching -47‰. We also suggest that model-satellite observations comparisons could be optimized with IASI thanks to its high spatial and temporal sampling.

  9. The global chemistry transport model TM5: description and evaluation of the tropospheric chemistry version 3.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huijnen, V.; Williams, J.; van Weele, M.; van Noije, T.; Krol, M.; Dentener, F.; Segers, A.; Houweling, S.; Peters, W.; de Laat, J.; Boersma, F.; Bergamaschi, P.; van Velthoven, P.; Le Sager, P.; Eskes, H.; Alkemade, F.; Scheele, R.; Nédélec, P.; Pätz, H.-W.

    2010-10-01

    We present a comprehensive description and benchmark evaluation of the tropospheric chemistry version of the global chemistry transport model TM5 (Tracer Model 5, version TM5-chem-v3.0). A full description is given concerning the photochemical mechanism, the interaction with aerosol, the treatment of the stratosphere, the wet and dry deposition parameterizations, and the applied emissions. We evaluate the model against a suite of ground-based, satellite, and aircraft measurements of components critical for understanding global photochemistry for the year 2006. The model exhibits a realistic oxidative capacity at a global scale. The methane lifetime is ~8.9 years with an associated lifetime of methyl chloroform of 5.86 years, which is similar to that derived using an optimized hydroxyl radical field. The seasonal cycle in observed carbon monoxide (CO) is well simulated at different regions across the globe. In the Northern Hemisphere CO concentrations are underestimated by about 20 ppbv in spring and 10 ppbv in summer, which is related to missing chemistry and underestimated emissions from higher hydrocarbons, as well as to uncertainties in the seasonal variation of CO emissions. The model also captures the spatial and seasonal variation in formaldehyde tropospheric columns as observed by SCIAMACHY. Positive model biases over the Amazon and eastern United States point to uncertainties in the isoprene emissions as well as its chemical breakdown. Simulated tropospheric nitrogen dioxide columns correspond well to observations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument in terms of its seasonal and spatial variability (with a global spatial correlation coefficient of 0.89), but TM5 fields are lower by 25-40%. This is consistent with earlier studies pointing to a high bias of 0-30% in the OMI retrievals, but uncertainties in the emission inventories have probably also contributed to the discrepancy. TM5 tropospheric nitrogen dioxide profiles are in good agreement (within ~0

  10. The global chemistry transport model TM5: description and evaluation of the tropospheric chemistry version 3.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huijnen, V.; Williams, J. E.; van Weele, M.; van Noije, T. P. C.; Krol, M. C.; Dentener, F.; Segers, A.; Houweling, S.; Peters, W.; de Laat, A. T. J.; Boersma, K. F.; Bergamaschi, P.; van Velthoven, P. F. J.; Le Sager, P.; Eskes, H. J.; Alkemade, F.; Scheele, M. P.; Nédélec, P.; Pätz, H.-W.

    2010-07-01

    We present a comprehensive description and benchmark evaluation of the tropospheric chemistry version of the global chemistry transport model TM5 (Tracer Model 5, version TM5-chem-v3.0). A full description is given concerning the photochemical mechanism, the interaction with aerosol, the treatment of the stratosphere, the wet and dry deposition parameterizations, and the applied emissions. We evaluate the model against a suite of ground-based, satellite, and aircraft measurements of components critical for understanding global photochemistry for the year 2006. The model exhibits a realistic oxidative capacity at a global scale. The methane lifetime is ~8.9 years with an associated lifetime of methyl chloroform of 5.86 years, which is similar to that derived using an optimized hydroxyl radical field. The seasonal cycle in observed carbon monoxide (CO) is well simulated at different regions across the globe. In the Northern Hemisphere CO concentrations are underestimated by about 20 ppbv in spring and 10 ppbv in summer, which is related to missing chemistry and underestimated emissions from higher hydrocarbons, as well as to uncertainties in the seasonal variation of CO emissions. The model also captures the spatial and seasonal variation in formaldehyde tropospheric columns as observed by SCIAMACHY. Positive model biases over the Amazon and eastern United States point to uncertainties in the isoprene emissions as well as its chemical breakdown. Simulated tropospheric nitrogen dioxide columns correspond well to observations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument in terms of its seasonal and spatial variability (with a global spatial correlation coefficient of 0.89), but TM5 fields are lower by 25-40%. This is consistent with earlier studies pointing to a high bias of 0-30% in the OMI retrievals, but uncertainties in the emission inventories have probably also contributed to the discrepancy. TM5 tropospheric nitrogen dioxide profiles are in good agreement (within ~0

  11. Spatio-temporal assessment and seasonal variation of tropospheric ozone in Pakistan during the last decade.

    PubMed

    Noreen, Asma; Khokhar, Muhammad Fahim; Zeb, Naila; Yasmin, Naila; Hakeem, Khalid Rehman

    2018-03-01

    This study uses the tropospheric ozone data derived from combined observations of Ozone Monitoring Instrument/Microwave Limb Sounder instruments by using the tropospheric ozone residual method. The main objective was to study the spatial distribution and temporal evolution in the troposphere ozone columns over Pakistan during the time period of 2004 to 2014. Results showed an overall increase of 3.2 ± 1.1 DU in tropospheric ozone columns over Pakistan. Spatial distribution showed enhanced ozone columns in the Punjab and southern Sindh consistent to high population, urbanization, and extensive anthropogenic activities, and exhibited statistically significant temporal increase. Seasonal variations in tropospheric ozone columns are driven by various factors such as seasonality in UV-B fluxes, seasonality in ozone precursor gases such as NO x and volatile organic compounds (caused by temperature dependent biogenic emission) and agricultural fire activities in Pakistan. A strong correlation of 96% (r = 0.96) was found between fire events and tropospheric ozone columns in Pakistan.

  12. Remote Sensing of Tropospheric Pollution from Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fishman, Jack; Bowman, Kevin W.; Burrows, John P.; Chance, Kelly V.; Edwards, David P.; Martin, Randall V.; Morris, Gary A.; Pierce, R. Bradley; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Al-Saadi, Jassim A.; hide

    2008-01-01

    We review the progress of tropospheric trace gas observations and address the need for additional measurement capabilities as recommended by the National Academy of Science (NAS, 2007). Tropospheric measurements from current and earlier instruments show pollution in the Northern Hemisphere as a result of fossil fuel burning and a strong seasonal dependence with the largest amounts of photochemically-generated ozone in summer. At low latitudes, where photon flux is stronger throughout the year, trace gas concentrations are driven by the abundance of the emissions, where the largest source, biomass burning, is readily seen in carbon monoxide measurements, but lightning and biogenic trace gases may also contribute to trace gas variability. Although substantive progress has been achieved in seasonal and global mapping of a few tropospheric trace gases, satellite trace-gas observations with considerably better temporal and spatial resolution are essential to forecasting air quality at scales required by policy-makers. The concurrent use of atmospheric composition measurements for both scientific and operational purposes is a new paradigm for the atmospheric chemistry community. The examples presented illustrate both the promise and challenge of merging satellite information with in situ observations in state-of-the-art data assimilation models.

  13. Characteristics of intercontinental transport of tropospheric ozone from Africa to Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Han; Liu, Jane; Yuan, Huiling; Zhuang, Bingliang; Zhu, Ye; Wu, Yue; Yan, Yuhan; Ding, Aijun

    2018-03-01

    In this study, we characterize the transport of ozone from Africa to Asia through the analysis of the simulations of a global chemical transport model, GEOS-Chem, from 1987 to 2006. The receptor region Asia is defined within 5-60° N and 60-145° E, while the source region Africa is within 35° S-15° N and 20° W-55° E and within 15-35° N and 20° W-30° E. The ozone generated in the African troposphere from both natural and anthropogenic sources is tracked through tagged ozone simulation. Combining this with analysis of trajectory simulations using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, we find that the upper branch of the Hadley cell connects with the subtropical westerlies in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) to form a primary transport pathway from Africa to Asia in the middle and upper troposphere throughout the year. The Somali jet that runs from eastern Africa near the equator to the Indian subcontinent in the lower troposphere is the second pathway that appears only in NH summer. The influence of African ozone mainly appears over Asia south of 40° N. The influence shows strong seasonality, varying with latitude, longitude, and altitude. In the Asian upper troposphere, imported African ozone is largest from March to May around 30° N (12-16 ppbv) and lowest during July-October around 10° N ( ˜ 2 ppbv). In the Asian middle and lower troposphere, imported African ozone peaks in NH winter between 20 and 25° N. Over 5-40° N, the mean fractional contribution of imported African ozone to the overall ozone concentrations in Asia is largest during NH winter in the middle troposphere ( ˜ 18 %) and lowest in NH summer throughout the tropospheric column ( ˜ 6 %). This seasonality mainly results from the collective effects of the ozone precursor emissions in Africa and meteorology and chemistry in Africa, in Asia and along the transport pathways. The seasonal swing of the Hadley circulation and subtropical westerlies along the

  14. Visual Auras in Epilepsy and Migraine - An Analysis of Clinical Characteristics.

    PubMed

    Hartl, Elisabeth; Angel, Jose; Rémi, Jan; Schankin, Christoph J; Noachtar, Soheyl

    2017-06-01

    To evaluate the characteristics of visual auras (VA) in epilepsy and migraine. Both disorders are usually diagnosed on clinical grounds, but differentiation might be challenging in isolated auras or because of the similar presentation in migraine and epilepsy. A retrospective study of two cohorts was performed to compare the VA characteristics of 27 epilepsy patients and 27 age-matched migraine patients. The duration of VA was significantly shorter in epilepsy (median: 56s; 1st quartile Q1: 26s; 3rd quartile Q3: 130s) than in migraine (20 min; Q1: 10 min; Q3: 30 min) (P < .0001). A cutoff duration of ≥5 minutes identified all migraine patients (100% sensitivity, 92% specificity). VAs of epileptic etiology were characterized by restriction to a visual hemifield (74.1% vs 29.6% in migraine, P = .0024) with stereotypic affection of one hemifield (55.5% vs 7.4% in migraine, P = 0.0003). Centrifugal or centripetal spread of visual phenomena only occurred in migraine (37.0%), but not in epilepsy (P = 0.0007). If present, accompanying symptoms such as nausea/vomiting (19/27) or photo-/phonophobia (17/27) identify migrainous auras (vs 0/27 in the epilepsy patients; P < .0001). Headache presented in all migraine patients, but was also observed in six of the epilepsy patients during cephalic auras or the postictal phase (P < .0001). None of the visual migrainous auras evolved into an epileptic seizure, a concept called migralepsy. Several clinical characteristics differentiate VA of epileptic and migrainous origin - if presenting in classical manner. Additional EEG evaluations should be performed in patients with VA of unclear etiology and epileptic VA features added to current classifications to increase their discriminatory power. © 2017 American Headache Society.

  15. What's NEW at the GES DISC: Evolution of Data Management and Services for Aura Mission and Beyond

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wei, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    GES DISC world. Aura data usage and trend. Aura data users requests. GES DISC update (before/after); New Access method (ftp to http) with Earthdata Login System, New Website (DISC/Mirador to New Interface), New Giovanni (Giovanni to Now Federated). GES DISC support beyond Aura Mission; Multi-sensor coincident data subsets, Level 2 support (Sub-setter, Visualization), Data List.

  16. Lower tropospheric ozone over India and its linkage to the South Asian monsoon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Xiao; Zhang, Lin; Liu, Xiong; Gao, Meng; Zhao, Yuanhong; Shao, Jingyuan

    2018-03-01

    Lower tropospheric (surface to 600 hPa) ozone over India poses serious risks to both human health and crops, and potentially affects global ozone distribution through frequent deep convection in tropical regions. Our current understanding of the processes controlling seasonal and long-term variations in lower tropospheric ozone over this region is rather limited due to spatially and temporally sparse observations. Here we present an integrated process analysis of the seasonal cycle, interannual variability, and long-term trends of lower tropospheric ozone over India and its linkage to the South Asian monsoon using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite observations for years 2006-2014 interpreted with a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) simulation for 1990-2010. OMI observed lower tropospheric ozone over India averaged for 2006-2010, showing the highest concentrations (54.1 ppbv) in the pre-summer monsoon season (May) and the lowest concentrations (40.5 ppbv) in the summer monsoon season (August). Process analyses in GEOS-Chem show that hot and dry meteorological conditions and active biomass burning together contribute to 5.8 Tg more ozone being produced in the lower troposphere in India in May than January. The onset of the summer monsoon brings ozone-unfavorable meteorological conditions and strong upward transport, which all lead to large decreases in the lower tropospheric ozone burden. Interannually, we find that both OMI and GEOS-Chem indicate strong positive correlations (r = 0.55-0.58) between ozone and surface temperature in pre-summer monsoon seasons, with larger correlations found in high NOx emission regions reflecting NOx-limited production conditions. Summer monsoon seasonal mean ozone levels are strongly controlled by monsoon strengths. Lower ozone concentrations are found in stronger monsoon seasons mainly due to less ozone net chemical production. Furthermore, model simulations over 1990-2010 estimate a mean annual trend of 0

  17. Retrieval of tropospheric profiles from IR emission spectra: preliminary results with the DBIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Theriault, Jean-Marc; Anderson, Gail P.; Chetwynd, James H., Jr.; Murphy, Randall E.; Turner, Vernon; Cloutier, M.; Smith, A.; Moncet, Jean-Luc

    1993-11-01

    Recently, Smith and collaborators from University of Wisconsin-Madison have clearly established the possibilities of sounding tropospheric temperature and water vapor profiles with a ground-based uplooking interferometer. With the same perspective but for somewhat different applications, the Defence Research Establishment Valcartier (DREV) has initiated a project with the aim of exploring the many possible avenues of similar approaches. DREV, in collaboration with BOMEM (Quebec, Canada), has developed an instrument referred to as the Double Beam Interferometer Sounder (DBIS). This sounder has been conceived to match the needs encountered in many remote sensing scenarios: slant path capability, small field of view, very wide spectral coverage, and high spectral resolution. Preliminary tests with the DBIS have shown sufficient accuracy for remote sensing applications. In a series of field measurements, jointly organized by the Geophysics Directorate/PL, Hanscom AFB, and DREV, the instrument has been run in a wide variety of sky conditions. Several atmospheric emission spectra recorded with the sounder have been compared to calculations with FASCODE and MODTRAN models. The quality of measurement-model comparisons has prompted the development of an inversion algorithm based on these codes. The purpose of this paper is to report the recent progress achieved in this research. First, the design and operation of the instrument are reviewed. Second, recent field measurements of atmospheric emission spectra are analyzed and compared to models predictions. Finally, the simultaneous retrieval approach selected for the inversion of DBIS spectra to obtain temperature and water vapor profiles is described and preliminary results are presented.

  18. RESEARCH AREA -- MOBILE SOURCE EMISSIONS (EMISSIONS CHARACTERIZATION AND PREVENTION BRANCH, APPCD, NRMRL)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The objective of this program is to characterize mobile source emissions which are one of the largest sources of tropospheric ozone precursor emissions (CO, NOx, and volotile organic compounds) in the U.S. The research objective of the Emissions Characterization and Prevention Br...

  19. Observing and Understanding Tropospheric Ozone Changes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Logan, Jennifer; Schultz, Martin; Oltmans, Samuel

    2010-03-01

    Tropospheric Ozone Changes Workshop; Boulder, Colorado, 14-16 October 2009; Prompted by the lack of consensus on, and the need to assess current understanding of, long-term changes in tropospheric ozone, a workshop was held in Colorado to (1) evaluate the consistency of data records; (2) assess robust long-term changes; (3) determine how to combine observations and model studies; and (4) define research and observation needs for the future. At the workshop, long-term ozone records from regionally representative surface and mountain sites, ozonesondes, and aircraft were reviewed by region. In western Europe there are several time series of ˜15-40 years from all platforms. Overall, they show a rise in ozone into the middle to late 1990s and a leveling off, or in some cases declines, in the 2000s, in general agreement with precursor emission changes. However, significant differences in detail in the time series from nearby locations provide less confidence in changes before the late 1990s.

  20. Decreasing Lower Tropospheric Ozone over the North China Plain Observed by IASI: Looking for Explanations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dufour, G.; Eremenko, M.; Lachâtre, M.; Hauglustaine, D.; Fortems-Cheiney, A.; Cuesta, J.; Zhang, Y.; Cai, Z.; Liu, Y.; Xu, X.; Lin, W.; Cooper, O. R.

    2017-12-01

    China, and especially the North China Plain (NCP), is a highly polluted region. Emission reductions have been applied since about 10 years, starting with SO2 emissions in 2006 and with NOx emissions in 2010. Recent satellite observations series show a decrease of NO2 tropospheric columns since 2013 and attributed to the NOx emissions reduction. The question of the impact of such reduction on ozone is then arising. In this study, we use the capabilities of the IASI satellite instrument to retrieve 2 semi-independent columns of ozone in the lower (surface-6km asl) and the upper (6-12km) troposphere - the lower tropospheric (LT) column having a sensitivity maximum at 3-4 km - and we evaluate the variability and trend of LT ozone over the NCP for 2008-2016. Deseasonalized monthly timeseries show two distinct periods: a first period (2008-2012) with no significant trend (slope of the linear fit < -0.1 %/yr) and a second period (2013-2016) with a highly significant negative trend of -1.2 %/yr, leading to an overall trend of -0.77 %/yr for 2008-2016. A first temptation is to attribute this decrease to the NOx emissions changes. However, negative trends have not been reported from background surface measurements in this Chinese region. Furthermore recent work made within the framework of the TOAR initiative reveals discrepancies in the sign of the trends of tropospheric column ozone derived from infrared and ultraviolet satellite instruments. As yet there is no conclusive explanation for the discrepancy. We then investigate the IASI retrieval stability and robustness in terms of vertical sensitivity, interferences with large aerosol loading, and comparing with surface and ozonesonde measurements and the IASI instrument aboard the Metop-B satellite. One issue arises concerning the temporal sampling of IASI that may induce significant change in the trend derived from surface stations. We also explore the possible variables, other than emissions, which could explain the

  1. Twenty years of balloon-borne tropospheric aerosol measurements at Laramie, Wyoming

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hofmann, David J.

    1993-01-01

    The paper examines the tropospheric aerosol record obtained over the period 1971 to 1990, during which high-altitude balloons with optical particle counters were launched at Laramie, Wyoming, in a long-term study of the stratospheric sulfate aerosol layer. All aerosol particle size ranges display pronounced seasonal variations, with the condensation nuclei concentration and the optically active component showing a summer maximum throughout the troposphere. Mass estimates, assuming spherical sulfate particles, indicate an average column mass between altitudes of 2.5 and 10 km of about 4 and 16 mg/sq m in winter and summer, respectively. Calculated optical depths vary between 0.01 and 0.04 from winter to summer; the estimated mass scattering cross section is about 3 sq m/g throughout the troposphere. There is evidence for a decreasing trend of 1.6-1.8 percent/yr in the optically active tropospheric aerosol over the past 20 yr, which may be related to a similar reduction in SO2 emission in the U.S. over this period.

  2. Quantifying the influence of boreal biomass burning emissions on tropospheric oxidant chemistry over the North Atlantic using BORTAS measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parrington, Mark; Palmer, Paul I.; Rickard, Andrew; Young, Jennifer; Lewis, Ally; Lee, James; Henze, Daven; Tarasick, David; Hyer, Edward; Yantosca, Robert; Bowman, Kevin; Worden, John; Griffin, Debora; Franklin, Jonathan; Helmig, Detlev

    2013-04-01

    We use the GEOS-Chem chemistry transport model to quantify the impact of boreal biomass burning on tropospheric oxidant chemistry over the North Atlantic region during summer of 2011. The GEOS-Chem model is used at a spatial resolution of 1/2 degree latitude by 2/3 degree longitude for a domain covering eastern North America, the North Atlantic Ocean and western Europe. We initialise the model with biomass burning emissions from the Fire Locating and Monitoring of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) inventory and use a modified chemical mechanism providing a detailed description of ozone photochemistry in boreal biomass burning outflow derived from the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM). We evaluate the 3-D model distribution of ozone and tracers associated with biomass burning against measurements made by the UK FAAM BAe-146 research aircraft, ozonesondes, ground-based and satellite instruments as part of the BORTAS experiment between 12 July and 3 August 2011. We also use the GEOS-Chem model adjoint to fit the model to BORTAS measurements to analyse the sensitivity of the model chemical mechanism and ozone distribution to wildfire emissions in central Canada.

  3. Dynamic-Chemical Coupling of the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere Region

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grewe, Volker; Shindell, Drew T.; Reithmeier, Christian

    2000-01-01

    The importance of the interaction of chemistry and dynamics in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere for chemical species like ozone is investigated using two chemistry-climate models. Species emitted in the upper troposphere, like NOx (=NO+NO2) by lightning or aircraft, have the chance to be transported into the lowermost stratosphere. Trajectory calculations suggest that the main transport pathway runs via the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, across the tropical tropopause and then to higher latitudes, i.e. into the lowermost stratosphere. Longer lifetimes of NOx in the lower stratosphere yield an accumulation of NO. there, which feeds back on upper troposphere chemistry. This effect has been estimated for lightning NO. emissions and reveals a contribution of at least 25% to 40% to the total northern hemisphere mid-latitude lightning increase of either NOx and ozone.

  4. Migraine with Aura or Sports-Related Concussion: Case Report, Pathophysiology, and Multidisciplinary Approach to Management.

    PubMed

    Ellis, Michael J; Cordingley, Dean; Girardin, Richard; Ritchie, Lesley; Johnston, Janine

    The evaluation and management of athletes presenting with clinical features of migraine headache with aura in the setting of sports-related head trauma is challenging. We present a case report of a 15-yr-old boy with a history of migraine with visual aura that developed acute visual disturbance and headache after a head injury during an ice hockey game. The patient underwent comprehensive assessment at a multidisciplinary concussion program, including neuro-ophthalmological examination, neurocognitive testing, and graded aerobic treadmill testing. Clinical history and multidisciplinary assessment was consistent with the diagnosis of coexisting sports-related concussion and migraine with brainstem aura. The authors discuss the pearls and pitfalls of managing patients who develop migraine headache with visual aura after sports-related head injury and the value of a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to this unique patient population.

  5. Tropospheric O3 over Indonesia during biomass burning events measured with GOME (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment) and compared with backtrajectory calculation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ladstaetter-Weissenmayer, A.; Meyer-Arnek, J.; Burrows, J. P.

    During the dry season, biomass burning is an important source of ozone precursors for the tropical troposphere, and ozone formation can occur in biomass burning plumes originating in Indonesia and northern Australia. Satellite based GOME (Global Ozone Measuring experiment) data are used to characterize the amount of tropospheric ozone production over this region during the El Niño event in September 1997 compared to a so called "normal" year 1998. Large scale biomass burning occurred over Kalimantan in 1997 caused by the absence of the northern monsoon rains, leading to significant increases in tropospheric ozone. Tropospheric ozone was determined from GOME data using the Tropospheric Excess Method (TEM). Backtrajectory calculations show that Indonesia is influenced every summer by the emissions of trace gases from biomass buring over northern Australia. But in 1997 over Indonesia an increasing of tropospheric ozone amounts can be observed caused by the fires over Indonesia itself as well as by northern Australia. The analysis of the measurements of BIBLE-A (Biomass Burning and Lightning Experiment) and using ATSR (Along the Track Scanning Radiometer) data show differences in the view to the intensity of fire counts and therefore in the amount of the emission of precursors of tropospheric ozone comparing September 1997 to September 1998.

  6. NMHC emissions from Asia: sources and transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shirai, T.; Blake, D. R.; Barletta, B.; Meinardi, S.; Rowland, F. S.; Chan, J. C.; Takegawa, N.; Kondo, Y.; Koike, M.; Kita, K.; Takigawa, M.; Kawakami, S.; Ogawa, T.

    2002-12-01

    Recent rapid industrialization and economic growth in Asia changed the industrial structure, land use, and people's lifestyle resulting in a dramatic change in the amount and composition of the gas emissions from Asia. Because emissions can be transported very rapidly once convected to the free troposphere, Asian emissions can affect both local and regional air quality and climate. To access the impact of changing emission from Asia, an airborne observation campaign PEACE (the Pacific Exploration of Asian Continental Emission) phase-A and B were conducted in January and April - May 2002, respectively, sponsored by NASDA (National Space Development Agency of Japan). The concentrations of NMHCs (nonmethanehydrocarbons) and halocarbons were obtained by whole air sampling and subsequent gas chromatography analyses in the laboratory. Quantified onboard the aircraft were CO, CO2, O3, NO, NO2, NOy, H2O, SO2, aerosols, and condensation nuclei. The experiment was conducted in the vicinity of Japan and PEACE-A and B represent the local winter and spring weather conditions. The trace gas distributions in the lower troposphere were often influenced by local pollution (i.e. from Japan, Korea) while those of the long-range transport (i.e. from Europe) were occasionally seen in the upper troposphere. This is confirmed by the airmass age estimation using the ratios of short-lived gases (i.e. C2H4) vs. more stable compounds (i.e. CO). Emissions from China were distinguished using data obtained from ground-based sampling and measurements. Transport from China was seen both in the lower troposphere and upper troposphere. Some case studies on source identification will be discussed.

  7. Hydrogen Cyanide in the Upper Troposphere: GEM-AQ Simulation and Comparison with ACE-FTS Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lupu, A.; Kaminski, J. W.; Neary, L.; McConnell, J. C.; Toyota, K.; Rinsland, C. P.; Bernath, P. F.; Walker, K. A.; Boone, C. D.; Nagahama, Y.; hide

    2009-01-01

    We investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the upper troposphere through numerical simulations and comparison with observations from a space-based instrument. To perform the simulations, we used the Global Environmental Multiscale Air Quality model (GEM-AQ), which is based on the threedimensional Gobal multiscale model developed by the Meteorological Service of Canada for operational weather forecasting. The model was run for the period 2004-2006 on a 1.5deg x 1.5deg global grid with 28 hybrid vertical levels from the surface up to 10 hPa. Objective analysis data from the Canadian Meteorological Centre were used to update the meteorological fields every 24 h. Fire emission fluxes of gas species were generated by using year-specific inventories of carbon emissions with 8-day temporal resolution from the Global Fire Emission Database (GFED) version 2. The model output is compared with HCN profiles measured by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) instrument onboard the Canadian SCISAT-1 satellite. High values of up to a few ppbv are observed in the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere; the enhancement in HCN volume mixing ratios in the upper troposphere is most prominent in October. Low upper-tropospheric mixing ratios of less than 100 pptv are mostly recorded at middle and high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere in May-July. Mixing ratios in Northern Hemisphere peak in the boreal summer. The amplitude of the seasonal variation is less pronounced than in the Southern Hemisphere. The comparison with the satellite data shows that in the upper troposphere GEM-AQ perform7s well globally for all seasons, except at northern hi gh and middle latitudes in surnmer, where the model has a large negative bias, and in the tropics in winter and spring, where it exhibits large positive bias. This may reflect inaccurate emissions or possible inaccuracies in the emission profile. The model is able to

  8. Regional Variability in Ozone in the Tropical and Subtropical Free Troposphere and Tropopause Transition Layer based on Aura-Era SHADOZ Data (2005-2009)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, S. K.; Thompson, A. M.; Witte, J. C.; Balashov, N. V.; Kollonige, D. E.

    2012-12-01

    The more than 5000 sets of ozone and P-T-U profiles provided for the tropics and subtropics by the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) since 1998 have provided a wealth of insights into convective and mixing processes, especially in the upper troposphere through lower stratosphere. The observations have been used in evaluations of satellite ozone and chemical-transport and climate-chemistry models. Recently, we analyzed a climatology of ozone profiles based on the 2005-2009 SHADOZ data when 4 new stations joined the network (15 stations total), giving latitudinal coverage from 25S to 21N. We answer the following questions: How do ozone distributions at two new subtropical stations, Hanoi and Hilo in the northern hemisphere, compare to those at the southern subtropical stations, Irene and La Réunion? Are there better-defined regional classifications of tropospheric and tropopause transition layer (TTL) SHADOZ ozone profiles in the tropics, defined as within + 18 degrees latitude, than the Atlantic-Pacific differentiation identified in published studies with 1998-2004 SHADOZ data? Three distinct regions of the tropics are identified based on the criteria: ozone structure in the TTL; convective influence inferred from laminar identification (LID) of ozone and potential temperature; degree of pollution in the free troposphere (FT). These are: (1) western Pacific/eastern Indian Ocean; (2) equatorial Americas (San Cristóbal, Alajuela, Paramaribo); (3) Atlantic Ocean and Africa. In addition, we have re-examined potential trends in FT and TTL ozone at several SHADOZ stations for which data extend back to the early 1990s.

  9. Lightning and anthropogenic NOx sources over the U.S. and the western North Atlantic Ocean: Impact on tropospheric O3 from space-borne observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, Y.; Eldering, A.; Osterman, G.; Wang, Y.; Cunnold, D.; Yang, Q.; Bucsela, E.; Pickering, K.

    2008-12-01

    We use the Regional chEmical trAnsport Model (REAM) to analyze the contributions of lightning and anthropogenic NOx on ozone concentrations over the U.S. and the western North Atlantic Ocean from June to August 2005. Tropospheric NO2 columns from OMI, tropospheric O3 columns derived from OMI and MLS measurements, and vertical O3 profiles from TES over the region are used in the analysis. With a 50% reduction in the industrial and electrical power generation NOx emissions in the 23 eastern states over the U.S. from 1999 EPA NEI and a parameterization of lightning-produced NOx based on concurrent NLDN, CAPE, and cloud mass flux data, REAM generally captures the spatial distribution of lightning flash rates and OMI NO2 and OMI-MLS O3 column enhancements with high correlation coefficients (0.6-0.9). The model results show that over the U.S., the contribution of surface NOx emissions to summertime tropospheric O3 declines from 47% to 41% due to the reduced emissions. The contribution of surface NOx emissions becomes similar to that of stratospheric transport over the U.S., with the additional being the dramatic reduction in the relative impact of fossil-fuel NOx emissions over continental outflow regions. In the convective outflow regions over the Gulf of Mexico and the western North Atlantic, the contribution of lightning NOx production on tropospheric O3 in the summer is larger than that of anthropogenic NOx emissions with mean differences of 5% to 25%. The impact of NOx produced by lightning is becoming larger as fossil-fuel combustion NOx emissions decrease. After the onset of the North American monsoon, lightning-derived upper tropospheric O3 enhancements in July and August are shown over the convective outflow regions from REAM simulated and TES measured O3 vertical profiles. This result suggests that TES measurements have a potential to constrain lightning-derived tropospheric O3 enhancements, which may play a critical role in controlling climate.

  10. Potential source of cerebral embolism in migraine with aura: a transcranial Doppler study.

    PubMed

    Anzola, G P; Magoni, M; Guindani, M; Rozzini, L; Dalla Volta, G

    1999-05-12

    The recently found association between patent foramen ovale (PFO) and transient global amnesia (TGA) has suggested that paradoxical microembolization in the terminal vertebrobasilar territory might underlie at least some TGA cases. Migraine with visual aura is another paroxysmal disturbance in which a sudden dysfunction of cortical areas fed by the terminal branches of the basilar artery is believed to trigger the attack. Therefore we investigated the prevalence of PFO in a consecutive unselected cohort of migraine patients. To investigate the prevalence of PFO in a consecutive unselected cohort of migraine patients to search for a possible mechanism for the reported association of migraine with stroke. A total of 113 patients, consecutively referred by the Headache Outpatient Clinic for migraine with aura (MA+, mean age 34+/-12 years) were compared with 53 patients with migraine without aura (MA-, mean age 36+/-13 years) and with 25 age-matched nonmigraine subjects (mean age 31+/-10 years) selected from the hospital staff. PFO was assessed with transcranial Doppler sonography with IV injection of agitated saline, a technique that is 90% sensitive and 100% specific. The prevalence of PFO was 48% (54/113) in MA+ patients, 23% (12/53) in MA- patients, and 20% (5/25) in control subjects. The difference between MA+ and MA- patients was significant (odds ratio [OR] = 3.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41 to 7.04, chi2 = 9.52,p = 0.002) as was the difference between MA+ patients and controls (OR = 3.66, 95% CI = 1.21 to 13.25, chi2 = 6.46, p = 0.01), whereas MA- patients did not differ from controls (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.32 to 4.45, chi2 = 0.07). MRI was negative in 22 MA+ and 8 MA- patients. Patency of the foramen ovale is associated with migraine with aura but not with migraine without aura. The increased risk of stroke found in epidemiologic studies in patients with migraine with aura may be explained by an increased propensity to paradoxical cerebral embolism.

  11. Impact of Aura and Status Migrainosus on Readmissions for Vascular Events After Migraine Admission.

    PubMed

    Velickovic Ostojic, Lili; Liang, John W; Sheikh, Huma U; Dhamoon, Mandip S

    2018-06-22

    -To estimate readmission rates for acute ischemic stroke (AIS), transient ischemic attack (TIA), subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intracerebral hemorrhage after an index admission for migraine, using nationally representative data. -The Nationwide Readmissions Database was designed to analyze readmissions for all payers and uninsured, with data on >14 million US admissions in 2013. We used International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes to identify index migraine admissions with and without aura or status migrainosus, and readmissions for cerebrovascular events. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed for each outcome with aura and status migrainosus as main predictors, adjusting for age and vascular risk factors. -Out of 12,448 index admissions for migraine, 9972 (80.1%) were women, mean age was 45.5 ± 14.8 years, aura was present in 3038 (24.41%), and status migrainosus in 1798 (14.44%). The 30-day readmission rate (per 100,000 index admissions) was 154 for ischemic stroke, 86 for TIA, 42 for subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 17 for intracranial hemorrhage. In unadjusted models, aura was significantly associated with TIA (hazard ratio 2.43, 95% CI 1.39-4.24), but not AIS (1.26, 0.73-2.18), intracranial hemorrhage (1.86, 0.45-7.79) or subarachnoid hemorrhage (1.85, 0.44-7.75). When adjusting for age and vascular risk factors, aura remained significantly associated with TIA (2.13, 1.22-3.74). Status, in adjusted models, was significantly associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage readmission (4.83, 1.09-21.42). -In this large, nationally representative retrospective cohort study, migraine admission with aura was independently associated with TIA readmission, and status migrainosus was independently associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Further research would clarify the role of misdiagnosis and causal relationships underlying these strong associations. © 2018 American Headache Society.

  12. 75 FR 13806 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Loan From the Aura...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 6926] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Loan From the Aura Collection of a Winged Figure Pendant'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of... included in the exhibition ``Loan from the Aura Collection of a Winged Figure Pendant,'' imported from...

  13. Ensemble simulations of the role of the stratosphere in the attribution of northern extratropical tropospheric ozone variability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hess, P.; Kinnison, D.; Tang, Q.

    2015-03-01

    Despite the need to understand the impact of changes in emissions and climate on tropospheric ozone, the attribution of tropospheric interannual ozone variability to specific processes has proven difficult. Here, we analyze the stratospheric contribution to tropospheric ozone variability and trends from 1953 to 2005 in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) mid-latitudes using four ensemble simulations of the free running (FR) Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). The simulations are externally forced with observed time-varying (1) sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), (2) greenhouse gases (GHGs), (3) ozone depleting substances (ODS), (4) quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), (5) solar variability (SV) and (6) stratospheric sulfate surface area density (SAD). A detailed representation of stratospheric chemistry is simulated, including the ozone loss due to volcanic eruptions and polar stratospheric clouds. In the troposphere, ozone production is represented by CH4-NOx smog chemistry, where surface chemical emissions remain interannually constant. Despite the simplicity of its tropospheric chemistry, at many NH measurement locations, the interannual ozone variability in the FR WACCM simulations is significantly correlated with the measured interannual variability. This suggests the importance of the external forcing applied in these simulations in driving interannual ozone variability. The variability and trend in the simulated 1953-2005 tropospheric ozone from 30 to 90° N at background surface measurement sites, 500 hPa measurement sites and in the area average are largely explained on interannual timescales by changes in the 30-90° N area averaged flux of ozone across the 100 hPa surface and changes in tropospheric methane concentrations. The average sensitivity of tropospheric ozone to methane (percent change in ozone to a percent change in methane) from 30 to 90° N is 0.17 at 500 hPa and 0.21 at the surface; the average sensitivity of tropospheric ozone to the 100 h

  14. Global Troposphere Experiment Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bandy, Alan R.; Thornton, Donald C.

    1997-01-01

    For the Global Troposphere Experiment project Pacific Exploratory Measurements West B (PEM West B), we made determinations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with isotopically labelled internal standards. This technique provides measurements with precision of 1 part-per-trillion by volume below 20 pptv and 1% above 20 pptv. Measurement of DMS and SO2 were performed with a time cycle of 5-6 minutes with intermittent zero checks. The detection limits were about 1 pptv for SO2 and 2 pptv for DMS. Over 700 measurements of each compound were made in flight. Volcanic impacts on the upper troposphere were again found as a result of deep convection in the tropics. Extensive emission of SO2 from the Pacific Rim land masses were primarily observed in the lower well-mixed part of the boundary layer but also in the upper part of the boundary layer. Analyses of the SO2 data with aerosol sulfate, beryllium-7, and lead-210 indicated that SO2, contributed to half or more of the observed total oxidized sulfur (SO2 plus aerosol sulfate) in free tropospheric air. Cloud processing and rain appeared to be responsible for lower SO2 levels between 3 and 8.5 km than above or below this region. During both phases of PEM-West, dimethyl sulfide did not appear to be a major source of sulfur dioxide in the upper free troposphere over the western Pacific Ocean. In 1991 the sources Of SO2 at high altitude appeared to be both anthropogenic and volcanic with an estimated 1% being solely from DMS. The primary difference for the increase in the DMS source was the very low concentration of SO2 at high altitude. In the midlatitude region near the Asian land masses, DMS in the mixed layer was lower than in the tropical region of the western Pacific. Convective cloud systems near volcanoes in the tropical convergence in the western Pacific troposphere were a major source of SO2 at high altitudes during PEM-West B. High levels of SO2 were

  15. Aerosol indirect effect on tropospheric ozone via lightning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, Tianle; Remer, Lorraine A.; Bian, Huisheng; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Albrecht, Rachel; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Goodman, Steven J.; Yu, Hongbin; Allen, Dale J.

    2012-09-01

    Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a pollutant and major greenhouse gas and its radiative forcing is still uncertain. Inadequate understanding of processes related to O3 production, in particular those natural ones such as lightning, contributes to this uncertainty. Here we demonstrate a new effect of aerosol particles on O3production by affecting lightning activity and lightning-generated NOx (LNOx). We find that lightning flash rate increases at a remarkable rate of 30 times or more per unit of aerosol optical depth. We provide observational evidence that indicates the observed increase in lightning activity is caused by the influx of aerosols from a volcano. Satellite data analyses show O3is increased as a result of aerosol-induced increase in lightning and LNOx, which is supported by modle simulations with prescribed lightning change. O3production increase from this aerosol-lightning-ozone link is concentrated in the upper troposphere, where O3 is most efficient as a greenhouse gas. In the face of anthropogenic aerosol increase our findings suggest that lightning activity, LNOx and O3, especially in the upper troposphere, have all increased substantially since preindustrial time due to the proposed aerosol-lightning-ozone link, which implies a stronger O3 historical radiative forcing. Aerosol forcing therefore has a warming component via its effect on O3 production and this component has mostly been ignored in previous studies of climate forcing related to O3and aerosols. Sensitivity simulations suggest that 4-8% increase of column tropospheric ozone, mainly in the tropics, is expected if aerosol-lighting-ozone link is parameterized, depending on the background emission scenario. We note, however, substantial uncertainties remain on the exact magnitude of aerosol effect on tropospheric O3 via lightning. The challenges for obtaining a quantitative global estimate of this effect are also discussed. Our results have significant implications for understanding past and

  16. Aerosol indirect effect on tropospheric ozone via lightning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, T.; Remer, L. A.; Bian, H.; Ziemke, J. R.; Albrecht, R. I.; Pickering, K. E.; Oreopoulos, L.; Goodman, S. J.; Yu, H.; Allen, D. J.

    2012-12-01

    Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a pollutant and major greenhouse gas and its radiative forcing is still uncertain. The unresolved difference between modeled and observed natural background O3 concentrations is a key source of the uncertainty. Here we demonstrate remarkable sensitivity of lightning activity to aerosol loading with lightning activity increasing more than 30 times per unit of aerosol optical depth over our study area. We provide observational evidence that indicates the observed increase in lightning activity is caused by the influx of aerosols from a volcano. Satellite data analyses suggest O3 is increased as a result of aerosol-induced increase in lightning and lightning produced NOx. Model simulations with prescribed lightning change corroborate the satellite data analysis. This aerosol-O3 connection is achieved via aerosol increasing lightning and thus lightning produced nitrogen oxides. This aerosol-lightning-ozone link provides a potential physical mechanism that may account for a part of the model-observation difference in background O3 concentration. More importantly, O3 production increase from this link is concentrated in the upper troposphere, where O3 is most efficient as a greenhouse gas. Both of these implications suggest a stronger O3 historical radiative forcing. This introduces a new pathway, through which increasing in aerosols from pre-industrial time to present day enhances tropospheric O3 production. Aerosol forcing thus has a warming component via its effect on O3 production. Sensitivity simulations suggest that 4-8% increase of tropospheric ozone, mainly in the tropics, is expected if aerosol-lighting-ozone link is parameterized, depending on the background emission scenario. We note, however, substantial uncertainties remain on the exact magnitude of aerosol effect on tropospheric O3 via lightning. The challenges for obtaining a quantitative global estimate of this effect are also discussed. Our results have significant implications

  17. Global O3-CO correlations in a chemistry and transport model during July-August: evaluation with TES satellite observations and sensitivity to input meteorological data and emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, Hyun-Deok; Liu, Hongyu; Crawford, James H.; Considine, David B.; Allen, Dale J.; Duncan, Bryan N.; Horowitz, Larry W.; Rodriguez, Jose M.; Strahan, Susan E.; Zhang, Lin; Liu, Xiong; Damon, Megan R.; Steenrod, Stephen D.

    2017-07-01

    We examine the capability of the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemistry and transport model to reproduce global mid-tropospheric (618 hPa) ozone-carbon monoxide (O3-CO) correlations determined by the measurements from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) aboard NASA's Aura satellite during boreal summer (July-August). The model is driven by three meteorological data sets (finite-volume General Circulation Model (fvGCM) with sea surface temperature for 1995, Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System Version 4 (GEOS-4 DAS) for 2005, and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) for 2005), allowing us to examine the sensitivity of model O3-CO correlations to input meteorological data. Model simulations of radionuclide tracers (222Rn, 210Pb, and 7Be) are used to illustrate the differences in transport-related processes among the meteorological data sets. Simulated O3 values are evaluated with climatological profiles from ozonesonde measurements and satellite tropospheric O3 columns. Despite the fact that the three simulations show significantly different global and regional distributions of O3 and CO concentrations, they show similar patterns of O3-CO correlations on a global scale. All model simulations sampled along the TES orbit track capture the observed positive O3-CO correlations in the Northern Hemisphere midlatitude continental outflow and the Southern Hemisphere subtropics. While all simulations show strong negative correlations over the Tibetan Plateau, northern Africa, the subtropical eastern North Pacific, and the Caribbean, TES O3 and CO concentrations at 618 hPa only show weak negative correlations over much narrower areas (i.e., the Tibetan Plateau and northern Africa). Discrepancies in regional O3-CO correlation patterns in the three simulations may be attributed to differences in convective transport, stratospheric influence, and subsidence, among other processes. To understand how various

  18. The Ozone Budget in the Upper Troposphere from Global Modeling Initiative (GMI)Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rodriquez, J.; Duncan, Bryan N.; Logan, Jennifer A.

    2006-01-01

    Ozone concentrations in the upper troposphere are influenced by in-situ production, long-range tropospheric transport, and influx of stratospheric ozone, as well as by photochemical removal. Since ozone is an important greenhouse gas in this region, it is particularly important to understand how it will respond to changes in anthropogenic emissions and changes in stratospheric ozone fluxes.. This response will be determined by the relative balance of the different production, loss and transport processes. Ozone concentrations calculated by models will differ depending on the adopted meteorological fields, their chemical scheme, anthropogenic emissions, and treatment of the stratospheric influx. We performed simulations using the chemical-transport model from the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) with meteorological fields from (It)h e NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM), (2) the atmospheric GCM from NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office(GMAO), and (3) assimilated winds from GMAO . These simulations adopt the same chemical mechanism and emissions, and adopt the Synthetic Ozone (SYNOZ) approach for treating the influx of stratospheric ozone -. In addition, we also performed simulations for a coupled troposphere-stratosphere model with a subset of the same winds. Simulations were done for both 4degx5deg and 2degx2.5deg resolution. Model results are being tested through comparison with a suite of atmospheric observations. In this presentation, we diagnose the ozone budget in the upper troposphere utilizing the suite of GMI simulations, to address the sensitivity of this budget to: a) the different meteorological fields used; b) the adoption of the SYNOZ boundary condition versus inclusion of a full stratosphere; c) model horizontal resolution. Model results are compared to observations to determine biases in particular simulations; by examining these comparisons in conjunction with the derived budgets, we may pinpoint

  19. Modeling uncertainties for tropospheric nitrogen dioxide columns affecting satellite-based inverse modeling of nitrogen oxides emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, J.-T.; Liu, Z.; Zhang, Q.; Liu, H.; Mao, J.; Zhuang, G.

    2012-12-01

    Errors in chemical transport models (CTMs) interpreting the relation between space-retrieved tropospheric column densities of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) have important consequences on the inverse modeling. They are however difficult to quantify due to lack of adequate in situ measurements, particularly over China and other developing countries. This study proposes an alternate approach for model evaluation over East China, by analyzing the sensitivity of modeled NO2 columns to errors in meteorological and chemical parameters/processes important to the nitrogen abundance. As a demonstration, it evaluates the nested version of GEOS-Chem driven by the GEOS-5 meteorology and the INTEX-B anthropogenic emissions and used with retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) to constrain emissions of NOx. The CTM has been used extensively for such applications. Errors are examined for a comprehensive set of meteorological and chemical parameters using measurements and/or uncertainty analysis based on current knowledge. Results are exploited then for sensitivity simulations perturbing the respective parameters, as the basis of the following post-model linearized and localized first-order modification. It is found that the model meteorology likely contains errors of various magnitudes in cloud optical depth, air temperature, water vapor, boundary layer height and many other parameters. Model errors also exist in gaseous and heterogeneous reactions, aerosol optical properties and emissions of non-nitrogen species affecting the nitrogen chemistry. Modifications accounting for quantified errors in 10 selected parameters increase the NO2 columns in most areas with an average positive impact of 18% in July and 8% in January, the most important factor being modified uptake of the hydroperoxyl radical (HO2) on aerosols. This suggests a possible systematic model bias such that the top-down emissions will be overestimated by the same magnitude

  20. Comparative Analysis of Seasonal Variation in Tropospheric Nitrogen Dioxide over Pakistan and Saudi Arabia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fahim Khokhar, Muhammad; Wagner, Thomas; Jamil, Mohsin

    2016-07-01

    In this study, spatial and temporal distributions of tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities over Pakistan and Saudi Arabia during the time period of 2004-2015 are discussed. Data products from the satellite instrument OMI are used. The results show a large NO2 growth over major cities of both countries, particularly the areas with rapid urbanization. Different seasonal cycles were observed over both countries. Especially, seasonal variation in tropospheric NO2 over Pakistan is largely impacted by the photolysis rate, OH radical and monsoon rains in addition to soil emissions, agriculture fires and other anthropogenic activities. While in the case of Saudi Arabia, the seasonal variation in tropospheric NO2 is completely driven by thermal power generation. Furthermore, different regions of Pakistan exhibited different seasonal trends. In the provinces of Punjab (north-east), Khyber Paktunkhwa (north-west) and Sindh (south-east), NO2 columns are maximum in winter and minimum in summer months while a reversed seasonality was observed in the province of Baluchistan (south-west). We compared the observed Spatio-temporal patterns to existing emission inventories and found that for the most populated provinces the NOx emissions are clearly dominated by anthropogenic sources. In these areas also the strongest positive trends were observed. NOx released from soils and produced by lightning both together contribute about 20% for the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while its contribution in Baluchistan is much stronger (~50%). NOx emissions from biomass burning are negligible. This finding can also explain the observed summer maximum in Baluchistan since the highest lightning activity occurs during the Monsoon season. Our comparison also indicates that the inventories of anthropogenic NOx emissions over Pakistan seem to underestimate the true emissions by about a factor of two.

  1. Tropospheric Nitrogen Dioxide Column Density Trends Seen from the 10-year Record of OMI Measurements over East Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irie, H.; Muto, T.; Itahashi, S.; Kurokawa, J. I.

    2015-12-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard the Aura satellite recorded the 10-year (2005-2014) of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) vertical column density (VCD) data. The data set taken over East Asia was analyzed to estimate linear trends on national and grid bases for two periods of 2005-2011 and 2011-2014. The most striking features are leveling-off or decreasing trends seen in NO2 VCDs over China for 2011-2014 after continuous increases for 2005-2011. In particular, a significant reduction by ~14% occurred from 2013 through 2014, attaining to the level of 2009. The grid-basis trend analysis implies that the turnaround seen in the trends occurred on a province or larger spatial scale and was likely due mainly to the technical improvement such as the widespread use of de-NOx units. Another prominent features are seen in Japan, where NO2 VCDs decreased at a rate of ~4% per year from 2005 to 2011. The rate was almost unchanged between the two periods 2005-2011 and 2011-2014, while the significant power substitution of thermal power generation for the nuclear power generation took place in Japan after 2011, when a massive earthquake occurred off the Pacific coast of northern Japan. This reflects a less contribution of NOx emissions from the power plant sector than that from the transport sector in the Pacific Belt Zone lying over metropolitan areas.

  2. A Decadal (2004-2014) Analysis of Global-to-Regional Tropospheric Ozone Column Trends Using GFDL-AM3 Model Simulations and OMI Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, G.; Liu, X.; Lin, M.; Ziemke, J. R.; Chance, K.; Zoogman, P.; Sun, K.

    2017-12-01

    Tropospheric ozone is a greenhouse gas, biological irritant, and significant source of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals, which remove many hazardous trace gases from the atmosphere. The decadal trend of tropospheric ozone columns (TOCs) can be influenced by many factors including anthropogenic and natural emissions of ozone precursors, large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, and stratosphere-to-troposphere exchange. Since 2000, anthropogenic emissions of NOx have tended to shift from North America and Europe to Asia. This rapid shift has been implicated in raising background tropospheric ozone burden. However, large meteorologically-driven ozone variability complicates the unambiguous attribution of TOC trends calculated over short periods. In this study, we examine global-to-regional TOC trends during 2004-2014 using two independent satellite retrievals from OMI SAO (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory) and OMI/MLS, and interpret the results with a suite of GFDL-AM3 chemistry-climate model hindcasts designed to isolate the response of ozone to anthropogenic emissions, wildfires, and meteorology. Generally, OMI SAO, OMI/MLS and GFDL-AM3 BASE simulations agree on regional hot spots of TOC trends. On the regional scale, we find strong positive TOC trends during 2004-2014 in Mid-East (0.3-0.6 DU yr-1), South Asia (0.3-0.5 DU yr-1), Southeast Asia, East Asia ( 0.1-0.6 DU yr-1) and Central Africa ( 0.6 DU yr-1). Our initial analysis indicates that meteorological variability and anthropogenic emission trends play equally important roles in the positive TOC trends in East Asia and on a global scale during 2004-2014. We are working to investigate the potential influences from lightening NOx emissions, forest fires, and the stratosphere-to-troposphere exchange.

  3. Maintaining Aura's Orbit Requirements While Performing Orbit Maintenance Maneuvers Containing an Orbit Normal Delta-V Component

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Megan R.; Petersen, Jeremy D.

    2014-01-01

    The Earth Observing System (EOS) Afternoon Constellation consists of five member missions (GCOM-W1, Aqua, CALIPSO, CloudSat, and Aura), each of which maintain a frozen, sun-synchronous orbit with a 16-day repeating ground track that follows the Worldwide Reference System-2 (WRS-2). Under nominal science operations for Aura, the propulsion system is oriented such that the resultant thrust vector is aligned 13.493 degrees away from the velocity vector along the yaw axis. When performing orbit maintenance maneuvers, the spacecraft performs a yaw slew to align the thrust vector in the appropriate direction. A new Drag Make Up (DMU) maneuver operations scheme has been implemented for Aura alleviating the need for the 13.493 degree yaw slew. The focus of this investigation is to assess the impact that no-slew DMU maneuver operations will have on Aura's Mean Local Time (MLT) which drives the required along track separation between Aura and the constellation members, as well as Aura's frozen orbit properties, eccentricity and argument of perigee. Seven maneuver strategies were analyzed to determine the best operational approach. A mirror pole strategy, with maneuvers alternating at the North and South poles, was implemented operationally to minimize impact to the MLT. Additional analysis determined that the mirror pole strategy could be further modified to include frozen orbit maneuvers and thus maintain both MLT and the frozen orbit properties under noslew operations.

  4. Feedbacks between Climate and Fire Emissions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-11-29

    CH4 2. Direct emission of short-lived climate forcers - Black Carbon - Particulate organic matter 3. Production of tropospheric ozone and secondary... tropospheric ozone and secondary organic particulate matter 4. Changes in land surface properties - Black carbon on snow - Albedo Radiative Forcing of Black...lived  climate forcers:  particles 3.  Ozone   production 4. Change in  surface properties Fires Impacts on the Climate System 1. Emission of long lived

  5. Reducing Noise in the MSU Daily Lower-Tropospheric Global Temperature Dataset

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Christy, John R.; Spencer, Roy W.; McNider, Richard T.

    1996-01-01

    The daily global-mean values of the lower-tropospheric temperature determined from microwave emissions measured by satellites are examined in terms of their signal, noise, and signal-to-noise ratio. Daily and 30-day average noise estimates are reduced by almost 50% and 35%. respectively, by analyzing and adjusting (if necessary) for errors due to 1) missing data, 2) residual harmonics of the annual cycle unique to particular satellites, 3) lack of filtering, and 4) spurious trends. After adjustments, the decadal trend of the lower-tropospheric global temperature from January 1979 through February 1994 becomes -0.058 C. or about 0.03 C per decade cooler than previously calculated.

  6. Reducing Noise in the MSU Daily Lower-Tropospheric Global Temperature Dataset

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Christy, John R.; Spencer, Roy W.; McNider, Richard T.

    1995-01-01

    The daily global-mean values of the lower-tropospheric temperature determined from microwave emissions measured by satellites are examined in terms of their signal, noise, and signal-to-noise ratio. Daily and 30-day average noise estimates are reduced by, almost 50% and 35%, respectively, by analyzing and adjusting (if necessary) for errors due to (1) missing data, (2) residual harmonics of the annual cycle unique to particular satellites, (3) lack of filtering, and (4) spurious trends. After adjustments, the decadal trend of the lower-tropospheric global temperature from January 1979 through February 1994 becomes -0.058 C, or about 0.03 C per decade cooler than previously calculated.

  7. Programmer/Analyst Guide for the Army Unit Resiliency Analysis (AURA) computer Simulation Model. Volume 1. AURA Methodology

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-10-01

    involving a heavy artillery barrage, the impact point output alone could consume upwards of 10,000 pages of computer paper. For this reason, AURA provides...but pervasive factor: the asset allocation model must be compatible with the mathematical behavior of the input data. Thus, for example, if assets are...described as expendable during repair or decontamination activities, it must have HOMELINKS which appear in the consuming repair SUBCHAINs

  8. Troc: a proposed tropospheric sounder for chemistry and climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Camy-Peyret, C.

    TROC has been submitted to ESA in the last call for proposals of the Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions and its focus is on tropospheric composition and chemistry-climate interactions. The mission objectives of TROC cover four research subjects. Global tropospheric chemistry: perform global measurements from space of tropospheric composition in order to improve our understanding and to constrain models of tropospheric chemistry with emphasis on tropospheric ozone. Pollution: establish the impact of mega cities of industrialised or developing countries by monitoring their pollution plumes. Biomass burning: monitor the chemical species and aerosols injected in the free troposphere during major burning episodes in the intertropical region as well as by major forest fires at other latitudes. Chemistry-climate interactions: quantify on a global scale the distributions and the sources of greenhouse gases like CO2, CH4, O3, N2O and the CFCs. Contribute to demonstration studies for monitoring from space how Montreal and Kyoto protocols are enforced as far as human impacts on atmospheric chemistry and climate are concerned. To fulfil these objectives, passive remote sensing of the troposphere has been selected as the best compromise between technical maturity and multi-species coverage. The main elements of TROC are a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) instrument and an ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrometer, both operating in the downward-looking geometry with a 10 km diameter footprint at nadir. An ``intelligent'' pointing mirror coupled to an infrared imager is used to optimise day/night sounding down to the surface. The FTIR instrument covers at 0.1 cm-1 apodised spectral resolution 3 bands from 14 to 3.3 μ m in thermal emission and one band in solar reflected light around 2.3 μ m. The UV-vis instrument covers the regions 290-490 nm (1 nm resolution) and 520-1030 nm (2.5 nm resolution) with 43 array detectors (2 bands × 2 polarizations) in reflected

  9. The oxidation of isoprene in the troposphere - Mechanism and model calculations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brewer, D. A.; Ogliaruso, M. A.; Augustsson, T. R.; Levine, J. S.

    1984-01-01

    Calculations have been performed for 15 deg N and 45 deg N latitude continental conditions using a one-dimensional, steady state photochemical model that incorporates a chemical mechanism describing the oxidation of isoprene by OH and O3 in the troposphere. At the higher latitude, anthropogenic hydrocarbon emission effects on NO(x) vertical profiles, as well as those of HNO3, overshadow isoprene emissions effects; at the lower latitude, reduced anthropogenic emissions and increased isoprene emissions respectively yield 26 and 4 percent increases in NO(x) and HNO3 column contents. It is suggested that a significant quantity of isoprene goes to the formation of longer carbon chain oxygenated organic species.

  10. Estimating Western U.S. Oil & Gas Emissions with OMI NO2 Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clifton, O. E.; Holloway, T.; Oberman, J.

    2012-12-01

    In the last ten years, there has been a steep increase in the number natural gas and oil extraction facilities in the United States due to hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). Each facility requires a large range of equipment, such as drilling rigs, compressor engines, heaters, and pneumatic devices. These activities can lead to elevated nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions in rural areas, often in regions without routine NO2 surface monitoring. Furthermore, permitting rules vary from state to state, and many new extraction facilities are unpermitted and exact emissions unknown. On April 18, 2012, the EPA announced air pollution standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions from the oil and gas industry. Until 2015, when these standards must be in effect, NOx (NO2 + NO) will continue to react with VOCs to form unhealthy levels of tropospheric ozone in regions with heavy use of hydraulic fracturing. In order to identify areas of elevated NO2 emissions and constrain associated on-road and off-road sources in areas with prominent shale basins and known drilling, we employ remote sensing estimates of column NO2 from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASA's Aura satellite. OMI NO2 is sensitive to the planetary boundary layer and to surface air pollution and thus has high temporal and spatial variation. These Level-2 satellite data are processed with the Wisconsin Horizontal Interpolation Program for Satellites (WHIPS), developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We interpolate the data to allow further ease in mapping change in NO2 associated with drilling, and the quantification of pollution trends attributable to hydraulic-fracturing in the Western U.S. from 2004 to the present.

  11. Relationship between VOC and NOx emissions and chemical production of tropospheric ozone in the Aburrá Valley (Colombia).

    PubMed

    Toro, María Victoria; Cremades, Lázaro V; Calbó, Josep

    2006-10-01

    Relationship between volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and the chemical production of tropospheric ozone is studied through mathematical simulation. The study is applied to the Aburrá Valley, in the Colombian Andes, which is a practically unknown area from the point of view of ozone formation. The model used for this application is the European modelling of atmospheric constituents (EUMAC) zooming model (EZM) which consists of a mesoscale prognostic model (MEMO, mesoscale meteorological model) and a chemical reaction model (MUSE, multiscale for the atmospheric dispersion of reactive species), coupled to the chemical mechanism EMEP (European monitoring and evaluation program). The analysis is performed for a real episode that was characterized by high ozone production and that happened during the 23rd and 24th December, 1999 in Medellín (Colombia). From this real scenario, a sensitivity analysis has been carried out in order to assess the influence of VOC and NOx amounts on ozone production and to extract some conclusions for future ozone abatement policies in Andean regions. As far as ozone air quality is concerned, it is shown that in order to keep current levels the emphasis must be put to avoid increasing NOx emissions, or alternatively, to augment VOC emissions in order to have a high VOC/NOx ratio.

  12. Climate change, tropospheric ozone and particulate matter, and health impacts.

    PubMed

    Ebi, Kristie; McGregor, Glenn

    2009-01-01

    We review how climate change could affect future concentrations of tropospheric ozone and particulate matter (PM), and what changing concentrations could mean for population health, as well as studies projecting the impacts of climate change on air quality and the impacts of these changes on morbidity/mortality. Climate change could affect local to regional air quality through changes in chemical reaction rates, boundary layer heights that affect vertical mixing of pollutants, and changes in synoptic airflow patterns that govern pollutant transport. Sources of uncertainty are the degree of future climate change, future emissions of air pollutants and their precursors, and how population vulnerability may change in the future. Given the uncertainties, projections suggest that climate change will increase concentrations of tropospheric ozone, at least in high-income countries when precursor emissions are held constant, increasing morbidity/mortality. There are few projections for low- and middle-income countries. The evidence is less robust for PM, because few studies have been conducted. More research is needed to better understand the possible impacts of climate change on air pollution-related health impacts.

  13. Cross-validation of IASI/MetOp derived tropospheric δD with TES and ground-based FTIR observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lacour, J.-L.; Clarisse, L.; Worden, J.; Schneider, M.; Barthlott, S.; Hase, F.; Risi, C.; Clerbaux, C.; Hurtmans, D.; Coheur, P.-F.

    2015-03-01

    The Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) flying onboard MetOpA and MetOpB is able to capture fine isotopic variations of the HDO to H2O ratio (δD) in the troposphere. Such observations at the high spatio-temporal resolution of the sounder are of great interest to improve our understanding of the mechanisms controlling humidity in the troposphere. In this study we aim to empirically assess the validity of our error estimation previously evaluated theoretically. To achieve this, we compare IASI δD retrieved profiles with other available profiles of δD, from the TES infrared sounder onboard AURA and from three ground-based FTIR stations produced within the MUSICA project: the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) sites Kiruna and Izaña, and the TCCON site Karlsruhe, which in addition to near-infrared TCCON spectra also records mid-infrared spectra. We describe the achievable level of agreement between the different retrievals and show that these theoretical errors are in good agreement with empirical differences. The comparisons are made at different locations from tropical to Arctic latitudes, above sea and above land. Generally IASI and TES are similarly sensitive to δD in the free troposphere which allows one to compare their measurements directly. At tropical latitudes where IASI's sensitivity is lower than that of TES, we show that the agreement improves when taking into account the sensitivity of IASI in the TES retrieval. For the comparison IASI-FTIR only direct comparisons are performed because the sensitivity profiles of the two observing systems do not allow to take into account their differences of sensitivity. We identify a quasi negligible bias in the free troposphere (-3‰) between IASI retrieved δD with the TES, which are bias corrected, but important with the ground-based FTIR reaching -47‰. We also suggest that model-satellite observation comparisons could be optimized with IASI thanks to its high

  14. NO(x) Concentrations in the Upper Troposphere as a Result of Lightning

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Penner, Joyce E.

    1998-01-01

    Upper tropospheric NO(x) controls, in part, the distribution of ozone in this greenhouse-sensitive region of the atmosphere. Many factors control NO(x) in this region. As a result it is difficult to assess uncertainties in anthropogenic perturbations to NO from aircraft, for example, without understanding the role of the other major NO(x) sources in the upper troposphere. These include in situ sources (lightning, aircraft), convection from the surface (biomass burning, fossil fuels, soils), stratospheric intrusions, and photochemical recycling from HNO3. This work examines the separate contribution to upper tropospheric "primary" NO(x) from each source category and uses two different chemical transport models (CTMS) to represent a range of possible atmospheric transport. Because aircraft emissions are tied to particular pressure altitudes, it is important to understand whether those emissions are placed in the model stratosphere or troposphere and to assess whether the models can adequately differentiate stratospheric air from tropospheric air. We examine these issues by defining a point-by-point "tracer tropopause" in order to differentiate stratosphere from troposphere in terms of NO(x) perturbations. Both models predict similar zonal average peak enhancements of primary NO(x) due to aircraft (approx. = 10-20 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) in both January and July); however, the placement of this peak is primarily in a region of large stratospheric influence in one model and centered near the level evaluated as the tracer tropopause in the second. Below the tracer tropopause, both models show negligible NO(x) derived directly from the stratospheric source. Also, they predict a typically low background of 1 - 20 pptv NO(x) when tropospheric HNO3 is constrained to be 100 pptv of HNO3. The two models calculate large differences in the total background NO(x) (defined as the source of NO(x) from lightning + stratosphere + surface + HNO3) when using identical loss

  15. TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Nadir V6 (TL2NH3N)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-01-18

    TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Nadir (TL2NH3N) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Instrument:  TES/Aura L2 Ammonia Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact User Services Parameters:  Ammonia Legacy:  Retired data product , click here for ...

  16. TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Nadir V6 (TL2NH3NS)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-01-22

    TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Nadir (TL2NH3NS) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ammonia Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact ASDC User Services Parameters:  Ammonia Legacy:  Retired data product , click here for ...

  17. Future changes in the stratosphere-to-troposphere ozone mass flux and the contribution from climate change and ozone recovery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meul, Stefanie; Langematz, Ulrike; Kröger, Philipp; Oberländer-Hayn, Sophie; Jöckel, Patrick

    2018-06-01

    Using a state-of-the-art chemistry-climate model we investigate the future change in stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) of ozone, the drivers of this change, as well as the future distribution of stratospheric ozone in the troposphere. Supplementary to previous work, our focus is on changes on the monthly scale. The global mean annual influx of stratospheric ozone into the troposphere is projected to increase by 53 % between the years 2000 and 2100 under the RCP8.5 greenhouse gas scenario. The change in ozone mass flux (OMF) into the troposphere is positive throughout the year with maximal increase in the summer months of the respective hemispheres. In the Northern Hemisphere (NH) this summer maximum STE increase is a result of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, whilst in the Southern Hemisphere(SH) it is due to equal contributions from decreasing levels of ozone depleting substances (ODS) and increasing GHG concentrations. In the SH the GHG effect is dominating in the winter months. A large ODS-related ozone increase in the SH stratosphere leads to a change in the seasonal breathing term which results in a future decrease of the OMF into the troposphere in the SH in September and October. The resulting distributions of stratospheric ozone in the troposphere differ for the GHG and ODS changes due to the following: (a) ozone input occurs at different regions for GHG- (midlatitudes) and ODS-changes (high latitudes); and (b) stratospheric ozone is more efficiently mixed towards lower tropospheric levels in the case of ODS changes, whereas tropospheric ozone loss rates grow when GHG concentrations rise. The comparison between the moderate RCP6.0 and the extreme RCP8.5 emission scenarios reveals that the annual global OMF trend is smaller in the moderate scenario, but the resulting change in the contribution of ozone with stratospheric origin (O3s) to ozone in the troposphere is of comparable magnitude in both scenarios. This is due to the larger

  18. Migrainous aura as stroke-mimic: The role of perfusion-computed tomography.

    PubMed

    Ridolfi, Mariana; Granato, Antonio; Polverino, Paola; Furlanis, Giovanni; Ukmar, Maja; Zorzenon, Irene; Manganotti, Paolo

    2018-03-01

    The acute-onset of migrainuos aura (MA) can be erroneously diagnosed in Emergency Department (ED) as acute stroke (AS) and it can be classified as "stroke mimic" (SM). Perfusion computer tomography (PCT) may be useful to improve detection of infarcts. The aim of the study was to investigate the role in ED of PCT in improving diagnosis of migrainous aura. Data were compared with the well-defined perfusion patterns in patients with acute ischemic stroke. A standardized Stroke Protocol was planned. The protocol consisted in centralizing in ED all the patients with acute-onset of neurological symptoms compatible with cerebrovascular disease and in performing a general and neurological examination, hematological tests, brain non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT), CT angiography (CTA) of the supra-aortic and intracranial arteries and cerebral PCT. Patients with diagnosis of definite or probable acute stroke were hospitalized in Stroke Unit (SU). A six-months retrospective analysis of all the patients included in the Stroke Protocol and discharged from ED or from SU with a diagnosis of migraine with aura was performed. 172 patients were included in the Stroke Protocol and 6 patients were enrolled. NCCT, CTA and PCT were performed after 60-90 min from symptoms onset and revealed normal perfusion. Intravenous thrombolysis was performed only in one patient. Patients with acute-onset of neurological symptoms, who have rapid progressive improvement of symptoms, normal neuroimaging, in particular PCT, and preceding episodes of migraine with aura, may be considered as suffering from MA. In these cases, even if thrombolysis is safe, clinicians may defer a prompt aggressive treatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Tools and Data Services from the GSFC Earth Sciences DAAC for Aura Science Data Users

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kempler, S.; Johnson, J.; Leptoukh, G.; Ahmad, S.; Pham, L.; Eng, E.; Berrick, S.; Teng, W.; Vollmer, B.

    2004-01-01

    In these times of rapidly increasing amounts of archived data, tools and data services that manipulate data and uncover nuggets of information that potentially lead to scientific discovery are becoming more and more essential. The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Earth Sciences (GES) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) has made great strides in facilitating science and applications research by, in consultation with its users, developing innovative tools and data services. That is, as data users become more sophisticated in their research and more savvy with information extraction methodologies, the GES DAAC has been responsive to this evolution. This presentation addresses the tools and data services available and under study at the GES DAAC, applied to the Earth sciences atmospheric data. Now, with the data from NASA's latest Atmospheric Chemistry mission, Aura, being readied for public release, GES DAAC tools, proven successful for past atmospheric science missions such as MODIS, AIRS, TRMM, TOMS, and UARS, provide an excellent basis for similar tools updated for the data from the Aura instruments. GES DAAC resident Aura data sets are from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS). Data obtained by these instruments afford researchers the opportunity to acquire accurate and continuous visualization and analysis, customized for Aura data, will facilitate the use and increase the usefulness of the new data. The Aura data, together with other heritage data at the GES DAAC, can potentially provide a long time series of data. GES DAAC tools will be discussed, as well as the GES DAAC Near Archive Data Mining (NADM) environment, the GIOVANNI on-line analysis tool, and rich data search and order services. Information can be found at: http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/upperatm/aura/. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

  20. Summertime tropospheric ozone distributions over central and eastern Canada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, B. E.; Gregory, G. L.; Barrick, J. D.; Collins, J. E., Jr.; Sachse, G. W.; Shipham, M. C.; Hudgins, C. H.

    1994-01-01

    Ozone measurements were obtained between the surface and the 6-km altitude on aircraft flights over central and eastern Canada during the summer 1990 NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment Arctic Boundary Layer Expedition (GTE/ABLE 3B). Tropospheric O3 budgets for these regions were observed to be highly variable and significantly impacted by long-range transport and regional scale air mass modification processes. For example, integrated O3 abundance below 5-km altitude averaged 40% and 30% greater in air masses influenced by anthropogenic sources and biomass burning, respectively, than in background (polar) air. Conversely, aged air transported from subtropical areas of the Pacific at times reduced O3 abundance in this height interval by up to 20%. Though intrusion of anthropogenic air was infrequent during the experiment period, the influence of biomass-burning emissions was particularly notable as two thirds of the flights sampled air influenced by plumes from fires burning in Alaska and western Canada. The impinging pollution, both natural and anthropogenic, not only elevated O3 levels directly but also was a source of reactive nitrogen (and nonmethane hydrocarbons) which generally increases the tropospheric lifetime of O3 via moderation of photochemical destruction rates.

  1. Tropospheric chemistry in the integrated forecasting system of ECMWF

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flemming, J.; Huijnen, V.; Arteta, J.; Bechtold, P.; Beljaars, A.; Blechschmidt, A.-M.; Josse, B.; Diamantakis, M.; Engelen, R. J.; Gaudel, A.; Inness, A.; Jones, L.; Katragkou, E.; Marecal, V.; Peuch, V.-H.; Richter, A.; Schultz, M. G.; Stein, O.; Tsikerdekis, A.

    2014-11-01

    A representation of atmospheric chemistry has been included in the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The new chemistry modules complement the aerosol modules of the IFS for atmospheric composition, which is named C-IFS. C-IFS for chemistry supersedes a coupled system, in which the Chemical Transport Model (CTM) Model for OZone and Related chemical Tracers 3 was two-way coupled to the IFS (IFS-MOZART). This paper contains a description of the new on-line implementation, an evaluation with observations and a comparison of the performance of C-IFS with MOZART and with a re-analysis of atmospheric composition produced by IFS-MOZART within the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) project. The chemical mechanism of C-IFS is an extended version of the Carbon Bond 2005 (CB05) chemical mechanism as implemented in the CTM Transport Model 5 (TM5). CB05 describes tropospheric chemistry with 54 species and 126 reactions. Wet deposition and lightning nitrogen monoxide (NO) emissions are modelled in C-IFS using the detailed input of the IFS physics package. A one-year simulation by C-IFS, MOZART and the MACC re-analysis is evaluated against ozonesondes, carbon monoxide (CO) aircraft profiles, European surface observations of ozone (O3), CO, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as well as satellite retrievals of CO, tropospheric NO2 and formaldehyde. Anthropogenic emissions from the MACC/CityZen (MACCity) inventory and biomass burning emissions from the Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS) data set were used in the simulations by both C-IFS and MOZART. C-IFS (CB05) showed an improved performance with respect to MOZART for CO, upper tropospheric O3, winter time SO2 and was of a similar accuracy for other evaluated species. C-IFS (CB05) is about ten times more computationally efficient than IFS-MOZART.

  2. Tropospheric chemistry in the Integrated Forecasting System of ECMWF

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flemming, J.; Huijnen, V.; Arteta, J.; Bechtold, P.; Beljaars, A.; Blechschmidt, A.-M.; Diamantakis, M.; Engelen, R. J.; Gaudel, A.; Inness, A.; Jones, L.; Josse, B.; Katragkou, E.; Marecal, V.; Peuch, V.-H.; Richter, A.; Schultz, M. G.; Stein, O.; Tsikerdekis, A.

    2015-04-01

    A representation of atmospheric chemistry has been included in the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The new chemistry modules complement the aerosol modules of the IFS for atmospheric composition, which is named C-IFS. C-IFS for chemistry supersedes a coupled system in which chemical transport model (CTM) Model for OZone and Related chemical Tracers 3 was two-way coupled to the IFS (IFS-MOZART). This paper contains a description of the new on-line implementation, an evaluation with observations and a comparison of the performance of C-IFS with MOZART and with a re-analysis of atmospheric composition produced by IFS-MOZART within the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) project. The chemical mechanism of C-IFS is an extended version of the Carbon Bond 2005 (CB05) chemical mechanism as implemented in CTM Transport Model 5 (TM5). CB05 describes tropospheric chemistry with 54 species and 126 reactions. Wet deposition and lightning nitrogen monoxide (NO) emissions are modelled in C-IFS using the detailed input of the IFS physics package. A 1 year simulation by C-IFS, MOZART and the MACC re-analysis is evaluated against ozonesondes, carbon monoxide (CO) aircraft profiles, European surface observations of ozone (O3), CO, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as well as satellite retrievals of CO, tropospheric NO2 and formaldehyde. Anthropogenic emissions from the MACC/CityZen (MACCity) inventory and biomass burning emissions from the Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS) data set were used in the simulations by both C-IFS and MOZART. C-IFS (CB05) showed an improved performance with respect to MOZART for CO, upper tropospheric O3, and wintertime SO2, and was of a similar accuracy for other evaluated species. C-IFS (CB05) is about 10 times more computationally efficient than IFS-MOZART.

  3. Trends of tropospheric NO2 over the Yangtze River Delta region and the possible linkage to rapid urbanization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Mingliang; Zhang, Deying; Liu, Qiyang; Song, Yue; Zhou, Jiayuan; Shi, Runhe; Gao, Wei

    2017-09-01

    Over the past decade, China has experienced a rapid increase in urbanization. The urban built-up areas (population) of Shanghai increased by 16.1% (22.9%) from 2006 to 2015. This study aims to analyze the variations of tropospheric NO2 over Yangtze River Delta region and the impacts of rapid urbanization during 2006-2015. The results indicate that tropospheric NO2 vertical column density (VCD) of all cities in the study area showed an increasing trend during 2006-2011 whereas a decreasing trend during 2011-2015. Most cities showed a lower tropospheric NO2 VCD value in 2015 compared to that in 2006, except for Changzhou and Nantong. Shanghai and Ningbo are two hotspots where the tropospheric NO2 VCD decreased most significantly, at a rate of 22% and 19%, respectively. This effect could be ascribed to the implementation of harsh emission control policies therein. Similar seasonal variability was observed over all cities, with larger values observed in the summer and smaller values shown in the winter. Further investigations show that the observed increasing trend of tropospheric NO2 during 2006-2011 could be largely explained by rapid urbanization linked to car ownership, GDP, power consumption, population and total industrial output. Such effect was not prominent after 2011, mainly due to the implementation of emission control strategies.

  4. Trends of Rural Tropospheric Ozone at the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula

    PubMed Central

    Saavedra, S.; Rodríguez, A.; Souto, J. A.; Casares, J. J.; Bermúdez, J. L.; Soto, B.

    2012-01-01

    Tropospheric ozone levels around urban and suburban areas at Europe and North America had increased during 80's–90's, until the application of NOx reduction strategies. However, as it was expected, this ozone depletion was not proportional to the emissions reduction. On the other hand, rural ozone levels show different trends, with peaks reduction and average increments; this different evolution could be explained by either emission changes or climate variability in a region. In this work, trends of tropospheric ozone episodes at rural sites in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula were analyzed and compared to others observed in different regions of the Atlantic European coast. Special interest was focused on the air quality sites characterization, in order to guarantee their rural character in terms of air quality. Both episodic local meteorological and air quality measurements along five years were considered, in order to study possible meteorological influences in ozone levels, different to other European Atlantic regions. PMID:22649298

  5. Trends of rural tropospheric ozone at the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.

    PubMed

    Saavedra, S; Rodríguez, A; Souto, J A; Casares, J J; Bermúdez, J L; Soto, B

    2012-01-01

    Tropospheric ozone levels around urban and suburban areas at Europe and North America had increased during 80's-90's, until the application of NO(x) reduction strategies. However, as it was expected, this ozone depletion was not proportional to the emissions reduction. On the other hand, rural ozone levels show different trends, with peaks reduction and average increments; this different evolution could be explained by either emission changes or climate variability in a region. In this work, trends of tropospheric ozone episodes at rural sites in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula were analyzed and compared to others observed in different regions of the Atlantic European coast. Special interest was focused on the air quality sites characterization, in order to guarantee their rural character in terms of air quality. Both episodic local meteorological and air quality measurements along five years were considered, in order to study possible meteorological influences in ozone levels, different to other European Atlantic regions.

  6. Variation of the NMVOC speciation in the solvent sector and the sensitivity of modelled tropospheric ozone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    von Schneidemesser, E.; Coates, J.; Denier van der Gon, H. A. C.; Visschedijk, A. J. H.; Butler, T. M.

    2016-06-01

    Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) are detrimental to human health owing to the toxicity of many of the NMVOC species, as well as their role in the formation of secondary air pollutants such as tropospheric ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosol. The speciation and amount of NMVOCs emitted into the troposphere are represented in emission inventories (EIs) for input to chemical transport models that predict air pollutant levels. Much of the information in EIs pertaining to speciation of NMVOCs is likely outdated, but before taking on the task of providing an up-to-date and highly speciated EI, a better understanding of the sensitivity of models to the change in NMVOC input would be highly beneficial. According to the EIs, the solvent sector is the most important sector for NMVOC emissions. Here, the sensitivity of modelled tropospheric O3 to NMVOC emission inventory speciation was investigated by comparing the maximum potential difference in O3 produced using a variety of reported solvent sector EI speciations in an idealized study using a box model. The sensitivity was tested using three chemical mechanisms that describe O3 production chemistry, typically employed for different types of modelling scales - point (MCM v3.2), regional (RADM2), and global (MOZART-4). In the box model simulations, a maximum difference of 15 ppbv (ca. 22% of the mean O3 mixing ratio of 69 ppbv) between the different EI speciations of the solvent sector was calculated. In comparison, for the same EI speciation, but comparing the three different mechanisms, a maximum difference of 6.7 ppbv was observed. Relationships were found between the relative contribution of NMVOC compound classes (alkanes and oxygenated species) in the speciations to the amount of Ox produced in the box model. These results indicate that modelled tropospheric O3 is sensitive to the speciation of NMVOCs as specified by emission inventories, suggesting that detailed updates to the EI speciation

  7. Biological effects of aqueous extract from Turkey vulture Cathartes aura (Cathartidae) meat.

    PubMed

    Jacobo-Salcedo, Maria del Rosario; Juárez-Vázquez, Maria del Carmen; González-Espíndola, Luis Ángel; Maciel-Torres, Sandra Patricia; García-Carrancá, Alejandro; Alonso-Castro, Angel Josabad

    2013-01-30

    Cathartes aura is a bird used in the Mexican traditional medicine for the empirical treatment of cancer, injuries, infections and burns. The in vitro immunomodulatory effects of Cathartes aura extract (CAE) were evaluated estimating its effects on proliferation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and murine splenocytes. The effects of CAE (1-200 μg/ml) on NO production, pinocytosis and lysosomal enzyme activity were assayed in murine macrophages RAW 264.7. The cytotoxic effects of CAE (1-500 μg/ml) on tumorigenic and non tumorigenic cells were evaluated using the MTT assay. In the absence of LPS, CAE induced the proliferation of murine splenocytes (119%), enhanced the pinocytosis (113%) and lysosomal enzyme activity (141%) in murine macrophages with a similar potency than lypopolisaccharides 1 μg/ml. In addition, CAE exerted cytotoxic effects mainly on human cervical cancer cells (IC(50)=117 μg/ml) but lacked toxic effects on non tumorigenic cells (IC(50)>500 μg/ml). Cathartes aura exerts immunostimulatory and cytotoxic activities. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Tropospheric Ozone Source Attribution in Southern California during Summer 2014 Based on Lidar Measurements and Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Granados Munoz, Maria Jose; Johnson, Matthew S.; Leblanc, Thierry

    2016-01-01

    In the past decades, significant efforts have been made to increase tropospheric ozone long-term monitoring. A large number of ground-based, airborne and space-borne instruments are currently providing valuable data to contribute to better understand tropospheric ozone budget and variability. Nonetheless, most of these instruments provide in-situ surface and column-integrated data, whereas vertically resolved measurements are still scarce. Besides ozonesondes and aircraft, lidar measurements have proven to be valuable tropospheric ozone profilers. Using the measurements from the tropospheric ozone differential absorption lidar (DIAL) located at the JPL Table Mountain Facility, California, and the GEOS-Chem and GEOS-5 model outputs, the impact of the North American monsoon on tropospheric ozone during summer 2014 is investigated. The influence of the Monsoon lightning-induced NOx will be evaluated against other sources (e.g. local anthropogenic emissions and the stratosphere) using also complementary data such as backward-trajectories analysis, coincident water vapor lidar measurements, and surface ozone in-situ measurements.

  9. Upper tropospheric ice sensitivity to sulfate geoengineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Visioni, Daniele; Pitari, Giovanni; Mancini, Eva

    2017-04-01

    In light of the Paris Agreement which aims to keep global warming under 2 °C in the next century and considering the emission scenarios produced by the IPCC for the same time span, it is likely that to remain below that threshold some kind of geoengineering technique will have to be deployed. Amongst the different methods, the injection of sulfur into the stratosphere has received much attention considering its effectiveness and affordability. Aside from the rather well established surface cooling sulfate geoengineering (SG) would produce, the investigation on possible side-effects of this method is still ongoing. For instance, some recent studies have investigated the effect SG would have on upper tropospheric cirrus clouds, expecially on the homogenous freezing mechanisms that produces the ice particles (Kuebbeler et al., 2012). The goal of the present study is to better understand the effect of thermal and dynamical anomalies caused by SG on the formation of ice crystals via homogeneous freezing by comparing a complete SG simulation with a RCP4.5 reference case and with a number of sensitivity studies where atmospheric temperature changes in the upper tropospheric region are specified in a schematic way as a function of the aerosol driven stratospheric warming and mid-lower tropospheric cooling. These changes in the temperature profile tend to increase atmospheric stabilization, thus decreasing updraft and with it the amount of water vapor available for homogeneous freezing in the upper troposphere. However, what still needs to be assessed is the interaction between this dynamical effect and the thermal effects of tropospheric cooling (which would increase ice nucleation rates) and stratospheric warming (which would probably extend to the uppermost troposphere via SG aerosol gravitational settling, thus reducing ice nucleation rates), in order to understand how they combine together. Changes in ice clouds coverage could be important for SG, because cirrus ice

  10. Relationships of Upper Tropospheric Water Vapor, Clouds and SST: MLS Observations, ECMWF Analyses and GCM Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Su, Hui; Waliser, Duane E.; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Li, Jui-lin; Read, William G.; Waters, Joe W.; Tompkins, Adrian M.

    2006-01-01

    The relationships of upper tropospheric water vapor (UTWV), cloud ice and sea surface temperature (SST) are examined in the annual cycles of ECMWF analyses and simulations from 15 atmosphere-ocean coupled models which were contributed to the IPCC AR4. The results are compared with the observed relationships based on UTWV and cloud ice measurements from MLS on Aura. It is shown that the ECMWF analyses produce positive correlations between UTWV, cloud ice and SST, similar to the MLS data. The rate of the increase of cloud ice and UTWV with SST is about 30% larger than that for MLS. For the IPCC simulations, the relationships between UTWV, cloud ice and SST are qualitatively captured. However, the magnitudes of the simulated cloud ice show a considerable disagreement between models, by nearly a factor of 10. The amplitudes of the approximate linear relations between UTWV, cloud ice and SST vary by a factor up to 4.

  11. Aura-biomes are present in the water layer above coral reef benthic macro-organisms.

    PubMed

    Walsh, Kevin; Haggerty, J Matthew; Doane, Michael P; Hansen, John J; Morris, Megan M; Moreira, Ana Paula B; de Oliveira, Louisi; Leomil, Luciana; Garcia, Gizele D; Thompson, Fabiano; Dinsdale, Elizabeth A

    2017-01-01

    As coral reef habitats decline worldwide, some reefs are transitioning from coral- to algal-dominated benthos with the exact cause for this shift remaining elusive. Increases in the abundance of microbes in the water column has been correlated with an increase in coral disease and reduction in coral cover. Here we investigated how multiple reef organisms influence microbial communities in the surrounding water column. Our study consisted of a field assessment of microbial communities above replicate patches dominated by a single macro-organism. Metagenomes were constructed from 20 L of water above distinct macro-organisms, including (1) the coral Mussismilia braziliensis , (2) fleshy macroalgae ( Stypopodium , Dictota and Canistrocarpus ), (3) turf algae, and (4) the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum and were compared to the water microbes collected 3 m above the reef. Microbial genera and functional potential were annotated using MG-RAST and showed that the dominant benthic macro-organisms influence the taxa and functions of microbes in the water column surrounding them, developing a specific "aura-biome". The coral aura-biome reflected the open water column, and was associated with Synechococcus and functions suggesting oligotrophic growth, while the fleshy macroalgae aura-biome was associated with Ruegeria , Pseudomonas, and microbial functions suggesting low oxygen conditions. The turf algae aura-biome was associated with Vibrio, Flavobacterium, and functions suggesting pathogenic activity, while zoanthids were associated with Alteromonas and functions suggesting a stressful environment. Because each benthic organism has a distinct aura-biome, a change in benthic cover will change the microbial community of the water, which may lead to either the stimulation or suppression of the recruitment of benthic organisms.

  12. Aura-biomes are present in the water layer above coral reef benthic macro-organisms

    PubMed Central

    Haggerty, J. Matthew; Doane, Michael P.; Hansen, John J.; Morris, Megan M.; Moreira, Ana Paula B.; de Oliveira, Louisi; Leomil, Luciana; Garcia, Gizele D.; Thompson, Fabiano; Dinsdale, Elizabeth A.

    2017-01-01

    As coral reef habitats decline worldwide, some reefs are transitioning from coral- to algal-dominated benthos with the exact cause for this shift remaining elusive. Increases in the abundance of microbes in the water column has been correlated with an increase in coral disease and reduction in coral cover. Here we investigated how multiple reef organisms influence microbial communities in the surrounding water column. Our study consisted of a field assessment of microbial communities above replicate patches dominated by a single macro-organism. Metagenomes were constructed from 20 L of water above distinct macro-organisms, including (1) the coral Mussismilia braziliensis, (2) fleshy macroalgae (Stypopodium, Dictota and Canistrocarpus), (3) turf algae, and (4) the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum and were compared to the water microbes collected 3 m above the reef. Microbial genera and functional potential were annotated using MG-RAST and showed that the dominant benthic macro-organisms influence the taxa and functions of microbes in the water column surrounding them, developing a specific “aura-biome”. The coral aura-biome reflected the open water column, and was associated with Synechococcus and functions suggesting oligotrophic growth, while the fleshy macroalgae aura-biome was associated with Ruegeria, Pseudomonas, and microbial functions suggesting low oxygen conditions. The turf algae aura-biome was associated with Vibrio, Flavobacterium, and functions suggesting pathogenic activity, while zoanthids were associated with Alteromonas and functions suggesting a stressful environment. Because each benthic organism has a distinct aura-biome, a change in benthic cover will change the microbial community of the water, which may lead to either the stimulation or suppression of the recruitment of benthic organisms. PMID:28828261

  13. An upper tropospheric "ozone river" from Africa to India detected with the IASI sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barret, B.; Sauvage, B.; Le Flochmoën, E.; De Wachter, E.; Cammas, J.

    2011-12-01

    Over the Indian Ocean, ozone (O3) profile measurements have shown the frequent occurence of elevated O3 concentrations in the mid- to upper-troposphere during the winter season. In particular O3 peaks reaching 120 ppbv were often found in the UT within shallow layers 1 to 2 km thick just below the tropopause. Some studies have attributed these UT O3 laminae to stratosphere to troposphere exchange (STE) along the subtrobical westerly jet (SWJ). O3 peaks in the mid-troposphere have also been atributed to STE and convective lofting of pollution from the Indian continental outflow. Other studies explain winter mid-tropospheric O3 peaks over the Indian Ocean with the eastward advection of air masses impacted by African biomass burning emissions caused by the propagation of waves along the SWJ. In the present study, we use new spaceborne O3 data together with airborne observations of both O3 and CO to document a strong event of pollution transport from Africa to northern India during early winter, supporting the role of Africa in contributing to tropospheric O3 enhancement over India. Thanks to their unprecedented spatio-temporal coverage, the data from the IASI sensor allowed us to follow a flow of O3 rich air masses from the coast of west Africa across the Arabian Sea. This afro-indian O3 river is corroborated over the north-western coast of India by measurements from the airborne MOZAIC program. The O3-CO relationships derived from MOZAIC data enable an unambiguous discrimination of the air masses encountered by the aircraft. Finally, a transport analysis based on particle dispersion lagrangian modeling link this O3 channel transport to the convective outflow of air masses that have been impacted by the emission of O3 precursors from African biomass burning and lightnings.

  14. Tropospheric chemistry research in the U.S.: 1991-1994

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Penner, Joyce E.; Atherton, Cynthia S.; Dignon, Jane

    1995-07-01

    The troposphere is chemically complex. Many of the important species in the troposphere are short-lived, with lifetimes less than or of order of a month. Hence, the composition of the troposphere is regionally diverse, leading to regionally diverse chemical processes which control that composition. With the advent of three-dimensional models and regionally-specific estimates of emissions, however, it has become clear that human activity has perturbed the composition of even short-lived species over vast regions of the globe. The list of short-lived species of concern includes the reactive nitrogen oxides, reactive sulfur, ozone, nonmethane hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Observations have established that increases in the long-lived species such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and the chlorofluorocarbons are taking place with important resulting impacts on stratospheric chemistry. Further, there is some indication that carbonyl sulfide (a major precursor to stratospheric aerosols) may have an important anthropogenic source. Growth of pollutants such as these are of concern because they act as greenhouse gases or aerosol precursors (CO2, CH4, O3, N2O, chlorofluorocarbons, carbonyl sufide, reactive sulfur), as agents for depletion of stratospheric ozone (N2O, chlorofluorocarbons), are harmful to vegetation (O3, acids) or act as nutrients (nitrate, sulfate, trace metals). The chemical interactions are important to understand, because the build up of pollutants depends not only on the rates of their release into the troposphere but on their rate of removal in the troposphere. Removal rates depend on processes which determine the rate of oxidation of the component (which for most species proceeds mainly by reaction with the hydroxyl radical) or through precipitation scavenging or dissolution in the ocean (which requires that the pollutant or its oxidation product(s) be soluble in water).

  15. [Migraine with aura and patent foramen ovale. A different clinical entity].

    PubMed

    Ramírez-Moreno, J M; Casado-Naranjo, I; Gómez, M; Portilla, Jc; Caballero, M; Serrano, A; Ojalvo, M J; Falcón, A; Tena-Mora, D; Calle, M

    2008-10-01

    This work has aimed to evaluate the prevalence of patent foramen ovale in subjects with migraine with aura by transcranial contrast doppler and to describe the clinical and risk profile of these patients. We performed a transcranial contrast doppler in 94 consecutive out-patients with migraine with aura (MWA) in a neurology outpatient clinic. They were divided into two groups according to the presence of patent foramen ovale: MWA_RLsh (with right-to-left shunt) and MWA_RLNsh (without right-to-left shunt). Differences between the groups were analyzed according to endpoints of age, gender, clinical severity, aura type and attacks frequency, comorbility, cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), neuroimaging findings, severity of shunt and treatment. n=94; MWA_RLsh: 47 (54%). MWA_RLNsh: 40 (46%). Age: 33.13; standard desviation (SD): 10.8 vs 33.496; SD: 11.2; p=0.728. Female: 66 vs 72.5%; p=0.511. Visual aura: 73.9% vs 78.9%; p=0.921. There were no significant differences in regards to the risk factors studied or to the comorbid diseases that are associated to migraine. The patients with patent foramen ovale have an odds ratio (OR) of ischemic stroke: 1.189 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.226 to 6.248; p=0.840), OR for subclinical brain lesions in cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): 0.589 (95% CI: 0.193 to 1.799; p=0.35) and OR for combined previous ischemic stroke and subclinical brain lesions: 0.745 (95% CI: 0.261 to 2.129; p=0.58). Migraine attack frequency >1 per month: 27.9 vs 36.4; p=0.464. Need for prophylaxis therapy: 44.7 vs 57.7%; p=0.284. Both groups are similar regarding their clinical profile. We did not find a greater prevalence of stroke or silent brain lesions in the group with positive shunt..

  16. Trend analysis of tropospheric NO2 column density over East Asia during 2000-2010: multi-satellite observations and model simulations with the updated REAS emission inventory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Itahashi, S.; Uno, I.; Irie, H.; Kurokawa, J.; Ohara, T.

    2013-04-01

    Satellite observations of the tropospheric NO2 vertical column density (VCD) are closely correlated to surface NOx emissions and can thus be used to estimate the latter. In this study, the NO2 VCDs simulated by a regional chemical transport model with data from the updated Regional Emission inventory in ASia (REAS) version 2.1 were validated by comparison with multi-satellite observations (GOME, SCIAMACHY, GOME-2, and OMI) between 2000 and 2010. Rapid growth in NO2 VCD driven by expansion of anthropogenic NOx emissions was revealed above the central eastern China region, except during the economic downturn. In contrast, slightly decreasing trends were captured above Japan. The modeled NO2 VCDs using the updated REAS emissions reasonably reproduced the annual trends observed by multi-satellites, suggesting that the NOx emissions growth rate estimated by the updated inventory is robust. On the basis of the close linear relationship of modeled NO2 VCD, observed NO2 VCD, and anthropogenic NOx emissions, the NOx emissions in 2009 and 2010 were estimated. It was estimated that the NOx emissions from anthropogenic sources in China beyond doubled between 2000 and 2010, reflecting the strong growth of anthropogenic emissions in China with the rapid recovery from the economic downturn during late 2008 and mid-2009.

  17. Site Protection Efforts at the AURA Observatory in Chile

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, R. Chris; Smith, Malcolm G.; Sanhueza, Pedro

    2015-08-01

    The AURA Observatory (AURA-O) was the first of the major international observatories to be established in northern Chile to exploit the optimal astronomical conditions available there. The site was originally established in 1962 to host the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). It now hosts more than 20 operational telescopes, including some of the leading U.S. and international astronomical facilities in the southern hemisphere, such as the Blanco 4m telescope on Cerro Tololo and the Gemini-South and SOAR telescopes on Cerro Pachón. Construction of the next generation facility, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), has recently begun on Cerro Pachón, while additional smaller telescopes continue to be added to the complement on Cerro Tololo.While the site has become a major platform for international astronomical facilities over the last 50 years, development in the region has led to an ever-increasing threat of light pollution around the site. AURA-O has worked closely with local, regional, and national authorities and institutions (in particular with the Chilean Ministries of Environment and Foreign Relations) in an effort to protect the site so that future generations of telescopes, as well as future generations of Chileans, can benefit from the dark skies in the region. We will summarize our efforts over the past 15 years to highlight the importance of dark sky protection through education and public outreach as well as through more recent promotion of IDA certifications in the region and support for the World Heritage initiatives described by others in this conference.

  18. Understanding global tropospheric ozone and its impacts on human health

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    West, J. J.

    2017-12-01

    Ozone is an important air pollutant for human health, one that has proven difficult to manage locally, nationally, and globally. Here I will present research on global ozone and its impacts on human health, highlighting several studies from my lab over the past decade. I will discuss the drivers of global tropospheric ozone, and the importance of the equatorward shift of emissions over recent decades. I will review estimates of the global burden of ozone on premature mortality, the contributions of different emission sectors to that burden, estimates of how the ozone health burden will change in the future under the Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios, and estimates of the contribution of projected climate change to ozone-related deaths. I will also discuss the importance of the intercontinental transport of ozone, and of methane as a driver of global ozone, from the human health perspective. I will present estimates of trends in the ozone mortality burden in the United States since 1990. Finally, I will discuss our project currently underway to estimate global ozone concentrations at the surface based on data gathered by the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report, combined statistically with atmospheric modeling results.

  19. Compilation of a Global Emission Inventory from 1980 to 2000 for Global Model Simulations of the Long-term Trend of Tropospheric Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Diehl, T. L.; Mian, Chin; Bond, T. C.; Carn, S. A.; Duncan, B. N.; Krotkov, N. A.; Streets, D. G.

    2007-01-01

    The approach to create a comprehensive emission inventory for the time period 1980 to 2000 is described in this paper. We have recently compiled an emission database, which we will use for a 21 year simulation of tropospheric aerosols with the GOCART model. Particular attention was paid to the time-dependent SO2, black carbon and organic carbon aerosol emissions. For the emission of SO2 from sporadically erupting volcanoes, we assembled emission data from the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution, using the VEI to derive the volcanic cloud height and the SO2 amount, and amended this dataset by the SO2 emission data from the TOMS instrument when available. 3-dimensional aircraft emission data was obtained for a number of years from the AEAP project, converted from burned fuel to SO2 and interpolated to each year, taking the sparsity of the flight patterns into account. Other anthopogenic SO2 emissions are based on gridded emissions from the EDGAR 2000 database (excluding sources from aircraft, biomass burning and international ship traffic), which were scaled to individual years with country/regional based emission inventories. Gridded SO2 emissions from international ship traffic for 2000 and the scaling factors for other years are from [Eyring et al., 2005]. We used gridded anthropogenic black and organic carbon emissions for 1996 [Bond et al., 2005], again excluding aircraft, biomass burning and ship sources. These emissions were scaled with regional based emission inventories from 1980 to 2000 to derive gridded emissions for each year. The biomass burning emissions are based on a climatology, which is scaled with regional scaling factors derived from the TOMS aerosol index and the AVHRR/ATSR fire counts to each year [Duncan et al., 2003]. Details on the integration of the information from the various sources will be provided and the distribution patterns and total emissions in the final product will be discussed.

  20. Compilation of a Global Emission Inventory from 1980 to 2000 for Global Model Simulations of the Long-term Trend of Tropospheric Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Diehl, Thomas L.; Chin, Mian; Bond, Tami C.; Carn, SImon A.; Duncan, Bryan N.; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Streets, David G.

    2006-01-01

    The approach to create a comprehensive emission inventory for the time period 1980 to 2000 is described in this paper. We have recently compiled an emission database, which we will use for a 21 year simulation of tropospheric aerosols with the GOCART model. Particular attention was paid to the time-dependent SO2, black carbon and organic carbon aerosol emissions. For the emission of SO2 from sporadically erupting volcanoes, we assembled emission data from the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution, using the VEI to derive the volcanic cloud height and the SO2 amount, and amended this dataset by the SO2 emission data from the TOMS instrument when available. 3-dimensional aircraft emission data was obtained for a number of years from the AEAP project, converted from burned fuel to SO2 and interpolated to each year, taking the sparsity of the flight patterns into account. Other anthropogenic SO2 emissions are based on gridded emissions from the EDGAR 2000 database (excluding sources from aircraft, biomass burning and international ship traffic), which were scaled to individual years with country/regional based emission inventories. Gridded SO2 emissions from international ship traffic for 2000 and the scaling factors for other years are from [Eyring et al., 2005]. We used gridded anthropogenic black and organic carbon emissions for 1996 [Bond et al., 2005], again excluding aircraft, biomass burning and ship sources. These emissions were scaled with regional based emission inventories from 1980 to 2000 to derive gridded emissions for each year. The biomass burning emissions are based on a climatology, which is scaled with regional scaling factors derived from the TOMS aerosol index and the AVHRR/ASTR fire counts to each year [Duncan et al., 2003]. Details on the integration of the information from the various sources will be provided and the distribution patterns and total emissions in the final product will be discussed.

  1. Comparison of the Ambu AuraFlex with the laryngeal mask airway Flexible: a manikin study.

    PubMed

    Sanuki, Takuro; Nakatani, Gosuke; Sugioka, Shingo; Daigo, Erina; Kotani, Junichiro

    2011-07-01

    The present study compared the Ambu AuraFlex and the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) Flexible with regard to time required for and success rates of insertion on a manikin by dental students who had never used an LMA. In addition, participants' views on ease of insertion of each device were surveyed. Subjects consisted of 30 dental students who inserted each airway device in a manikin. The time required for and success rates of insertion were measured. Subjects were then asked to rate the ease of insertion of each device using the 100-mm visual analog scale (from 0 mm = extremely easy to 100 mm = extremely difficult). Insertion time was shorter with the Ambu AuraFlex (26.6 ± 7.1 seconds) than with the LMA Flexible (30.3 ± 6.8 seconds; P = .045). The rate of successful insertion using the Ambu AuraFlex (28 of 30 attempts, 93.3%) was greater than that with the LMA Flexible (23 of 30 attempts, 76.7%), although the difference was not statistically significant (P = .145). Ambu AuraFlex insertion was considered less difficult (median, 41 mm; 10th to 90th percentiles, 18 to 78 mm) than LMA Flexible insertion (60 mm; 42 to 82 mm; P = .004), as rated using the 100-mm visual analog scale. The Ambu AuraFlex appears to be useful for inexperienced users because it enables quicker and easier insertion than the LMA Flexible. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Lite Nadir V6 (TL2NH3LN)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2017-07-20

    TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Lite Nadir (TL2NH3LN) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Instrument:  TES/Aura L2 Ammonia Spatial Coverage:  5.3 km nadir Spatial ... OPeNDAP Access:  OPeNDAP Parameters:  Ammonia Order Data:  Earthdata Search:   Order Data ...

  3. TES/Aura L2 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Nadir V6 (TL2CO2N)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-01-18

    TES/Aura L2 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Nadir (TL2CO2N) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Carbon Dioxide Spatial Coverage:  5.2 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact User Services Parameters:  Carbon Dioxide Legacy:  Retired data product , click here ...

  4. TES/Aura L2 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Nadir V6 (TL2CO2NS)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-01-22

    TES/Aura L2 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Nadir (TL2CO2NS) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Carbon Dioxide Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact ASDC User Services Parameters:  Carbon Dioxide Legacy:  Retired data product , click here ...

  5. Is SOD2 Ala16Val Polymorphism Associated with Migraine with Aura Phenotype?

    PubMed Central

    Barbanti, Piero; De Marchis, Maria Laura; Egeo, Gabriella; Aurilia, Cinzia; Fofi, Luisa; Ialongo, Cristiano; Valente, Maria Giovanna; Ferroni, Patrizia; Della-Morte, David; Guadagni, Fiorella

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Several studies suggest a role of oxidative stress in the physiopathology of migraine, particularly in the form with aura. In a case-control study, we investigated the association between migraine and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) genes in a cohort of 490 consecutive unrelated Caucasian migraineurs (migraine with aura [MwA], n=107; migraine without aura [MwoA], n=246; chronic migraine [CM], n=137) and 246 healthy controls recruited at our Headache and Pain Unit and stored in the Interinstitutional Multidisciplinary BioBank (BioBIM). Migraine phenotype was carefully detailed using face-to-face interviews. We examined polymorphisms of SOD1 gene (A/C substitution—rs2234694) and SOD2 gene (C/T transition—rs4880—Ala16Val). The rs4880 TT (Val/Val) genotype was associated (p=0.042) with the presence of unilateral cranial autonomic symptoms (UAs) in MwA patients. We also found a mild correlation between SOD2 rs4880 genotype and the type of acute migraine treatment (p=0.048) in MwA patients. Our findings suggest that SOD2 is a disease-modifier gene influencing oxidative mechanisms in MwA. These observations lead to the hypothesis that SOD2 polymorphism may cause a defective control of the oxidative phenomena linked to cortical spreading depression, the neurophysiological hallmark of migraine aura, causing an overstimulation of trigeminal neurons and UAs triggering. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 22, 275–279. PMID:25295643

  6. Understanding the Laminar Distribution of Tropospheric Ozone from Ground-Based, Airborne, Spaceborne, and Modeling Perspectives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newchurch, Mike; Johnson, Matthew S.; Huang, Guanyu; Kuang, Shi; Wang, Lihua; Chance, Kelly; Liu, Xiong

    2016-01-01

    Laminar ozone structure is a ubiquitous feature of tropospheric-ozone distributions resulting from dynamic and chemical atmospheric processes. Understanding the characteristics of these ozone laminae and the mechanisms responsible for producing them is important to outline the transport pathways of trace gases and to quantify the impact of different sources on tropospheric background ozone. In this study, we present a new method to detect ozone laminae to understand their climatological characteristics of occurrence frequency in terms of thickness and altitude. We employ both ground-based and airborne ozone lidar measurements and other synergistic observations and modeling to investigate the sources and mechanisms such as biomass burning transport, stratospheric intrusion, lightning-generated NOx, and nocturnal low-level jets that are responsible for depleted or enhanced tropospheric ozone layers. Spaceborne (e.g., OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument), TROPOMI (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument), TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution)) measurements of these laminae will observe greater horizontal extent and lower vertical resolution than balloon-borne or lidar measurements will quantify. Using integrated ground-based, airborne, and spaceborne observations in a modeling framework affords insight into how to gain knowledge of both the vertical and horizontal evolution of these ubiquitous ozone laminae.

  7. Rain-induced emission pulses of NOx and HCHO from soils in African regions after dry spells as viewed by satellite sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zörner, Jan; Penning de Vries, Marloes; Beirle, Steffen; Veres, Patrick; Williams, Jonathan; Wagner, Thomas

    2014-05-01

    Outside industrial areas, soil emissions of NOx (stemming from bacterial emissions of NO) represent a considerable fraction of total NOx emissions, and may even dominate in remote tropical and agricultural areas. NOx fluxes from soils are controlled by abiotic and microbiological processes which depend on ambient environmental conditions. Rain-induced spikes in NOx have been observed by in-situ measurements and also satellite observations. However, the estimation of soil emissions over broad geographic regions remains uncertain using bottom-up approaches. Independent, global satellite measurements can help constrain emissions used in chemical models. Laboratory experiments on soil fluxes suggest that significant HCHO emissions from soil can occur. However, it has not been previously attempted to detect HCHO emissions from wetted soils by using satellite observations. This study investigates the evolution of tropospheric NO2 (as a proxy for NOx) and HCHO column densities before and after the first rain fall event following a prolonged dry period in semi-arid regions, deserts as well as tropical regions in Africa. Tropospheric NO2 and HCHO columns retrieved from OMI aboard the AURA satellite, GOME-2 aboard METOP and SCIAMACHY aboard ENVISAT are used to study and inter-compare the observed responses of the trace gases with multiple space-based instruments. The observed responses are prone to be affected by other sources like lightning, fire, influx from polluted air masses, as well measurement errors in the satellite retrieval caused by manifold reasons such as an increased cloud contamination. Thus, much care is taken verify that the observed spikes reflect enhancements in soil emissions. Total column measurements of H2O from GOME-2 give further insight into the atmospheric state and help to explain the increase in humidity before the first precipitation event. The analysis is not only conducted for averages of distinct geographic regions, i.e. the Sahel, but also

  8. Air Quality Measurements from Satellites during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Witte, J. C.; Schoeberl, M.; Douglass, A.; Gleason, J.; Krotkov, N.; Gille, J.; Pickering, K.; Livesey, N.

    2009-05-01

    In preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic games in August and September 2008 in Beijing, China, the Chinese government imposed strict controls on industrial emissions and motor vehicle traffic in and around the city and vicinity before and during the events to improve the air quality for the competitors and visitors. To test the efficacy of these measures, we used satellite data from NASA's Aura/Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Terra/Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) over Beijing and surrounding areas during the Olympic and Paralympic period. The satellite instruments recorded significant reductions in nitrogen dioxide of up to 50%, up to 10% in tropospheric column ozone, 20-40% in boundary layer sulfur dioxide, and 10-20% reductions in carbon monoxide concentrations below 700 hPa.

  9. Application of OMI tropospheric NO2 for air quality monitoring in Northern Europe: shipping and land-based case studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ialongo, Iolanda; Hakkarainen, Janne; Jalkanen, Jukka-Pekka; Johansson, Lasse; Boersma, Folkert; Krotkov, Nickolay; Tamminen, Johanna

    2014-05-01

    Satellite-based data are very important for air quality applications in the Baltic Sea area, because they provide information on air pollution over sea and there where ground-based network and aircraft measurements are not available. Both the emissions from urban sites over land and ships over sea, contribute to the tropospheric NO2 levels. The tropospheric NO2 monitoring at high latitudes using satellite data is challenging because of the reduced light hours in winter and the snow-covered surface, which make the retrieval complex, and because of the reduced signal due to low Sun. This work presents a detailed characterization of the tropospheric NO2 columns focused on part of the Baltic Sea region using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) tropospheric NO2 standard product. Previous works have focused on larger seas and lower latitudes. The results showed that, despite the regional area of interest, it is possible to distinguish the signal from the main coastal cities and from the ships by averaging the data over a seasonal time range. The summertime NO2 emission and lifetime values (E = (1.0 ± 0.1)x1028 molec. and τ = (3.0 ± 0.5) h, respectively) in Helsinki were estimated from the decay of the signal with distance from the city center. The method developed for megacities was successfully applied to a smaller scale source, in both size and intensity (i.e., the city of Helsinki), which is located at high latitudes (~ 60oN). The same methodology could be applied to similar scale cities elsewhere, as far as they are relatively isolated from other sources. The transport by the wind plays an important role in the Baltic Sea area. The NO2 spatial distribution is mainly determined by the contribution of strong westerly winds, which dominate the wind patterns during summer. The comparison between the emissions from model calculations and OMI NO2 tropospheric columns confirmed the applicability of satellite data for ship emission monitoring. In particular, both the

  10. Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua and Aura Space Weather Effects on Operational Collision Avoidance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guit, Bill

    2017-01-01

    This presentation will describe recent EOS Aqua and Aura operational collision avoidance experience during periods of solar and geomagnetic storm activity. It will highlight challenges faced by the operations team during short-notice, high-risk predicted close approaches. The presentation will highlight the evolution of the operational collision avoidance process for the EOS Aqua and Aura missions. The presentation will highlight operational challenges that have occurred, process improvements that have been implemented and identify potential future challenges.

  11. [Cryptogenic stroke - patent foramen ovale - migraine with aura: incidental triad or significant relationship? Part II].

    PubMed

    Łukasik, Maria; Kozubski, Wojciech

    2012-01-01

    In the second part of the paper, we discuss the relationship between migraine with aura and either patent foramen ovale (PFO) or stroke. The results of the studies suggest that PFO with right-to-left shunt is more prevalent among patients suffering from migraine with aura. Moreover, migraine with aura is a risk factor for ischaemic stroke in women and the risk increases when they have additional vascular risk factors such as taking oral contraception and smoking. However, the pathophysiology of these phenomena remains hypothetical. The most frequently reported theory suggests paradoxical embolism as a mechanism of the above-mentioned pathologies. In this paper we compare the pros and cons of the general theories. We discuss the percutaneous closure of PFO in patients with migraine, regarding the benefit/risk ratio.

  12. Modeled Full-Flight Aircraft Emissions Impacts on Air Quality and Their Sensitivity to Grid Resolution

    EPA Science Inventory

    Aviation is a unique anthropogenic source with four-dimensional varying emissions, peaking at cruise altitudes (9–12 km). Aircraft emission budgets in the upper troposphere lower stratosphere region and their potential impacts on upper troposphere and surface air quality ar...

  13. Satellite-Based Tropospheric NO2 Column Trends in the Last 10 Years Over Mexican Urban Areas Measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rivera, C. I.; Stremme, W.; Grutter, M.

    2015-12-01

    Population density and economic activities in urban agglomerations have drastically increased in many cities in Mexico during the last decade. Several factors are responsible for increased urbanization such as a shift of people from rural to urban areas while looking for better education, services and job opportunities as well as the natural growth of the urban areas themselves. Urbanization can create great social, economic and environmental pressures and changes which can easily be observed in most urban agglomerations in the world. In this study, we have focused on analyzing tropospheric NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) column trends over Mexican urban areas that have a population of at least one million inhabitants according to the latest 2010 population census. Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements of NO2 conducted by the space-borne Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board the Aura satellite between 2005 and 2014 have been used for this analysis. This dataset has allowed us to obtain a satellite-based 10-year tropospheric NO2 column trend over the most populated Mexican cities which include the dominating metropolitan area of Mexico City with more than twenty million inhabitants as well as ten other Mexican cities with a population ranging between one to five million inhabitants with a wide range of activities (commercial, agricultural or heavily industrialized) as well as two important border crossings. Distribution maps of tropospheric NO2 columns above the studied urban agglomerations were reconstructed from the analyzed OMI dataset, allowing to identify areas of interest due to clear NO2 enhancements inside these urban regions.

  14. Application of satellite observations for timely updates to global anthropogenic NOx emission inventories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lamsal, L. N.; Martin, R. V.; Padmanabhan, A.; van Donkelaar, A.; Zhang, Q.; Sioris, C. E.; Chance, K.; Kurosu, T. P.; Newchurch, M. J.

    2011-03-01

    Anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) can change rapidly due to economic growth or control measures. Bottom-up emissions estimated using source-specific emission factors and activity statistics require years to compile and can become quickly outdated. We present a method to use satellite observations of tropospheric NO2 columns to estimate changes in NOx emissions. We use tropospheric NO2 columns retrieved from the SCIAMACHY satellite instrument for 2003-2009, the response of tropospheric NO2 columns to changes in NOx emissions determined from a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem), and the bottom-up anthropogenic NOx emissions for 2006 to hindcast and forecast the inventories. We evaluate our approach by comparing bottom-up and hindcast emissions for 2003. The two inventories agree within 6.0% globally and within 8.9% at the regional scale with consistent trends in western Europe, North America, and East Asia. We go on to forecast emissions for 2009. During 2006-2009, anthropogenic NOx emissions over land increase by 9.2% globally and by 18.8% from East Asia. North American emissions decrease by 5.7%.

  15. Photochemistry and transport of tropospheric ozone and its precursors in urban and remote environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, Daniel Craig

    Tropospheric ozone (O3) adversely affects human health, reduces crop yields, and contributes to climate forcing. To limit these effects, the processes controlling O3 abundance as well as that of its precursor molecules must be fully characterized. Here, I examine three facets of O 3 production, both in heavily polluted and remote environments. First, using in situ observations from the DISCOVER-AQ field campaign in the Baltimore/Washington region, I evaluate the emissions of the O 3 precursors CO and NOx (NOx = NO + NO2) in the National Emissions Inventory (NEI). I find that CO/NOx emissions ratios derived from observations are 21% higher than those predicted by the NEI. Comparisons to output from the CMAQ model suggest that CO in the NEI is accurate within 15 +/- 11%, while NOx emissions are overestimated by 51-70%, likely due to errors in mobile sources. These results imply that ambient ozone concentrations will respond more efficiently to NOx controls than current models suggest. I then investigate the source of high O3 and low H2O structures in the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP). A combination of in situ observations, satellite data, and models show that the high O3 results from photochemical production in biomass burning plumes from fires in tropical Southeast Asia and Central Africa; the low relative humidity results from large-scale descent in the tropics. Because these structures have frequently been attributed to mid-latitude pollution, biomass burning in the tropics likely contributes more to the radiative forcing of climate than previously believed. Finally, I evaluate the processes controlling formaldehyde (HCHO) in the TWP. Convective transport of near surface HCHO leads to a 33% increase in upper tropospheric HCHO mixing ratios; convection also likely increases upper tropospheric CH 3OOH to ~230 pptv, enough to maintain background HCHO at ~75 pptv. The long-range transport of polluted air, with NO four times the convectively controlled background

  16. Tropospheric Distribution of Trace Species during the Oxidation Mechanism Observations (OMO-2015) campaign: Model Evaluation and sensitivity simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ojha, Narendra; Pozzer, Andrea; Jöckel, Patrick; Fischer, Horst; Zahn, Andreas; Tomsche, Laura; Lelieveld, Jos

    2017-04-01

    The Asian monsoon convection redistributes trace species, affecting the tropospheric chemistry and radiation budget over Asia and downwind as far as the Mediterranean. It remains challenging to model these impacts due to uncertainties, e.g. associated with the convection parameterization and input emissions. Here, we perform a series of numerical experiments using the global ECHAM5/MESSy atmospheric chemistry model (EMAC) to investigate the tropospheric distribution of O3 and related tracers measured during the Oxidation Mechanism Observations (OMO) conducted during July-August 2015. The reference simulation can reproduce the spatio-temporal variations to some extent (e.g. r2 = 0.7 for O3, 0.6 for CO). However, this simulation underestimates mean CO in the lower troposphere by about 30 ppbv and overestimates mean O3 up to 35 ppbv, especially in the middle-upper troposphere. Interestingly, sensitivity simulations with 50% higher biofuel emissions of CO over South Asia had insignificant effect on CO underestimation, pointing to sources upwind of South Asia. Use of an alternative convection parameterization is found to significantly improve simulated O3. The study reveals the abilities as well as the limitations of the model to reproduce observations and study atmospheric chemistry and climate implications of the monsoon.

  17. Tropospheric Bromine Chemistry: Implications for Present and Pre-industrial Ozone and Mercury

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parella, J. P.; Jacob, D. J.; Liang, Q.; Zhang, Y.; Mickley, L. J.; Miller, B.; Evans, M. J.; Yang, X.; Pyle, J. A.; Theys, N.; hide

    2012-01-01

    We present a new model for the global tropospheric chemistry of inorganic bromine (Bry) coupled to oxidant-aerosol chemistry in the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM). Sources of tropospheric Bry include debromination of sea-salt aerosol, photolysis and oxidation of short-lived bromocarbons, and transport from the stratosphere. Comparison to a GOME-2 satellite climatology of tropospheric BrO columns shows that the model can reproduce the observed increase of BrO with latitude, the northern mid-latitudes maximum in winter, and the Arctic maximum in spring. This successful simulation is contingent on the HOBr + HBr reaction taking place in aqueous aerosols and ice clouds. Bromine chemistry in the model decreases tropospheric ozone mixing ratios by <1-8 nmol/mol (6.5% globally), with the largest effects in the northern extratropics in spring. The global mean tropospheric OH concentration decreases by 4 %. Inclusion of bromine chemistry improves the ability of global models (GEOS-Chem and p-TOMCAT) to simulate observed 19th-century ozone and its seasonality. Bromine effects on tropospheric ozone are comparable in the present-day and pre-industrial atmospheres so that estimates of anthropogenic radiative forcing are minimally affected. Br atom concentrations are 40% higher in the pre-industrial atmosphere due to lower ozone, which would decrease by a factor of 2 the atmospheric lifetime of elemental mercury against oxidation by Br. This suggests that historical anthropogenic mercury emissions may have mostly deposited to northern mid-latitudes, enriching the corresponding surface reservoirs. The persistent rise in background surface ozone at northern mid-latitudes during the past decades could possibly contribute to the observations of elevated mercury in subsurface waters of the North Atlantic.

  18. Aerosol indirect effects on lightning in the generation of induced NOx and tropospheric ozone over an Indian urban metropolis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saha, Upal; Maitra, Animesh; Talukdar, Shamitaksha; Jana, Soumyajyoti

    Lightning flashes, associated with vigorous convective activity, is one of the most prominent weather phenomena in the tropical atmosphere. High aerosol loading is indirectly associated with the increase in lightning flash rates via the formation of tropospheric ozone during the pre-monsoon and monsoon over the tropics. Tropospheric ozone, an important greenhouse pollutant gas have impact on Earth’s radiation budget and play a key role in changing the atmospheric circulation patterns. Lightning-induced NOx is a primary pollutant found in photochemical smog and an important precursor for the formation of tropospheric ozone. A critical analysis is done to study the indirect effects of high aerosol loading on the formation of tropospheric ozone via lightning flashes and induced NOx formation over an urban metropolitan location Kolkata (22°32'N, 88°20'E), India during the period 2001-2012. The seasonal variation of lightning flash rates (LFR), taken from TRMM-LIS 2.5o x 2.5o gridded dataset, show that the LFR was observed to be intensified in the pre-monsoon (March-May) and high in monsoon (June-September) months over the region. Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at 555nm, taken from MISR 0.5o x 0.5o gridded level-3 dataset, plays an indirect effect on the increase in LFR during the pre-monsoon and monsoon months and has positive correlations between them during these periods. This is also justified from the seasonal variation of the increase in LFR due to the increase in AOD over the region during 2001-2012. The calibrated GOME and OMI/AURA satellite data analysis shows that the tropospheric ozone, formed as a result of lightning-induced NOx and due to the increased AOD at 555 nm, also increases during the pre-monsoon and monsoon months. The seasonal variation of lightning-induced tropospheric NOx, taken from SCIAMACHY observations also justified the fact that the pre-monsoon and monsoon LFR solely responsible for the generation of induced NOx over the region. The

  19. Modelling the global tropospheric molecular hydrogen cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pieterse, G.

    2013-01-01

    Would urban air quality and climate improve if we replaced the fossil fuels by molecular hydrogen (H2) as an energy carrier? A quantitative answer to this question requires a thorough understanding of the current role of H2 in the Earth’s atmosphere. On its own, H2 does not impact climate, as for example carbon dioxide or methane. However, increasing levels of H2 in the stratosphere can lead to increased ozone loss due to the formation of polar stratospheric clouds. Additionally, the atmospheric lifetime of methane could increase because both H2 and methane are removed by photochemical oxidation with the hydroxyl radical. Consequently, the lifetime of the strong greenhouse gas methane could be prolonged. During the last two decades, more and more experimental data have become available to put tighter constraints on the different sources and sinks that contribute to the global H2 cycle. However, the main removal process, dry deposition due to microbial/enzymatic decomposition of H2 in the soils, still has a rather large uncertainty between 40-99 Tg/yr globally. This is a highly uncertain number compared to the estimated overall amount of 136-166 Tg present in the troposphere. The photochemical removal of H2 from the atmosphere is estimated at 14-24 Tg/yr. Together with the estimates for the burden and dry deposition, this implies a tropospheric lifetime of H2 between 1.1-3.1 years. The atmospheric H2 is replenished by emissions from the Earth’s surfaces due to fossil fuel burning (5-25 Tg/yr), biomass burning (7-21 Tg/yr) and nitrogen fixation processes in the oceans (1-11 Tg/yr) and soils (0-11 Tg/yr). H2 is photochemically produced from methane (15-21 Tg/yr) and non-methane hydrocarbons (10-25 Tg/yr) in the atmosphere. These uncertainties suggest that at present, the global hydrogen cycle is poorly understood. However, this statement would do little justice to the scientific quality of most studies so far. The main purpose of the research in this thesis is to

  20. Effect of tropospheric aerosols upon atmospheric infrared cooling rates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harshvardhan, MR.; Cess, R. D.

    1978-01-01

    The effect of tropospheric aerosols on atmospheric infrared cooling rates is investigated by the use of recent models of infrared gaseous absorption. A radiative model of the atmosphere that incorporates dust as an absorber and scatterer of infrared radiation is constructed by employing the exponential kernel approximation to the radiative transfer equation. Scattering effects are represented in terms of a single scattering albedo and an asymmetry factor. The model is applied to estimate the effect of an aerosol layer made of spherical quartz particles on the infrared cooling rate. Calculations performed for a reference wavelength of 0.55 microns show an increased greenhouse effect, where the net upward flux at the surface is reduced by 10% owing to the strongly enhanced downward emission. There is a substantial increase in the cooling rate near the surface, but the mean cooling rate throughout the lower troposphere was only 10%.

  1. Aqua/Aura Inclination Adjust Maneuver Series Spring 2018 Planning

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trenholme, Elena; Boone, Spencer

    2017-01-01

    This will be presented at the International Earth Science Constellation Mission Operations Working Group meeting on December 6-8, 2017 to discuss the Aqua/Aura Spring 2018 Inclination Adjust Maneuver series planning. Presentation has been reviewed and approved by Eric Moyer, ESMO (Earth Science Mission Operations) Deputy Project Manager.

  2. Effects of stratospheric ozone recovery on photochemistry and ozone air quality in the troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, H.; Wu, S.; Huang, Y.; Wang, Y.

    2014-04-01

    There has been significant stratospheric ozone depletion since the late 1970s due to ozone-depleting substances (ODSs). With the implementation of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments and adjustments, stratospheric ozone is expected to recover towards its pre-1980 level in the coming decades. In this study, we examine the implications of stratospheric ozone recovery for the tropospheric chemistry and ozone air quality with a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). With a full recovery of the stratospheric ozone, the projected increases in ozone column range from 1% over the low latitudes to more than 10% over the polar regions. The sensitivity factor of troposphere ozone photolysis rate, defined as the percentage changes in surface ozone photolysis rate for 1% increase in stratospheric ozone column, shows significant seasonal variation but is always negative with absolute value larger than one. The expected stratospheric ozone recovery is found to affect the tropospheric ozone destruction rates much more than the ozone production rates. Significant decreases in surface ozone photolysis rates due to stratospheric ozone recovery are simulated. The global average tropospheric OH decreases by 1.7%, and the global average lifetime of tropospheric ozone increases by 1.5%. The perturbations to tropospheric ozone and surface ozone show large seasonal and spatial variations. General increases in surface ozone are calculated for each season, with increases by up to 0.8 ppbv in the remote areas. Increases in ozone lifetime by up to 13% are found in the troposphere. The increased lifetimes of tropospheric ozone in response to stratospheric ozone recovery enhance the intercontinental transport of ozone and global pollution, in particular for the summertime. The global background ozone attributable to Asian emissions is calculated to increase by up to 15% or 0.3 ppbv in the Northern Hemisphere in response to the projected stratospheric ozone recovery.

  3. Satellite Observations of Tropospheric Chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singh, Hanwant B.; Jacob, Daniel J.; Hipskind, R. Stephen (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    The troposphere is an essential component of the earth's life support system as well as the gateway for the exchange of chemicals between different geochemical reservoirs of the earth. The chemistry of the troposphere is sensitive to perturbation from a wide range of natural phenomena and human activities. The societal concern has been greatly enhanced in recent decades due to ever increasing pressures of population growth and industrialization. Chemical changes within the troposphere control a vast array of processes that impact human health, the biosphere, and climate. A main goal of tropospheric chemistry research is to measure and understand the response of atmospheric composition to natural and anthropogenic perturbations, and to develop the capability to predict future change. Atmospheric chemistry measurements are extremely challenging due to the low concentrations of critical species and the vast scales over which the observations must be made. Available tropospheric data are mainly from surface sites and aircraft missions. Because of the limited temporal extent of aircraft observations, we have very limited information on tropospheric composition above the surface. This situation can be contrasted to the stratosphere, where satellites have provided critical and detailed chemical data on the global distribution of key trace gases.

  4. Tropospheric Vertical Distribution of Tropical Atlantic Ozone Observed by TES during the Northern African Biomass Burning Season

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jourdain, L.; Worden, H. M.; Worden, J. R.; Bowman, K.; Li, Q.; Eldering, A.; Kulawik, S. S.; Osterman, G.; Boersma, K. F.; Fisher, B.; hide

    2007-01-01

    We present vertical distributions of ozone from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) over the tropical Atlantic Ocean during January 2005. Between 10N and 20S, TES ozone retrievals have Degrees of Freedom for signal (DOF) around 0.7 - 0.8 each for tropospheric altitudes above and below 500 hPa. As a result, TES is able to capture for the first time from space a distribution characterized by two maxima: one in the lower troposphere north of the ITCZ and one in the middle and upper troposphere south of the ITCZ. We focus our analysis on the north tropical Atlantic Ocean, where most of previous satellite observations showed discrepancies with in-situ ozone observations and models. Trajectory analyses and a sensitivity study using the GEOS-Chem model confirm the influence of northern Africa biomass burning on the elevated ozone mixing ratios observed by TES over this region.

  5. Evaluation of ACCMIP Outgoing Longwave Radiation from Tropospheric Ozone Using TES Satellite Observations.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bowman, Kevin W.; Shindell, Drew Todd; Worden, H. M.; Lamarque, J. F.; Young, P. J.; Stevenson, D. S.; Qu, Z.; delaTorre, M.; Bergmann, D.; Cameron-Smith, P. J.; hide

    2013-01-01

    We use simultaneous observations of tropospheric ozone and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) sensitivity to tropospheric ozone from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) to evaluate model tropospheric ozone and its effect on OLR simulated by a suite of chemistry-climate models that participated in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP). The ensemble mean of ACCMIP models show a persistent but modest tropospheric ozone low bias (5-20 ppb) in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and modest high bias (5-10 ppb) in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) relative to TES ozone for 2005-2010. These ozone biases have a significant impact on the OLR. Using TES instantaneous radiative kernels (IRK), we show that the ACCMIP ensemble mean tropospheric ozone low bias leads up to 120mW/ sq. m OLR high bias locally but zonally compensating errors reduce the global OLR high bias to 39+/- 41mW/ sq. m relative to TES data. We show that there is a correlation (Sq. R = 0.59) between the magnitude of the ACCMIP OLR bias and the deviation of the ACCMIP preindustrial to present day (1750-2010) ozone radiative forcing (RF) from the ensemble ozone RF mean. However, this correlation is driven primarily by models whose absolute OLR bias from tropospheric ozone exceeds 100mW/ sq. m. Removing these models leads to a mean ozone radiative forcing of 394+/- 42mW/ sq. m. The mean is about the same and the standard deviation is about 30% lower than an ensemble ozone RF of 384 +/- 60mW/ sq. m derived from 14 of the 16 ACCMIP models reported in a companion ACCMIP study. These results point towards a profitable direction of combining satellite observations and chemistry-climate model simulations to reduce uncertainty in ozone radiative forcing.

  6. First Light from the Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere (FIRST) Instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mlynczak, Martin G.; Johnson, David G.; Latvakoski, Harri; Jucks, Kenneth; Watson, Mike; Bingham, Gail; Kratz, David P.; Traub, Wesley A.; Wellard, Stanley J.; Hyde, Charles R.; hide

    2005-01-01

    We present first light spectra from the new Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere (FIRST) instrument. FIRST is a Fourier Transform Spectrometer developed to measure accurately the far-infrared (15 to 100 micrometers; 650 to 100 wavenumbers) emission spectrum of the Earth and its atmosphere. The observations presented here were obtained during a high altitude balloon flight from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico on 7 June 2005. The flight data demonstrate the instrument's ability to observe the entire energetically significant infrared emission spectrum (50 to 2000 wavenumbers) at high spectral and spatial resolution on a single focal plane in an instrument with one broad spectral bandpass beamsplitter. Comparisons with radiative transfer calculations demonstrate that FIRST accurately observes the very fine spectral structure in the far-infrared. Comparisons of the atmospheric window radiances measured by FIRST and by instruments on the NASA Aqua satellite that overflew FIRST are in excellent agreement. FIRST opens a new window on the spectrum that can be used for studying atmospheric radiation and climate, cirrus clouds, and water vapor in the upper troposphere.

  7. Executive dysfunctions in migraine with and without aura: what is the role of white matter lesions?

    PubMed

    Le Pira, Francesco; Reggio, Ester; Quattrocchi, Graziella; Sanfilippo, Cristina; Maci, Tiziana; Cavallaro, Tiziana; Zappia, Mario

    2014-01-01

    Executive dysfunctions and white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging have been reported in migraine. The aim of this study was to determine whether any correlation between these 2 variables exists. Forty-four subjects affected by migraine with or without aura were compared with 16 healthy subjects. A battery of neuropsychological tests assessing executive functions was administered to all subjects. Number and total volume of white matter lesions were assessed in the whole brain and in the frontal lobe. The performances of both groups of migraineurs, with and without aura, were significantly worse when compared with controls on Boston Scanning Test. Moreover, we found lower performances compared with controls respectively on Frontal Assessment Battery in patients with migraine with aura and on Controlled Oral Word Association Test in patients with migraine without aura. Nineteen patients (43.2%) and one control subject (6.2%) had white matter lesions. We did not find any significant correlation between white matter lesions load and neuropsychological performances. On the basis of our results, white matter lesions load on magnetic resonance imaging do not seem to contribute to neuropsychological performances deficit in migraineurs. © 2013 American Headache Society.

  8. Pre-industrial to End 21st Century Projections of Tropospheric Ozone from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Young, P. J.; Archibald, A. T.; Bowman, K. W.; Lamarque, J.-F.; Naik, V.; Stevenson, D. S.; Tilmes, S.; Voulgarakis, A.; Wild, O.; Bergmann, D.; hide

    2013-01-01

    Present day tropospheric ozone and its changes between 1850 and 2100 are considered, analysing 15 global models that participated in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP). The ensemble mean compares well against present day observations. The seasonal cycle correlates well, except for some locations in the tropical upper troposphere. Most (75 %) of the models are encompassed with a range of global mean tropospheric ozone column estimates from satellite data, but there is a suggestion of a high bias in the Northern Hemisphere and a low bias in the Southern Hemisphere, which could indicate deficiencies with the ozone precursor emissions. Compared to the present day ensemble mean tropospheric ozone burden of 337+/-23 Tg, the ensemble mean burden for 1850 time slice is approx. 30% lower. Future changes were modelled using emissions and climate projections from four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). Compared to 2000, the relative changes in the ensemble mean tropospheric ozone burden in 2030 (2100) for the different RCPs are: -4% (-16 %) for RCP2.6, 2% (-7%) for RCP4.5, 1% (-9%) for RCP6.0, and 7% (18 %) for RCP8.5. Model agreement on the magnitude of the change is greatest for larger changes. Reductions in most precursor emissions are common across the RCPs and drive ozone decreases in all but RCP8.5, where doubled methane and a 40-150% greater stratospheric influx (estimated from a subset of models) increase ozone. While models with a high ozone burden for the present day also have high ozone burdens for the other time slices, no model consistently predicts large or small ozone changes; i.e. the magnitudes of the burdens and burden changes do not appear to be related simply, and the models are sensitive to emissions and climate changes in different ways. Spatial patterns of ozone changes are well correlated across most models, but are notably different for models without time evolving stratospheric ozone concentrations

  9. Ship-based MAX-DOAS measurements of tropospheric NO2, SO2, and HCHO distribution along the Yangtze River

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, Qianqian; Liu, Cheng; Chan, Ka Lok; Hu, Qihou; Xie, Zhouqing; Liu, Haoran; Si, Fuqi; Liu, Jianguo

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we present ship-based Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements of tropospheric trace gases' distribution along the Yangtze River during winter 2015. The measurements were performed along the Yangtze River between Shanghai and Wuhan, covering major industrial areas in eastern China. Tropospheric vertical column densities (VCDs) of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and formaldehyde (HCHO) were retrieved using the air mass factor calculated by the radiative transfer model. Enhanced tropospheric NO2 and SO2 VCDs were detected over downwind areas of industrial zones over the Yangtze River. In addition, spatial distributions of atmospheric pollutants are strongly affected by meteorological conditions; i.e., positive correlations were found between concentration of pollutants and wind speed over these areas, indicating strong influence of transportation of pollutants from high-emission upwind areas along the Yangtze River. Comparison of tropospheric NO2 VCDs between ship-based MAX-DOAS and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite observations shows good agreement with each other, with a Pearson correlation coefficient (R) of 0.82. In this study, the NO2 / SO2 ratio was used to estimate the relative contributions of industrial sources and vehicle emissions to ambient NO2 levels. Analysis results of the NO2 / SO2 ratio show a higher contribution of industrial NO2 emissions in Jiangsu Province, while NO2 levels in Jiangxi and Hubei provinces are mainly related to vehicle emissions. These results indicate that different pollution control strategies should be applied in different provinces. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis of ambient carbon monoxide (CO) and odd oxygen (Ox) indicated that the primary emission and secondary formation of HCHO contribute 54.4 ± 3.7 % and 39.3 ± 4.3 % to the ambient HCHO, respectively. The largest contribution from primary emissions in winter suggested that

  10. Mineral dust: observations of emission events and modeling of transport to the upper troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peter, T.; Wiacek, A.; Taddeo, M.

    2009-04-01

    The present study explores differences between mineral dust emission events in West African and Asian (Taklimakan) deserts, focusing on the availability of bare mineral dust ice nuclei for interactions with cirrus clouds without previous processing or washout by liquid water clouds. One-week trajectory calculations with high-resolution ECMWF fields are used to track transported (Lagrangian) relative humidities with respect to liquid water and ice, allowing to estimate the formation of liquid, mixed-phase and ice clouds. Transport trajectories can reasonably be assumed to carry dust with them throughout the year, except for the months of December-February, which are quiescent with respect to dust emission in both regions. Practically none of the simulated air parcels reach regions where homogeneous nucleation can take place (T < -35°C) along trajectories that have not experienced water saturation first, i.e. it is very unlikely that mineral dust particles could be a serious competitor for homogeneous nucleation during the formation of high, cold cirrus clouds. For the temperature region between -35°C < T < 0°C, i.e. in air parcels exhibiting necessary conditions for warmer ice clouds at lower altitudes, a small but significant number of air parcels are found to follow trajectories where RHw < 100% and RHi > 100% are simultaneously maintained. However, the potential for such low ice clouds originating from the Taklimakan desert is greater than that of the Sahara by a factor of 4-6. The implication is that although the Sahara is by far the biggest source of dust in the world, the much smaller Taklimakan desert in China's Tarim Basin may be of greater importance as a source of ice nuclei affecting cirrus cloud formation. This is likely the result of several meteorological factors, including the complex regional topography combined with the higher altitude of Taklimakan dust emissions and, on the synoptic scale, the higher altitude of potential temperature levels in

  11. Evaluation of improved operational standard tropospheric NO2 retrievals from Ozone Monitoring Instrument using in situ and surface-based NO2 observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Celarier, E. A.; Lamsal, L.; Krotkov, N. A.; Bucsela, E. J.; Herman, J. R.; Dickerson, R. R.; He, H.; Brent, L. C.; Retscher, C.; Swartz, W. H.; Gleason, J. F.

    2011-12-01

    Nitrogen oxides are key actors in air quality and climate change. Column observations of tropospheric NO2 from the nadir-veiwing satellite sensors have been widely used to understand sources and chemistry of NOx. We have implemented several improvements to the operational algorithm developed at NASA GSFC and retrieved tropospheric NO2. Here we evaluate the new product using in situ surface measurements at the SEARCH, AQS/EPA, and NAPS networks, in situ aircraft (DISCOVER-AQ and RAMMPP), and ground-based PANDORA and DOAS measurements. The agreement among these data is within the uncertainty of measurements. The new OMI tropospheric NO2 product available at high spatial resolution is valuable to evaluate chemical transport models, to examine spatial and temporal pattern of NOx emissions, to provide top-down constraints to surface NOx emissions, and to estimate NOx lifetimes.

  12. TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor (H2O) Limb V6 (TL2H2OL)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-03-01

    TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor (H2O) Limb (TL2H2OL) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb ... Access: OPeNDAP Parameters:  H2O Water Volume Mixing Radio Precision Vertical Resolution Order ...

  13. Chemistry in the Troposphere.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chameides, William L.; Davis, Douglas D.

    1982-01-01

    Topics addressed in this review of chemistry in the troposphere (layer of atmosphere extending from earth's surface to altitude of 10-16km) include: solar radiation/winds; earth/atmosphere interface; kinetic studies of atmospheric reactions; tropospheric free-radical photochemistry; instruments for nitric oxide detection; sampling…

  14. Reactive Nitrogen, Ozone and Ozone Production in the Arctic Troposphere and the Impact of Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liang, Q.; Rodriquez, J. M.; Douglass, A. R.; Crawford, J. H.; Apel, E.; Bian, H.; Blake, D. R.; Brune, W.; Chin, M.; Colarco, P. R.; hide

    2011-01-01

    We analyze the aircraft observations obtained during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellite (ARCTAS) mission together with the GEOS-5 CO simulation to examine O3 and NOy in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region and their source attribution. Using a number of marker tracers and their probability density distributions, we distinguish various air masses from the background troposphere and examine their contribution to NOx, O3, and O3 production in the Arctic troposphere. The background Arctic troposphere has mean O3 of approximately 60 ppbv and NOx of approximately 25 pptv throughout spring and summer with CO decreases from approximately 145 ppbv in spring to approximately 100 ppbv in summer. These observed CO, NOx and O3 mixing ratios are not notably different from the values measured during the 1988 ABLE-3A and the 2002 TOPSE field campaigns despite the significant changes in the past two decades in processes that could have changed the Arctic tropospheric composition. Air masses associated with stratosphere-troposphere exchange are present throughout the mid and upper troposphere during spring and summer. These air masses with mean O3 concentration of 140-160 ppbv are the most important direct sources of O3 in the Arctic troposphere. In addition, air of stratospheric origin is the only notable driver of net O3 formation in the Arctic due to its sustainable high NOx (75 pptv in spring and 110 pptv in summer) and NOy (approximately 800 pptv in spring and approximately 1100 pptv in summer) levels. The ARCTAS measurements present observational evidence suggesting significant conversion of nitrogen from HNO3 to NOx and then to PAN (a net formation of approximately 120 pptv PAN) in summer when air of stratospheric origin is mixed with tropospheric background during stratosphere-to-troposphere transport. These findings imply that an adequate representation of stratospheric O3 and NOy input are essential in accurately simulating O3

  15. Validating NO2 measurements in the vertical atmospheric column with the OMI instrument aboard the EOS Aura satellite against ground-based measurements at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gruzdev, A. N.; Elokhov, A. S.

    2009-08-01

    Data on the NO2 content in the vertical column of the atmosphere obtained with the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard the EOS Aura satellite (United States) in the period from October 2004 to October 2007 are compared with the results of ground-based measurements at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station (55.7° N, 36.8° E). The “unpolluted”; part of the total NO2 content in the atmospheric column, which mostly represents the stratosphere, and the NO2 contents in the vertical column of the troposphere, including the lower layer, which is subject to pollution, are included in the comparison. The correlation coefficient between the results of ground-based and satellite measurements of the “unpolluted” total NO2 content is ˜0.9. The content values measured with the OMI instrument are smaller than the results of ground-based measurements (on average, by (0.30 ± 0.03) × 1015 cm-2 or by (11 ± 1)%). Therms discrepancy between the satellite and ground-based data is 0.6 × 1015 cm-2. The NO2 content in the vertical column of the troposphere from the results of satellite measurements is, on average, (1.4 ± 0.5) × 1015 cm-2, (or about 35%) smaller than from the results of ground-based measurements, and the rms discrepancy between them is about 200%. The correlation coefficient between these data is ˜0.4. This considerable discrepancy is evidently caused by the strong spatial (horizontal) inhomogeneity and the temporal variability of the NO2 field during episodes of pollution, which leads to different (and often uncorrelated) estimates of the NO2 content in the lower troposphere due to different spatial resolutions of ground-based and satellite measurements.

  16. Isolated amygdala neurocysticercosis in a patient presenting with déjà vu and olfactory auras. Case report.

    PubMed

    Lee, Darrin J; Owen, Christopher M; Khanifar, Elham; Kim, Ronald C; Binder, Devin K

    2009-06-01

    Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic infection in the CNS and a leading cause of epilepsy. Since it is a circumscribed lesional cause of epilepsy, specific locations of neurocysticercal lesions may lead to specific clinical presentations. The authors describe a 17-year-old Hispanic boy who had a single enhancing bilobar mass in the right amygdala. Initially, the patient presented with secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which resolved with antiepilepsy drug therapy. On further investigation, he was found to have persistent olfactory and déjà vu auras. A right amygdalectomy without hippocampectomy was performed, and both the seizures and auras immediately resolved. Pathological analysis revealed neurocysticercosis. To the authors' knowledge, this case is the first reported instance of 2 distinct mesial temporal aura semiologies associated with localized neurocysticercosis in the amygdala and successfully treated with resection. Uniquely, the case demonstrates that both olfactory and déjà vu auras can emanate from the amygdala.

  17. Unusually high soil nitrogen oxide emissions influence air quality in a high-temperature agricultural region

    PubMed Central

    Oikawa, P. Y.; Ge, C.; Wang, J.; Eberwein, J. R.; Liang, L. L.; Allsman, L. A.; Grantz, D. A.; Jenerette, G. D.

    2015-01-01

    Fertilized soils have large potential for production of soil nitrogen oxide (NOx=NO+NO2), however these emissions are difficult to predict in high-temperature environments. Understanding these emissions may improve air quality modelling as NOx contributes to formation of tropospheric ozone (O3), a powerful air pollutant. Here we identify the environmental and management factors that regulate soil NOx emissions in a high-temperature agricultural region of California. We also investigate whether soil NOx emissions are capable of influencing regional air quality. We report some of the highest soil NOx emissions ever observed. Emissions vary nonlinearly with fertilization, temperature and soil moisture. We find that a regional air chemistry model often underestimates soil NOx emissions and NOx at the surface and in the troposphere. Adjusting the model to match NOx observations leads to elevated tropospheric O3. Our results suggest management can greatly reduce soil NOx emissions, thereby improving air quality. PMID:26556236

  18. Elevated Tropospheric Ozone over the Atlantic

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Tie, X.

    2003-01-01

    Tropospheric column ozone (TCO) is derived from differential measurements of TOMS total column ozone and Microwave Limb Sounder stratospheric column ozone. It is shown that TCO during summer months over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in northern midlatitudes is about the same (50 to 60 Dobson Units) as over the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia, where surface emissions of nitrogen oxides from industrial sources, biomass and biofuel burning and biogenic emissions are significantly larger. This nearly uniform zonal variation in TCO is modulated by surface topography of the Rocky and Himalayan mountains, and Tibetan plateau where TCO is reduced by 20 to 30 Dobson Units. The zonal variation in TCO is well simulated by a global chemical transport model called MOZART-2 (Model of Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 2). The model results are analyzed to delineate the relative importance of various processes contributing to observed zonal characteristics of TCO.

  19. Chemical and climatic drivers of radiative forcing due to changes in stratospheric and tropospheric ozone over the 21st century

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Banerjee, Antara; Maycock, Amanda C.; Pyle, John A.

    2018-02-01

    The ozone radiative forcings (RFs) resulting from projected changes in climate, ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), non-methane ozone precursor emissions and methane between the years 2000 and 2100 are calculated using simulations from the UM-UKCA chemistry-climate model (UK Met Office's Unified Model containing the United Kingdom Chemistry and Aerosols sub-model). Projected measures to improve air-quality through reductions in non-methane tropospheric ozone precursor emissions present a co-benefit for climate, with a net global mean ozone RF of -0.09 W m-2. This is opposed by a positive ozone RF of 0.05 W m-2 due to future decreases in ODSs, which is driven by an increase in tropospheric ozone through stratosphere-to-troposphere transport of air containing higher ozone amounts. An increase in methane abundance by more than a factor of 2 (as projected by the RCP8.5 scenario) is found to drive an ozone RF of 0.18 W m-2, which would greatly outweigh the climate benefits of non-methane tropospheric ozone precursor reductions. A small fraction (˜ 15 %) of the ozone RF due to the projected increase in methane results from increases in stratospheric ozone. The sign of the ozone RF due to future changes in climate (including the radiative effects of greenhouse gases, sea surface temperatures and sea ice changes) is shown to be dependent on the greenhouse gas emissions pathway, with a positive RF (0.05 W m-2) for RCP4.5 and a negative RF (-0.07 W m-2) for the RCP8.5 scenario. This dependence arises mainly from differences in the contribution to RF from stratospheric ozone changes. Considering the increases in tropopause height under climate change causes only small differences (≤ |0.02| W m-2) for the stratospheric, tropospheric and whole-atmosphere RFs.

  20. TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor (H2O) Limb V6 (TL2H2OLS)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-03-01

    TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor (H2O) Limb (TL2H2OLS) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb ... Access:  OPeNDAP Parameters:  H2O Water Volume Mixing Radio Precision Vertical Resolution Order ...

  1. The natural and perturbed troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stewart, R. W.; Hameed, S.; Pinto, J.

    1978-01-01

    A quantitative assessment of the chemical and climatic effects of industrial emissions into the atmosphere requires an understanding of the complex interactions of species within the atmosphere and of the atmosphere with other physical systems such as the oceans, lithosphere, and biosphere. The concentration of a particular species is determined by competition between various production and loss processes. The abundances of tropospheric gases are examined. The reactions of the members of the oxygen group are considered along with the models which have been developed to describe the involved relationships. Attention is also given to the natural carbon cycle, perturbations to the carbon cycle, the natural nitrogen cycle, perturbations to the nitrogen cycle, the hydrogen group, the sulfur group, and the halogen group.

  2. Inter-annual Tropospheric Aerosol Variability in Late Twentieth Century and its Impact on Tropical Atlantic and West African Climate by Direct and Semi-direct Effects

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Evans, Katherine J; Hack, James J; Truesdale, John

    A new high-resolution (0.9more » $$^{\\circ}$$x1.25$$^{\\circ}$$ in the horizontal) global tropospheric aerosol dataset with monthly resolution is generated using the finite-volume configuration of Community Atmosphere Model (CAM4) coupled to a bulk aerosol model and forced with recent estimates of surface emissions for the latter part of twentieth century. The surface emissions dataset is constructed from Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP5) decadal-resolution surface emissions dataset to include REanalysis of TROpospheric chemical composition (RETRO) wildfire monthly emissions dataset. Experiments forced with the new tropospheric aerosol dataset and conducted using the spectral configuration of CAM4 with a T85 truncation (1.4$$^{\\circ}$$x1.4$$^{\\circ}$$) with prescribed twentieth century observed sea surface temperature, sea-ice and greenhouse gases reveal that variations in tropospheric aerosol levels can induce significant regional climate variability on the inter-annual timescales. Regression analyses over tropical Atlantic and Africa reveal that increasing dust aerosols can cool the North African landmass and shift convection southwards from West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea in the spring season in the simulations. Further, we find that increasing carbonaceous aerosols emanating from the southwestern African savannas can cool the region significantly and increase the marine stratocumulus cloud cover over the southeast tropical Atlantic ocean by aerosol-induced diabatic heating of the free troposphere above the low clouds. Experiments conducted with CAM4 coupled to a slab ocean model suggest that present day aerosols can shift the ITCZ southwards over the tropical Atlantic and can reduce the ocean mixed layer temperature beneath the increased marine stratocumulus clouds in the southeastern tropical Atlantic.« less

  3. [The two ozone problems: too much in the troposphere, too little in the stratosphere].

    PubMed

    Staehelin, J

    1992-03-10

    Trends analysis based on the long-term Swiss ozone measurements from Arosa and Payerne operationally performed by the Swiss Meteorological Institute are presented. These measurement include stratospheric ozone (approximately 90% of total ozone) and tropospheric ozone. The total ozone measurements from Arosa, the world longest series started at 1926, indicate, that total ozone has declined since about 1970 by approximately 5%. The ozone balloon soundings, operationally performed at Payerne since 1969 (2-3 ascents per week) show, that stratospheric ozone has decreased strongly in the last 20 years, whereas tropospheric ozone, remarkably has increased during this period. The relative change was strongest in the troposphere (more than 10% per decade, 3-4% increase per year during 1982-1988). However, on an absolute scale, changes in the stratosphere were strongest (relative decrease: 6 to 7% per decade at 20-22 km). The present scientific theories of the two ozone problems are reviewed: stratospheric ozone decrease was caused by the anthropogenic emissions of fluorochlorocarbons and other compounds mainly released from the earth surface. Tropospheric ozone has increased due to photochemical production of mainly anthropogenically emitted nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and CO.

  4. Oak tree selection by nesting turkey vultures (Cathartes aura)

    Treesearch

    Gregory A. Giusti; R.J. Keiffer; Shane Feirer; R.F. Keiffer

    2015-01-01

    Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) are a ubiquitous component of California’s oak woodland faunal assemblage. Though obvious, they are one of the least studied vertebrates found in our hardwood forests. This study attempts to define the role of oak trees as nesting sites for this large avian species. Verified nest trees are evaluated to determine...

  5. Sources and distribution of NO(x) in the upper troposphere at northern midlatitudes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rohrer, Franz; Ehhalt, Dieter H.; Wahner, Andreas

    1994-01-01

    A simple quasi 2-D model is used to study the zonal distribution of NO(x). The model includes vertical transport in form of eddy diffusion and deep convection, zonal transport by a vertically uniform wind, and a simplified chemistry of NO, NO2 and HNO3. The NO(x) sources considered are surface emissions (mostly from the combustion of fossil fuel), lightning, aircraft emissions, and downward transport from the stratosphere. The model is applied to the latitude band of 40 deg N to 50 deg N during the month of June; the contributions to the zonal NO(x) distribution from the individual sources and transport processes are investigated. The model predicted NO(x) concentration in the upper troposphere is dominated by air lofted from the polluted planetary boundary layer over the large industrial areas of Eastern North America and Europe. Aircraft emissions are also important and contribute on average 30 percent. Stratospheric input is minor about 10 percent, less even than that by lightning. The model provides a clear indication of intercontinental transport of NO(x) and HNO3 in the upper troposphere. Comparison of the modelled NO profiles over the Western Atlantic with those measured during STRATOZ 3 in 1984 shows good agreement at all altitudes.

  6. The temporal and spatial variability of halogenated trace gases in the upper troposphere.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oram, D.; O'Sullivan, D.; Brenninkmeijer, C.; van Velthoven, P.; Sturges, W.

    2007-12-01

    Halogenated trace gases play an important role in stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry, particularly affecting ozone concentrations. In addition they have direct and indirect effects on radiative forcing, and impact on tropospheric reactivity. Data from the CARIBIC project (Civil Aircraft for Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrumented Container) have been used in conjunction with back-trajectory analysis to further our understanding of the chemical composition, inter-hemispheric distribution and source regions of halogenated compounds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Whole air samples collected within CARIBIC, have been analyzed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry for around 35 halocarbons and related trace gases, among them many potent greenhouse gases and species important for ozone depletion. The large spatial and temporal coverage of the CARIBIC project has enabled new work to be done investigating recent inter-annual trends in the CFCs, halons, and other anthropogenic halocarbons, as well as identifying clear inter-hemispheric and seasonal variability for a number of species, such as methylene chloride, HCFCs, methyl chloride, methyl bromide, methyl iodide and several reactive short lived bromo and chloro carbons. In this paper results from the CARIBIC flights to China and the Philippines will be highlighted, to discuss anthropogenic emissions of ozone depleting and greenhouse gases, from Asia and Africa. Data from flights to South America will also be presented. As production and consumption of many of these substances are being phased out in Europe and North America, emissions from Asia, Africa and also South America are becoming increasingly more important. Emissions from these regions are also of interest, as the most significant sources are often collocated with regions of convection in the tropics and sub-tropics. Thus enabling a greater proportion of the substances emitted to reach the stratosphere, where

  7. Diagnostics of sources of tropospheric ozone using data assimilation during the KORUS-AQ campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaubert, B.; Emmons, L. K.; Miyazaki, K.; Buchholz, R. R.; Tang, W.; Arellano, A. F., Jr.; Tilmes, S.; Barré, J.; Worden, H. M.; Raeder, K.; Anderson, J. L.; Edwards, D. P.

    2017-12-01

    Atmospheric oxidative capacity plays a crucial role in the fate of greenhouse gases and air pollutants as well as in the formation of secondary pollutants such as tropospheric ozone. The attribution of sources of tropospheric ozone is a difficult task because of biases in input parameters and forcings such as emissions and meteorology in addition to errors in chemical schemes. We assimilate satellite remote sensing observations of ozone precursors such as carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the global coupled chemistry-transport model: Community Atmosphere Model with Chemistry (CAM-Chem). The assimilation is completed using an Ensemble Adjustment Kalman Filter (EAKF) in the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) framework which allows estimates of unobserved parameters and potential constraints on secondary pollutants and emissions. The ensemble will be constructed using perturbations in chemical kinetics, different emission fields and by assimilating meteorological observations to fully assess uncertainties in the chemical fields of targeted species. We present a set of tools such as emission tags (CO and propane), combined with diagnostic analysis of chemical regimes and perturbation of emissions ratios to estimate a regional budget of primary and secondary pollutants in East Asia and their sensitivity to data assimilation. This study benefits from the large set of aircraft and ozonesonde in-situ observations from the Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign that occurred in South Korea in May-June 2016.

  8. Satellite Air Quality Monitoring Before, During and After the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Paralympics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Witte, J. C.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Krotkov, N. A.; Pickering, K. E.; Streets, D. G.; Gleason, J. F.; Gille, J. C.

    2009-12-01

    In 2001, Beijing, China was awarded the hosting rights to the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Since then, the government has gradually implemented pollution emission control strategies to improve Beijing's air quality in preparation for both games. Long-term industrial and short-term vehicle emission controls have also been enforced upwind of Beijing's neighboring provinces to the south and west. This region is characterized by numerous heavy-polluting industries whose emissions are typically transported towards Beijing, significantly impacting the city's air quality. We examine the efficacy of these emission control measures on tropospheric NO2, SO2, and CO pollution using satellite data from Aura's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Terra's Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) from 2004 to the present. During both games, held in August and September 2008, OMI and MOPITT measured significant decreases in all three tracer gases compared to the past three years: NO2 (-43%), SO2 (-13%), and CO (-12%). This decrease in CO and SO2 over northeastern China continues through 2009, reflecting the longer-term nature of emission controls on heavily polluting industries. The global recession is also a likely contributor, as factories have shut down or slowed production due to the decrease in demand for manufactured goods. The tropospheric NO2 column over Beijing returned to typical monthly mean values when controls on vehicle emissions were lifted by the end of September 2008. However, we observe a slight NO2 decrease at the beginning of 2009 relative to 2008 suggesting a decrease in the contribution of industrial emissions of NOx to the overall NO2 column.

  9. Climate change, tropospheric ozone and particulate matter, and health impacts.

    PubMed

    Ebi, Kristie L; McGregor, Glenn

    2008-11-01

    Because the state of the atmosphere determines the development, transport, dispersion, and deposition of air pollutants, there is concern that climate change could affect morbidity and mortality associated with elevated concentrations of these gases and fine particles. We review how climate change could affect future concentrations of tropospheric ozone and particulate matter (PM), and what changing concentrations could mean for population health. We review studies projecting the impacts of climate change on air quality and studies projecting the impacts of these changes on morbidity and mortality. Climate change could affect local to regional air quality through changes in chemical reaction rates, boundary layer heights that affect vertical mixing of pollutants, and changes in synoptic airflow patterns that govern pollutant transport. Sources of uncertainty include the degree of future climate change, future emissions of air pollutants and their precursors, and how population vulnerability may change in the future. Given these uncertainties, projections suggest that climate change will increase concentrations of tropospheric ozone, at least in high-income countries when precursor emissions are held constant, which would increase morbidity and mortality. Few projections are available for low- and middle-income countries. The evidence is less robust for PM, primarily because few studies have been conducted. Additional research is needed to better understand the possible impacts of climate change on air pollution-related health impacts. If improved models continue to project higher ozone concentrations with climate change, then reducing greenhouse gas emissions would enhance the health of current and future generations.

  10. Climate Change, Tropospheric Ozone and Particulate Matter, and Health Impacts

    PubMed Central

    Ebi, Kristie L.; McGregor, Glenn

    2008-01-01

    Objective Because the state of the atmosphere determines the development, transport, dispersion, and deposition of air pollutants, there is concern that climate change could affect morbidity and mortality associated with elevated concentrations of these gases and fine particles. We review how climate change could affect future concentrations of tropospheric ozone and particulate matter (PM), and what changing concentrations could mean for population health. Data sources We review studies projecting the impacts of climate change on air quality and studies projecting the impacts of these changes on morbidity and mortality. Data synthesis Climate change could affect local to regional air quality through changes in chemical reaction rates, boundary layer heights that affect vertical mixing of pollutants, and changes in synoptic airflow patterns that govern pollutant transport. Sources of uncertainty include the degree of future climate change, future emissions of air pollutants and their precursors, and how population vulnerability may change in the future. Given these uncertainties, projections suggest that climate change will increase concentrations of tropospheric ozone, at least in high-income countries when precursor emissions are held constant, which would increase morbidity and mortality. Few projections are available for low- and middle-income countries. The evidence is less robust for PM, primarily because few studies have been conducted. Conclusions Additional research is needed to better understand the possible impacts of climate change on air pollution–related health impacts. If improved models continue to project higher ozone concentrations with climate change, then reducing greenhouse gas emissions would enhance the health of current and future generations. PMID:19057695

  11. Characteristics of atmospheric transport into the Antarctic troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stohl, A.; Sodemann, H.

    2010-01-01

    We have developed a 5.5 year climatology of atmospheric transport into the Antarctic troposphere, which uses the same data set and methods as described in a recent study for the Arctic. This allows direct comparisons of transport properties for the two polar regions. The climatology is based on a simulation with the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART, where the model atmosphere was globally filled with particles. Transport characteristics as well as emission sensitivities were derived from 6 hourly particle positions. We found that the probability for near-surface air to originate from the stratosphere on a time scale of 10 days is an order of magnitude higher near the South Pole than near the North Pole, a result of higher topography and descent that partly compensates for the flow of air down the Antarctic Plateau with the katabatic winds. The stratospheric influence is largest in fall, which is opposite to the seasonality in the Arctic. Stratospheric influence is much smaller over the shelf ice regions and in a band around Antarctica. The average time for which air near the surface has been exposed to continuous darkness in July (continuous light in January) is longest over the Ronne Ice Shelf and Ross Ice Shelf at ˜11 days (20 days). We calculated how sensitive Antarctic air masses are to emission input up to 30 days before arriving in Antarctica if removal processes are ignored. The emission sensitivity shows strong meridional gradients and, as a result, is generally low over South America, Africa, and Australia. For a 10 day time scale, the largest emission sensitivities over these continents are 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than over Eurasia for transport to the Arctic, showing that foreign continents have a much smaller potential to pollute the Antarctic than the Arctic troposphere. Emission sensitivities and derived black carbon (BC) source contributions over South America, Africa, and Australia are substantially (a factor 10 for Africa

  12. TES/Aura L3 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Monthly (TL3COM)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-02-28

    ... TES Aura L1B Nadir Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km Spatial Resolution:  0.5 x 5 km ... Guide Documents:  Data User's Guide (PDF):  Level 3 Level 3 Algorithms, Requirements, & Products (PDF) ...

  13. Aqua-Aura QuickDAM (QDAM) 2.0 Ops Concept

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nidhiry, John

    2015-01-01

    The presentation describes the Quick Debris Avoidance Maneuver (QDAM) 2.0 process used the Aqua and Aura flight teams to (a) reduce the work load and dependency on staff and systems; (b) reduce turn-around time and provide emergency last minute capabilities; and (c) increase burn parameter flexibility. The presentation also compares the QDAM 2.0 process to previous approaches.

  14. Aqua/Aura Updated Inclination Adjust Maneuver Performance Prediction Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boone, Spencer

    2017-01-01

    This presentation will discuss the updated Inclination Adjust Maneuver (IAM) performance prediction model that was developed for Aqua and Aura following the 2017 IAM series. This updated model uses statistical regression methods to identify potential long-term trends in maneuver parameters, yielding improved predictions when re-planning past maneuvers. The presentation has been reviewed and approved by Eric Moyer, ESMO Deputy Project Manager.

  15. Tropospheric ozone in east Asia

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Phadnis, M.J.

    1996-12-31

    An analysis of the observed data for the tropospheric ozone at mid latitudes in east Asia is done. There are three ways by which the tropospheric ozone is calculated, namely: (1) Ozonesonde measurements, (2) Fishman`s method of Residual Ozone and (3) TOMS measurements - an indirect method of calculating tropospheric ozone. In addition the surface ozone values at the network sites in Japan is also considered. The analysis of data is carried out for a period of twelve years from 1979 to 1991. In general it is observed that the tropospheric ozone is more in summer than winter, obviously becausemore » of the larger tropopause height in summer. On an average for the period of the analysis, the ozone values are at a high of about 60 DU (dobson units). While in winter the values go down to around 30 DU. Also a time series analysis shows an increasing trend in the values over the years. The ozonesonde values are correlated more to the TOMS tropospheric ozone values. For the stations analyzed in Japan, the TOMS tropospheric ozone values are generally greater than the ozonesonde values. The analysis of the average monthly surface ozone in Japan shows highs in spring and lows in summer. This can be attributed to movement of pollutant laden fronts towards Japan during spring. The highs for surface ozone are about 50 DU while the lows are around 20 DU.« less

  16. Tropical tropospheric ozone: Implications for dynamics and biomass burning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Bhartia, P. K.; Martin, R. V.

    2002-07-01

    This paper studies the significance of large-scale transport and pyrogenic (i.e., biomass burning) emissions in the production of tropospheric ozone in the tropics. Using aerosol index (AI) and tropospheric column ozone (TCO) time series from 1979 to 2000 derived from the Nimbus-7 and Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer measurements, our study shows significant differences in the seasonal and spatial characteristics of pyrogenic emissions north and south of the equator in the African region and Brazil in South America. Notwithstanding these differences, most of the observed seasonal characteristics are well simulated by the GEOS-CHEM global model of tropospheric chemistry. The only exception is the northern African region where modeled and observed TCO differ significantly. In the Indonesian region the most significant increase in TCO occurred during September-December 1997, following large-scale forest and savanna fires associated with the El Niño induced dry condition. The increase in TCO extended over most of the western Pacific well outside the burning region and was accompanied by a decrease in the eastern Pacific resembling a west-to-east dipole about the dateline. These features are well simulated in the GEOS-CHEM model which suggests that both the biomass burning and changes in meteorological conditions during the El Niño period contributed almost equally to the observed increase in TCO in the Indonesian region. During 1997 the net increase in TCO integrated over the tropical region between 15°N and 15°S was about 6-8 Tg (1 Tg = 1012 g) over the mean climatological value of about 77 Tg. The GEOS-CHEM model suggests that most of this increase may have been caused by biomass burning in the Indonesian region since dynamical components of El Niño induced changes in TCO tend to cancel out in the area-averaged data. In addition to biomass burning, the interannual variability in the area-averaged column ozone in the tropics is influenced by a number

  17. Western US Tropospheric Ozone: An Assessment of Vertical and Seasonal Variations over California and Nevada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yates, E.; Iraci, Laura T.; Johnson, Matthew; Ryoo, Ju-Mee; Pierce, Bradley R.; Cullis, Patrick; Gore, Warren J. Y.; Ives, Michael; Johnson, Bryan; LeBlanc, Thierry; hide

    2016-01-01

    In the rural western US free-tropospheric O3 has risen in recent years as a result of rising Asian emissions, deep stratospheric intrusions and more frequent wildfires. This increasing O3 trend combined with the high surface elevation of much of the western US, which aids mixing between boundary layer and free-troposphere, pose challenges in attaining the more stringent O3 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) at many western US rural surface sites. As such, the ability to identify various sources and transport mechanisms that contribute towards surface O3 is increasingly important. This paper analyzes vertical profiles of O3 from the Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment (AJAX) over California and Nevada, ozonesondes from Trinidad Head, CA and tropospheric ozone profiles from the differential absorption lidar (DIAL) at the JPL Table Mountain Facility, CA. Surface O3 from the US EPA Clean air Status and Trends Network (CASNET) are used to discuss surface trends. GEOS-Chem determines the trends in regional O3 and assess the contributions of various sources on surface O3. And Realtime Air Quality Modeling System (RAQMS) is used to forecast and interpret free-tropospheric observations. Specifically we will address the following questions: What are the effects of the lowered NAAQS? Do we observe elevated O3 during 2012 at surface sites reported in previous studies? And if so, what are the causes? How variable is free-tropospheric O3 over California and Nevada? How frequently do we observe high O3 lamina in the free troposphere and what are the surface impacts?

  18. The use of satellite data to determine the distribution of ozone in the troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fishman, Jack; Watson, Catherine E.; Brackett, Vincent G.; Fakhruzzaman, Khan; Veiga, Robert E.

    1991-01-01

    Measurements from two independent satellite data sets have been used to derive the climatology of the integrated amount of ozone in the troposphere. These data have led to the finding that large amounts of ozone pollution are generated by anthropogenic activity originating from both the industrialized regions of the Northern Hemisphere and from the southern tropical regions of Africa. To verify the existence of this ozone anomaly at low latitudes, an ozonesonde capability has been established at Ascension Island (8 deg S, 15 deg W) since July 1990. According to the satellite analyses, Ascension Island is located downwind of the primary source region of this ozone pollution, which likely results from the photochemical oxidation of emissions emanating from the widespread burning of savannas and other biomass. These in situ measurements confirm the existence of large amounts of ozone in the lower atmosphere. A summary of these ozonesonde data to date will be presented. In addition, we will present some ozone profile measurements from SAGE II which can be used to provide upper tropospheric ozone measurements directly in the tropical troposphere. A preliminary comparison between the satellite observations and the ozonesonde profiles in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere will also be presented.

  19. First Look at the Upper Tropospheric Ozone Mixing Ratio from OMI Estimated using the Cloud Slicing Technique

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bhartia, Pawan K.; Ziemke, Jerry; Chandra, Sushil; Joiner, Joanna; Vassilkov, Alexandra; Taylor, Steven; Yang, Kai; Ahn, Chang-Woo

    2004-01-01

    The Cloud Slicing technique has emerged as a powerful tool for the study of ozone in the upper troposphere. In this technique one looks at the variation with cloud height of the above-cloud column ozone derived from the backscattered ultraviolet instruments, such as TOMS, to determine the ozone mixing ratio. For this technique to work properly one needs an instrument with relatively good horizontal resolution with very good signal to noise in measuring above-cloud column ozone. In addition, one needs the (radiatively) effective cloud pressure rather than the cloud-top pressure, for the ultraviolet photons received by a satellite instrument are scattered from inside the cloud rather than from the top. For this study we use data from the OMI sensor, which was recently launched on the EOS Aura satellite. OMI is a W-Visible backscattering instrument with a nadir pixel size of 13 x 24 km. The effective cloud pressure is derived from a new algorithm based on Rotational Raman Scattering and O2-O2, absorption in the 340-400 nm band of OMI.

  20. Future Climate Impacts of Direct Radiative Forcing Anthropogenic Aerosols, Tropospheric Ozone, and Long-lived Greenhouse Gases

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Wei-Ting; Liao, Hong; Seinfeld, John H.

    2007-01-01

    Long-lived greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the most important driver of climate change over the next century. Aerosols and tropospheric ozone (O3) are expected to induce significant perturbations to the GHG-forced climate. To distinguish the equilibrium climate responses to changes in direct radiative forcing of anthropogenic aerosols, tropospheric ozone, and GHG between present day and year 2100, four 80-year equilibrium climates are simulated using a unified tropospheric chemistry-aerosol model within the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM) 110. Concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, primary organic (POA) carbon, secondary organic (SOA) carbon, black carbon (BC) aerosols, and tropospheric ozone for present day and year 2100 are obtained a priori by coupled chemistry-aerosol GCM simulations, with emissions of aerosols, ozone, and precursors based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenario (SRES) A2. Changing anthropogenic aerosols, tropospheric ozone, and GHG from present day to year 2100 is predicted to perturb the global annual mean radiative forcing by +0.18 (considering aerosol direct effects only), +0.65, and +6.54 W m(sup -2) at the tropopause, and to induce an equilibrium global annual mean surface temperature change of +0.14, +0.32, and +5.31 K, respectively, with the largest temperature response occurring at northern high latitudes. Anthropogenic aerosols, through their direct effect, are predicted to alter the Hadley circulation owing to an increasing interhemispheric temperature gradient, leading to changes in tropical precipitation. When changes in both aerosols and tropospheric ozone are considered, the predicted patterns of change in global circulation and the hydrological cycle are similar to those induced by aerosols alone. GHG-induced climate changes, such as amplified warming over high latitudes, weakened Hadley circulation, and increasing precipitation over the

  1. The 1977 emissions inventory for southeastern Virginia. [environment model of air quality based on exhaust emission from urban areas

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brewer, D. A.; Remsberg, E. E.; Woodbury, G. E.; Quinn, L. C.

    1979-01-01

    Regional tropospheric air pollution modeling and data compilation to simulate the time variation of species concentrations in and around an urban area is discussed. The methods used to compile an emissions inventory are outlined. Emissions factors for vehicular travel in the urban area are presented along with an analysis of the emission gases. Emission sources other than vehicular including industrial wastes, residential solid waste disposal, aircraft emissions, and emissions from the railroads are investigated.

  2. How Can TOLNet Help to Better Understand Tropospheric Ozone? A Satellite Perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Matthew S.

    2018-01-01

    Potential sources of a priori ozone (O3) profiles for use in Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite tropospheric O3 retrievals are evaluated with observations from multiple Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) systems in North America. An O3 profile climatology (tropopause-based O3 climatology (TB-Clim), currently proposed for use in the TEMPO O3 retrieval algorithm) derived from ozonesonde observations and O3 profiles from three separate models (operational Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) Forward Processing (FP) product, reanalysis product from Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA2), and the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM)) were: 1) evaluated with TOLNet measurements on various temporal scales (seasonally, daily, hourly) and 2) implemented as a priori information in theoretical TEMPO tropospheric O3 retrievals in order to determine how each a priori impacts the accuracy of retrieved tropospheric (0-10 km) and lowermost tropospheric (LMT, 0-2 km) O3 columns. We found that all sources of a priori O3 profiles evaluated in this study generally reproduced the vertical structure of summer-averaged observations. However, larger differences between the a priori profiles and lidar observations were observed when evaluating inter-daily and diurnal variability of tropospheric O3. The TB-Clim O3 profile climatology was unable to replicate observed inter-daily and diurnal variability of O3 while model products, in particular GEOS-Chem simulations, displayed more skill in reproducing these features. Due to the ability of models, primarily the CTM used in this study, on average to capture the inter-daily and diurnal variability of tropospheric and LMT O3 columns, using a priori profiles from CTM simulations resulted in TEMPO retrievals with the best statistical comparison with lidar observations. Furthermore, important from an air quality perspective, when high LMT O3 values were

  3. Surface and Tropospheric Ozone Profile Variability (1999-2014) at the TOLNet Site of Table Mountain, California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Granados-Muñoz, M. J.; Leblanc, T.

    2015-12-01

    Ozone in the lower troposphere acts as an air pollutant affecting human health and vegetation. Tropospheric ozone sources and variability are not yet fully identified or understood and recent studies reveal the importance of increasing the number of tropospheric ozone profiling stations and long term measurements. As part of the international monitoring network NDACC, and the U.S.-based network TOLNet, a differential absorption lidar has been performing tropospheric ozone measurements (3-20 km) at the JPL Table Mountain Facility (TMF, California) since 1999, and surface measurements have been performed since 2013 with a UV photometric analyzer. Because of the site's geolocation and high elevation, background tropospheric ozone, unaffected by the boundary layer dynamics and local anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors, is usually expected. However, transboundary ozone contributions such as stratospheric intrusions and Asian pollution episodes are frequently detected. In this study, a statistical analysis of the 14-year lidar profiles and the 2.5-year surface data is presented. Seasonal, interannual and diurnal variability and its possible causes (e.g. El Nino/La Nina events, North American Monsoon) are investigated. Together with the high elevation surface data gathered at TMF, surface data from ARB stations nearby are analyzed to understand the lowermost tropospheric ozone variability component. The frequency of stratospheric intrusions and Asian pollution episodes reaching the Western U.S. is also examined in an attempt to understand the relative contribution of each process to the observed variability throughout the troposphere. The Table Mountain surface and lidar measurements are expected to contribute significantly to the emerging system of global air quality observations, and to the improvement of global and regional data assimilation and modeling.

  4. Modeling the effects of UV variability and the QBO on the troposphere-stratosphere system. Part II: The troposphere

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rind, D.; Balachandran, N.K.

    1995-08-01

    Results of experiments with a GCM involving changes in UV input ({plus_minus} 25%, {plus_minus}5% at wavelengths below 0.3 {mu}) and simulated equatorial QBO are presented, with emphasis on the tropospheric response. The QBO and UV changes alter the temperature in the lower stratosphere/upper troposphere warms, tropospheric eddy energy is reduced, leading to extratropical tropospheric cooling of some 0.5{degrees}C on the zonal average, and surface temperature changes up to {plus_minus}5{degrees}C locally. Opposite effects occur when the extratropical lower stratosphere/upper troposphere cools. Cooling or warming of the comparable region in the Tropics decreases/increases static stability, accelerating/decelerating the Hadley circulation. Tropospheric dynamical changesmore » are on the order of 5%. The combined UV/QBO effect in the troposphere results from its impact on the middle atmosphere; in the QBO east phase, more energy is refracted to higher latitudes, due to the increased horizontal shear of the zonal wind, but with increased UV, this energy propagates preferentially out of the polar lower stratosphere, in response to the increased vertical shear of the zonal winds; therefore, it is less effective in warming the polar lower stratosphere. Due to their impacts on planetary wave generation and propagation, all combinations of UV and QBO phases affect the longitudinal patterns of tropospheric temperatures and geopotential heights. The modeled perturbations often agree qualitatively with observations and are of generally similar orders of magnitude. The results are sensitive to the forcing employed. In particular, the nature of the tropospheric response depends upon the magnitude (and presumably wavelength) of the solar irradiance perturbation. The results of the smaller UV variations ({plus_minus}5%) are more in agreement with observations, showing clear differences between the UV impact in the east and west QBO phase. 34 refs., 15 figs., 3 tabs.« less

  5. Climatology 2011: An MLS and Sonde Derived Ozone Climatology for Satellite Retrieval Algorithms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McPeters, Richard D.; Labow, Gordon J.

    2012-01-01

    The ozone climatology used as the a priori for the version 8 Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) retrieval algorithms has been updated. The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on Aura has excellent latitude coverage and measures ozone daily from the upper troposphere to the lower mesosphere. The new climatology consists of monthly average ozone profiles for ten degree latitude zones covering pressure altitudes from 0 to 65 km. The climatology was formed by combining data from Aura MLS (2004-2010) with data from balloon sondes (1988-2010). Ozone below 8 km (below 12 km at high latitudes) is based on balloons sondes, while ozone above 16 km (21 km at high latitudes) is based on MLS measurements. Sonde and MLS data are blended in the transition region. Ozone accuracy in the upper troposphere is greatly improved because of the near uniform coverage by Aura MLS, while the addition of a large number of balloon sonde measurements improves the accuracy in the lower troposphere, in the tropics and southern hemisphere in particular. The addition of MLS data also improves the accuracy of climatology in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere. The revised climatology has been used for the latest reprocessing of SBUV and TOMS satellite ozone data.

  6. Space opportunities for tropospheric chemistry research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Levine, Joel S.; Hoell, James M.; Mcneal, Robert J.

    1986-01-01

    The use of the Space Shuttle to measure tropospheric trace species is examined. Factors which affect the measurement of tropospheric trace species are discussed. The Academy of Sciences 1985 report categorized the trace species into levels: first-level gases include water vapor, O3, CO, and CH4, and the second-level gases are N2O, NO2, NH3, SO2, chlorofluoromethanes, and HCl. The effects of first-level gases on the earth's climate, the photochemistry/chemistry of the troposphere, and the photochemical/chemical production and destruction of the hydroxyl radical are studied; the distribution and magnitude of the hydroxyl radical in the troposphere are analyzed in terms of water vapor, O3, CO, and CH4.

  7. Man's impact on the troposphere: Lectures in tropospheric chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Levine, J. S. (Editor); Schryer, D. R. (Editor)

    1978-01-01

    Lectures covering a broad spectrum of current research in tropospheric chemistry with particular emphasis on the interaction of measurements, modeling, and understanding of fundamental processes are presented.

  8. Aircraft measurement of dicarboxylic acids in the free tropospheric aerosols over the western to central North Pacific

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Narukawa, M.; Kawamura, K.; Okada, K.; Zaizen, Y.; Makino, Y.

    2003-07-01

    Aircraft observation of aerosols was conducted in February 2000, for spatial and vertical distributions of dicarboxylic acids in the free troposphere over the western to central North Pacific. Oxalic, malonic, adipic and azelaic acids were detected in the aerosol samples as the major species. Concentrations of these diacids decreased exponentially with an increase in altitude. They were higher in the western North Pacific (130°E) and decrease eastward. Local flights conducted over Naha (Okinawa), Iwo-jima and Saipan showed that diacid concentrations decreased from the lower to upper troposphere. In the atmosphere over Saipan, where the air is not strongly affected from polluted East Asia, diacid concentrations were almost below the detection limit. Vertical profiles of diacids over Naha and Iwo-jima would be typical over the western North Pacific during winter, suggesting that diacids were significantly injected to the free troposphere from East Asia. Backward air mass trajectories also suggested that the diacids in the free troposphere over the North Pacific are strongly affected by the outflow from East Asia. Diacids, which were produced by both primary emission and secondary photochemical processes in polluted air of East Asia, could alter the physico-chemical properties of aerosols in the free troposphere over the western North Pacific.

  9. Sensitivity of tropospheric ozone to chemical kinetic uncertainties in air masses influenced by anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ridley, D. A.; Cain, M.; Methven, J.; Arnold, S. R.

    2017-07-01

    We use a Lagrangian chemical transport model with a Monte Carlo approach to determine impacts of kinetic rate uncertainties on simulated concentrations of ozone, NOy and OH in a high-altitude biomass burning plume and a low-level industrial pollution plume undergoing long-range transport. Uncertainties in kinetic rate constants yield 10-12 ppbv (5th to 95th percentile) uncertainty in the ozone concentration, dominated by reactions that cycle NO and NO2, control NOx conversion to NOy reservoir species, and key reactions contributing to O3 loss (O(1D) + H2O, HO2 + O3). Our results imply that better understanding of the peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN) thermal decomposition constant is key to predicting large-scale O3 production from fire emissions and uncertainty in the reaction of NO + O3 at low temperatures is particularly important for both the anthropogenic and biomass burning plumes. The highlighted reactions serve as a useful template for targeting new laboratory experiments aimed at reducing uncertainties in our understanding of tropospheric O3 photochemistry.

  10. Limb-Nadir Matching for Tropospheric NO2: A New Algorithm in the SCIAMACHY Operational Level 2 Processor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meringer, Markus; Gretschany, Sergei; Lichtenberg, Gunter; Hilboll, Andreas; Richter, Andreas; Burrows, John P.

    2015-11-01

    SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric ChartographY) aboard ESA's environmental satellite ENVISAT observed the Earth's atmosphere in limb, nadir, and solar/lunar occultation geometries covering the UV-Visible to NIR spectral range. Limb and nadir geometries were the main operation modes for the retrieval of scientific data. The new version 6 of ESA's level 2 processor now provides for the first time an operational algorithm to combine measurements of these two geometries in order to generate new products. As a first instance the retrieval of tropospheric NO2 has been implemented based on IUP-Bremen's reference algorithm. We will detail the single processing steps performed by the operational limb-nadir matching algorithm and report the results of comparisons with the scientific tropospheric NO2 products of IUP and the Tropospheric Emission Monitoring Internet Service (TEMIS).

  11. Tropospheric Ozone from the TOMS TDOT (TOMS-Direct-Ozone-in-Troposphere) Technique During SAFARI-2000

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stone, J. B.; Thompson, A. M.; Frolov, A. D.; Hudson, R. D.; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    There are a number of published residual-type methods for deriving tropospheric ozone from TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer). The basic concept of these methods is that within a zone of constant stratospheric ozone, the tropospheric ozone column can be computed by subtracting stratospheric ozone from the TOMS Level 2 total ozone column, We used the modified-residual method for retrieving tropospheric ozone during SAFARI-2000 and found disagreements with in-situ ozone data over Africa in September 2000. Using the newly developed TDOT (TOMS-Direct-Ozone-in-Troposphere) method that uses TOMS radiances and a modified lookup table based on actual profiles during high ozone pollution periods, new maps were prepared and found to compare better to soundings over Lusaka, Zambia (15.5 S, 28 E), Nairobi and several African cities where MOZAIC aircraft operated in September 2000. The TDOT technique and comparisons are described in detail.

  12. Methane Sensitivity to Perturbations in Tropospheric Oxidizing Capacity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yegorova, Elena; Duncan, Bryan

    2011-01-01

    Methane is an important greenhouse gas and has a 25 times greater global warming potential than CO2 on a century timescale. Yet there are considerable uncertainties in the magnitude and variability of its sources and sinks. The response of the coupled non-linear methane-carbon monoxide-hydroxyl radical (OH) system is important in determining the tropospheric oxidizing capacity. Using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5 (GEOS-5) chemistry climate model, we study the response of methane to perturbations of OH and wetland emissions. We use a computationally-efficient option of the GEOS-5 CCM that includes an OH parameterization that accurately represents OH predicted by a full chemical mechanism. The OH parameterization allows for studying non-linear CH4-CO-OH feedbacks in computationally fast sensitivity experiments. We compare our results with surface observations (GMD) and discuss the range of uncertainty in OH and wetland emissions required to bring modeling results in better agreement with surface observations. Our results can be used to improve projections of methane emissions and methane growth.

  13. Role of Climate Change in Global Predictions of Future Tropospheric Ozone and Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liao, Hong; Chen, Wei-Ting; Seinfeld, John H.

    2006-01-01

    A unified tropospheric chemistry-aerosol model within the Goddard Institute for Space Studies general circulation model II is applied to simulate an equilibrium CO2-forced climate in the year 2100 to examine the effects of climate change on global distributions of tropospheric ozone and sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, black carbon, primary organic carbon, secondary organic carbon, sea salt, and mineral dust aerosols. The year 2100 CO2 concentration as well as the anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors and aerosols/aerosol precursors are based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A2. Year 2100 global O3 and aerosol burdens predicted with changes in both climate and emissions are generally 5-20% lower than those simulated with changes in emissions alone; as exceptions, the nitrate burden is 38% lower, and the secondary organic aerosol burden is 17% higher. Although the CO2-driven climate change alone is predicted to reduce the global O3 concentrations over or near populated and biomass burning areas because of slower transport, enhanced biogenic hydrocarbon emissions, decomposition of peroxyacetyl nitrate at higher temperatures, and the increase of O3 production by increased water vapor at high NOx levels. The warmer climate influences aerosol burdens by increasing aerosol wet deposition, altering climate-sensitive emissions, and shifting aerosol thermodynamic equilibrium. Climate change affects the estimates of the year 2100 direct radiative forcing as a result of the climate-induced changes in burdens and different climatological conditions; with full gas-aerosol coupling and accounting for ozone and direct radiative forcings by the O2, sulfate, nitrate, black carbon, and organic carbon are predicted to be +0.93, -0.72, -1.0, +1.26, and -0.56 W m(exp -2), respectively, using present-day climate and year 2100 emissions, while they are predicted to be +0.76, -0.72, 0.74, +0.97, and -0.58 W m(exp -2

  14. Decadal trends in tropospheric ozone over East Asian Pacific rim during 1998-2007: Implications for emerging Asian emissions impacts and comparison to European and North American records (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanimoto, H.; Ohara, T.; Uno, I.

    2010-12-01

    We examine springtime ozone trends at nine remote locations in East Asian Pacific rim during the last decade (1998-2007). The observed decadal ozone trends are relatively small at surface sites but are substantially larger at a mountainous site. The level and increasing rate of ozone at the mountainous site are both higher than those observed at background sites in Europe and North America. We use a regional chemistry-transport model to explore the observed changes and how changes in Asian anthropogenic emissions have contributed to the observed increasing trends. The model with yearly-dependent regional emissions successfully reproduces the levels, variability, and interannual variations of ozone at all the surface sites. It predicts increasing trends at the mountainous site, suggesting that increasing Asian anthropogenic emissions account for about half the observed increase. However, the discrepancy between the observation and model results after 2003 (the time of largest emission increase) suggests significant underestimation of the actual growth of the Asian anthropogenic emissions and/or incompleteness in the modeling of pollution export from continental Asia. These findings imply that improving emissions inventory and transport scheme is needed to better understand rapidly evolving tropospheric ozone in East Asia and its potential climatic and environmental impacts.

  15. IVS Pilot Project - Tropospheric Parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boehm, J.; Schuh, H.; Engelhardt, G.; MacMillan, D.; Lanotte, R.; Tomasi, P.; Vereshchagina, I.; Haas, R.; Negusini, M.; Gubanov, V.

    2003-04-01

    In April 2002 the IVS (International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry) set up the IVS Pilot Project - Tropospheric Parameters and the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics (IGG), Vienna, was asked to coordinate the project. After a call for participation six IVS Analysis Centers have joined the project and submitted their estimates of tropospheric parameters (wet and total zenith delays, horizontal gradients) for all IVS-R1 and IVS-R4 sessions since January 1st, 2002, on a regular basis. Using a two-step procedure the individual submissions are combined to stable and robust tropospheric parameters with 1h resolution and high accuracy. The zenith delays derived by VLBI are also compared with those provided by IGS (International GPS Service). At collocated sites (VLBI and GPS antennas at the same station) rather constant biases are found between the GPS and VLBI derived zenith delays, although both techniques are subject to the same tropospheric delays. Possible reasons for these biases are discussed.

  16. Evidence of Convection as a Dominant Source of Condensation Nuclei in the Northern Midlatitude Upper Troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Y.; Liu, S. C.; Anderson, B. E.; Kondo, Y.; Gregory, G. L.; Sachse, G. W.; Vay, S. A.; Blake, D.; Singh, H. B.; Thompson, A. M.

    1999-01-01

    We examine concurrent upper tropospheric measurements of CN (diameter greater than 4 nm). NO, and NO(Y) during the SONEX Experiment over the North Atlantic (Oct.-Nov., 1997). Elevated CN and NO(Y) concentrations observed in the upper troposphere are attributed largely to enhancements in convective outflows. We estimate that less than 7% of observed high-CN plumes (greater than 10000 /cc) may be attributed to aircraft emissions. Dilution of high-CN convective and aircraft plumes appears to be much more rapid than losses of NO(X) and CN by oxidation and coagulation, respectively, and accounts for much of observed CN concentrations. When taking into account of different time scales against dilution for observable aircraft and convective high-CN plumes (estimated to be 1:4), the contribution by aircraft emissions to CN concentrations is significant, about 20% of the convective source. We find no evidence that particle formation in convective plumes is limited by OH oxidation of SO2.

  17. Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) Observations of Processes Controlling Spatio-Temporal Tropospheric-Ozone Distributions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Newchurch, M.; Johnson, M. S.; Leblanc, T.; Langford, A. O.; Senff, C. J.; Kuang, S.; Strawbridge, K. B.; McGee, T. J.; Berkoff, T.; Chen, G.

    2017-12-01

    The Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network, TOLNet, has matured into a credible scientific group of six ozone lidars that are capable of accurate, high-spatio-temporal-resolution measurement of tropospheric ozone structures and morphology These lidars have demonstrated their 10% accuracy in several intercomparison campaigns and have participated in several scientific investigations both in small and large instrumentation groups. They have investigated many scientific phenomena including stratosphere-to-troposphere exchange, boundary-layer development, the interaction between the boundary layer and the free troposphere, Front-range-ozone morphology, urban outflow, land/sea interactions, et al. These processes determine the ozone distribution affecting large portions of the population. The TOLNet group is now making significant contributions to the innovation of ozone lidar instrumentation and retrieval techniques. The campaigns proposed over the next few years build on demonstrated capability to address more difficult scientific issues, especially the ozone production potential and distribution from wildfires and prescribed burns. Through scientific cooperation with other ground-based profiling instrumentation, TOLNet is also contributing to the validation of the new measurement capabilities of TEMPO.

  18. The Sensitivity of U.S. Surface Ozone Formation to NOx, and VOCs as Viewed from Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, Bryan N.; Yoshida, Yasuko; Sillman, Sanford; Retscher, Christian; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Martin, Randall V.; Celarier, Edward A.

    2009-01-01

    We investigated variations in the sensitivity of surface ozone formation in summer to precursor species concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) as inferred from the ratio of tropospheric columns of formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The data indicate that ozone formation became: 1. more sensitive to NO(x) over most of the U.S, from 2005 to 2007 because of substantial decreases in NO(x) emissions primarily from stationary sources, and 2. more sensitive to NO(x) with increasing temperature, in part because emissions of highly reactive, biogenic isoprene increase with temperature, thus increasing the total VOC reactivity. Based on our interpretation of the data, current strategies implemented to reduce unhealthy levels of surface ozone should focus more on reducing NO(x) emissions, except in some downtown areas which have historically benefited from reductions in VOC emissions.

  19. Focal plane subsystem design and performance for atmospheric chemistry from geostationary orbit tropospheric emissions monitoring of pollution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilmore, A. S.; Philbrick, R. H.; Funderburg, J.

    2017-09-01

    Remote sensing of pollutants are enabled from a satellite in a geostationary orbit containing an imaging spectrometer encompassing the wavelength ranges of 290 - 490 nm and 540 - 740 nm. As the first of NASA's Earth Venture Instrument Program, the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) program will utilize this instrument to measure hourly air quality over a large portion of North America. The focal plane subsystem (FPS) contains two custom designed and critically aligned full frame transfer charge coupled devices (active area: 1028 x 2048, 18 μm) within a focal plane array package designed for radiation tolerance and space charging rejection. In addition, the FPS contains custom distributed focal plane electronics that provide all necessary clocks and biases to the sensors, receives all analog data from the sensors and performs 14 bit analog to digital conversion for upstream processing. Finally, the FPS encompasses custom low noise cables connecting the focal plane array and associated electronics. This paper discusses the design and performance of this novel focal plane subsystem with particular emphasis on the optical performance achieved including alignment, quantum efficiency, and modulation transfer function.

  20. Chemistry-Transport Modeling of the Satellite Observed Distribution of Tropical Tropospheric Ozone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peters, Wouter; Krol, Maarten; Dentener, Frank; Thompson, Anne M.; Leloeveld, Jos; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    We have compared the 14-year record of satellite derived tropical tropospheric ozone columns (TTOC) from the NIMBUS-7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) to TTOC calculated by a chemistry-transport model (CTM). An objective measure of error, based on the zonal distribution of TTOC in the tropics, is applied to perform this comparison systematically. In addition, the sensitivity of the model to several key processes in the tropics is quantified to select directions for future improvements. The comparisons indicate a widespread, systematic (20%) discrepancy over the tropical Atlantic Ocean, which maximizes during austral Spring. Although independent evidence from ozonesondes shows that some of the disagreement is due to satellite over-estimate of TTOC, the Atlantic mismatch is largely due to a misrepresentation of seasonally recurring processes in the model. Only minor differences between the model and observations over the Pacific occur, mostly due to interannual variability not captured by the model. Although chemical processes determine the TTOC extent, dynamical processes dominate the TTOC distribution, as the use of actual meteorology pertaining to the year of observations always leads to a better agreement with TTOC observations than using a random year or a climatology. The modeled TTOC is remarkably insensitive to many model parameters due to efficient feedbacks in the ozone budget. Nevertheless, the simulations would profit from an improved biomass burning calendar, as well as from an increase in NOX abundances in free tropospheric biomass burning plumes. The model showed the largest response to lightning NOX emissions, but systematic improvements could not be found. The use of multi-year satellite derived tropospheric data to systematically test and improve a CTM is a promising new addition to existing methods of model validation, and is a first step to integrating tropospheric satellite observations into global ozone modeling studies. Conversely

  1. Evaluation of the Ozone Fields in NASA's MERRA-2 Reanalysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wargan, Krzysztof; Labow, Gordon; Frith, Stacey; Pawson, Steven; Livesey, Nathaniel; Partyka, Gary

    2017-01-01

    We describe and assess the quality of the assimilated ozone product from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) produced at NASAs Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) spanning the time period from 1980 to present. MERRA-2 assimilates partial column ozone retrievals from a series of Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) radiometers on NASA and NOAA spacecraft between January 1980 and September 2004; starting in October 2004 retrieved ozone profiles from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and total column ozone from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASAs EOS Aura satellite are assimilated. We compare the MERRA-2 ozone with independent satellite and ozonesonde data focusing on the representation of the spatial and temporal variability of stratospheric and upper tropospheric ozone and on implications of the change in the observing system from SBUV to EOS Aura. The comparisons show agreement within 10 (standard deviation of the difference) between MERRA-2 profiles and independent satellite data in most of the stratosphere. The agreement improves after 2004 when EOS Aura data are assimilated. The standard deviation of the differences between the lower stratospheric and upper tropospheric MERRA-2 ozone and ozonesondes is 11.2 and 24.5, respectively, with correlations of 0.8 and above, indicative of a realistic representation of the near-tropopause ozone variability in MERRA-2. The agreement improves significantly in the EOS Aura period, however MERRA-2 is biased low in the upper troposphere with respect to the ozonesondes. Caution is recommended when using MERRA-2 ozone for decadal changes and trend studies.

  2. Evaluation of the Ozone Fields in NASA's MERRA-2 Reanalysis.

    PubMed

    Wargan, Krzysztof; Labow, Gordon; Frith, Stacey; Pawson, Steven; Livesey, Nathaniel; Partyka, Gary

    2017-04-01

    We describe and assess the quality of the assimilated ozone product from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) produced at NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) spanning the time period from 1980 to present. MERRA-2 assimilates partial column ozone retrievals from a series of Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) radiometers on NASA and NOAA spacecraft between January 1980 and September 2004; starting in October 2004 retrieved ozone profiles from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and total column ozone from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA's EOS Aura satellite are assimilated. We compare the MERRA-2 ozone with independent satellite and ozonesonde data focusing on the representation of the spatial and temporal variability of stratospheric and upper tropospheric ozone and on implications of the change in the observing system from SBUV to EOS Aura. The comparisons show agreement within 10 % (standard deviation of the difference) between MERRA-2 profiles and independent satellite data in most of the stratosphere. The agreement improves after 2004 when EOS Aura data are assimilated. The standard deviation of the differences between the lower stratospheric and upper tropospheric MERRA-2 ozone and ozonesondes is 11.2 % and 24.5 %, respectively, with correlations of 0.8 and above, indicative of a realistic representation of the near-tropopause ozone variability in MERRA-2. The agreement improves significantly in the EOS Aura period, however MERRA-2 is biased low in the upper troposphere with respect to the ozonesondes. Caution is recommended when using MERRA-2 ozone for decadal changes and trend studies.

  3. Tropical tropospheric ozone and biomass burning.

    PubMed

    Thompson, A M; Witte, J C; Hudson, R D; Guo, H; Herman, J R; Fujiwara, M

    2001-03-16

    New methods for retrieving tropospheric ozone column depth and absorbing aerosol (smoke and dust) from the Earth Probe-Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP/TOMS) are used to follow pollution and to determine interannual variability and trends. During intense fires over Indonesia (August to November 1997), ozone plumes, decoupled from the smoke below, extended as far as India. This ozone overlay a regional ozone increase triggered by atmospheric responses to the El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole. Tropospheric ozone and smoke aerosol measurements from the Nimbus 7 TOMS instrument show El Niño signals but no tropospheric ozone trend in the 1980s. Offsets between smoke and ozone seasonal maxima point to multiple factors determining tropical tropospheric ozone variability.

  4. Global tropospheric methane: An indication of atmosphere-biosphere-climate interactions?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harriss, Robert C.; Sebacher, Daniel I.; Bartlett, Karen B.

    1985-01-01

    Methane is an important atmospheric gas with potentially critical roles in both photochemical and radiation transfer processes. A major natural source of atmospheric methane involves anaerobic fermentation of organic materials in wetland soils and sediments. A data base of field measurements of atmospheric methane was used in the development of a global methane emissions inventory. Calculations support the following hypotheses: (1) Human activities currently produce methane at a rate approximately equal to natural resources (these rapidly increasing anthropogenic sources can explain most of the recent increase observed in tropospheric methane); and (2) Prior to 200 B.P. (before the present), the influence of climate on wetland extent and distribution was probably a dominant factor controlling global biogenic methane emissions to the atmosphere.

  5. Simulating Changes in Tropospheric Composition, Aerosol Radiative Effects, and Atmospheric Deposition across the Northern Hemisphere: Contrasting Multi-Decadal Trends between Asia and North America

    EPA Science Inventory

    Significant and contrasting changes in tropospheric composition across the Northern hemisphere have occurred over the past two decades as a result of changing patterns of emissions of primary aerosol and gaseous precursors. During this period, SO2 and NOx emissions across the US...

  6. Aura Microwave Limb Sounder Estimates of Ozone Loss, 2004/2005 Arctic Winter

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2005-06-02

    These data maps from the Microwave Limb Sounder on NASA Aura spacecraft depict levels of hydrogen chloride, chlorine monoxide, and ozone at an altitude of approximately 19 km 490,000 ft on selected days during the 2004-05 Arctic winter.

  7. TES/Aura L3 Atmospheric Temperatures Daily V5 (TL3ATD)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-05-08

    ... Platform:  TES Aura L1B Nadir/Limb Spatial Coverage:  (-180, 180)(-90, 90) Spatial Resolution:  0.5 x 5 km nadir 2.3 x 23 km limb Temporal Coverage:  07/15/2004 - Present Temporal Resolution:  ...

  8. Southern Hemisphere Carbon Monoxide Inferannual Variability Observed by Terra/Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Edwards, D. P.; Petron, G.; Novelli, P. C.; Emmons, L. K.; Gille, J. C.; Drummond, J. R.

    2010-01-01

    Biomass burning is an annual occurrence in the tropical southern hemisphere (SH) and represents a major source of regional pollution. Vegetation fires emit carbon monoxide (CO), which due to its medium lifetime is an excellent tracer of tropospheric transport. CO is also one of the few tropospheric trace gases currently observed from satellite and this provides long-term global measurements. In this paper, we use the 5 year CO data record from the Measurement Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument to examine the inter-annual variability of the SH CO loading and show how this relates to climate conditions which determine the intensity of fire sources. The MOPITT observations show an annual austral springtime peak in the SH zonal CO loading each year with dry-season biomass burning emissions in S. America, southern Africa, the Maritime Continent, and northwestern Australia. Although fires in southern Africa and S. America typically produce the greatest amount of CO, the most significant inter-annual variation is due to varying fire activity and emissions from the Maritime Continent and northern Australia. We find that this variation in turn correlates well with the El Nino Southern Oscillation precipitation index. Between 2000 and 2005, emissions were greatest in late 2002 and an inverse modeling of the MOPITT data using the MOZART chemical transport model estimates the southeast Asia regional fire source for the year August 2002 to September 2003 to be 52 Tg CO. Comparison of the MOPITT retrievals and NOAA surface network measurements indicate that the latter do not fully capture the inter-annual variability or the seasonal range of the CO zonal average concentration due to biases associated with atmospheric and geographic sampling.

  9. Evaluation of Empirical Tropospheric Models Using Satellite-Tracking Tropospheric Wet Delays with Water Vapor Radiometer at Tongji, China

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Miaomiao; Li, Bofeng

    2016-01-01

    An empirical tropospheric delay model, together with a mapping function, is commonly used to correct the tropospheric errors in global navigation satellite system (GNSS) processing. As is well-known, the accuracy of tropospheric delay models relies mainly on the correction efficiency for tropospheric wet delays. In this paper, we evaluate the accuracy of three tropospheric delay models, together with five mapping functions in wet delays calculation. The evaluations are conducted by comparing their slant wet delays with those measured by water vapor radiometer based on its satellite-tracking function (collected data with large liquid water path is removed). For all 15 combinations of three tropospheric models and five mapping functions, their accuracies as a function of elevation are statistically analyzed by using nine-day data in two scenarios, with and without meteorological data. The results show that (1) no matter with or without meteorological data, there is no practical difference between mapping functions, i.e., Chao, Ifadis, Vienna Mapping Function 1 (VMF1), Niell Mapping Function (NMF), and MTT Mapping Function (MTT); (2) without meteorological data, the UNB3 is much better than Saastamoinen and Hopfield models, while the Saastamoinen model performed slightly better than the Hopfield model; (3) with meteorological data, the accuracies of all three tropospheric delay models are improved to be comparable, especially for lower elevations. In addition, the kinematic precise point positioning where no parameter is set up for tropospheric delay modification is conducted to further evaluate the performance of tropospheric delay models in positioning accuracy. It is shown that the UNB3 model is best and can achieve about 10 cm accuracy for the N and E coordinate component while 20 cm accuracy for the U coordinate component no matter the meteorological data is available or not. This accuracy can be obtained by the Saastamoinen model only when meteorological data is

  10. Raman shifting of KrF laser radiation for tropospheric ozone measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grant, William B.; Browell, Edward V.; Higdon, Noah S.; Ismail, Syed

    1991-01-01

    The differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measurement of tropospheric ozone requires use of high average power UV lasers operating at two appropriate DIAL wavelengths. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that a KrF excimer laser can be used to generate several wavelengths with good energy conversion efficiencies by stimulated Raman shifting using hydrogen (H2) and deuterium (D2). Computer simulations for an airborne lidar have shown that these laser emissions can be used for the less than 5 percent random error, high resolution measuremment of ozone across the troposphere using the DIAL technique. In the region of strong ozone absorption, laser wavelengths of 277.0 and 291.7 nm were generated using H2 and D2, respectively. In addition, a laser wavelength at 302.0 nm was generated using two cells in series, with the first containing D2 and the second containing H2. The energy conversion efficiency for each wavelength was between 14 and 27 percent.

  11. Reactive Nitrogen Distribution and Partitioning in the North American Troposphere and Lowermost Stratosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singh, H. B.; Salas, L.; Herlth, D.; Kolyer, R.; Czech, E.; Avery, M.; Crawford, J. H.; Pierce, B.; Sachse, G. W.; Blake, D. R.; hide

    2007-01-01

    A comprehensive group of reactive nitrogen species (NO, NO2, HNO3, HO2NO2, PANs, alkyl nitrates, and aerosol-NO3) were measured in the troposphere and lowermost stratosphere over North America and the Atlantic during July/August 2004 (INTEX-A) from the NASA DC-8 platform (0.1-12 km). Less reactive nitrogen species (HCN and CH3CN), that are also unique tracers of biomass combustion, were also measured along with a host of other gaseous (CO, VOC, OVOC, halocarbon) and aerosol tracers. Clean background air as well as air with influences from biogenic emissions, anthropogenic pollution, biomass combustion, and stratosphere was sampled both over continental U. S., Atlantic and Pacific. The North American upper troposphere was found to be greatly influenced by both lightning NO(x) and surface pollution lofted via convection and contained elevated concentrations of PAN, ozone, hydrocarbons, and NO(x). Under polluted conditions PAN was a dominant carrier of reactive nitrogen in the upper troposphere while nitric acid dominated in the lower troposphere. Peroxynitric acid (HO2NO2) was present in sizable concentrations always peaking at around 8 km. Aerosol nitrate appeared to be mostly contained in large soil based particles in the lower troposphere. Plumes from Alaskan fires contained large amounts of PAN and very little enhancement in ozone. Observational data suggest that lightning was a far greater contributor to NO(x) in the upper troposphere than previously believed. NO(x) and NO(y) reservoir appeared to be in steady state only in the middle troposphere where NO(x)/NO(y) was independent of air mass age. A first comparison of observed data with simulations from four 3-D models shows significant differences between observations and models as well as among models. These uncertainties likely propagate themselves in satellites derived NOx data. Observed data are interpreted to suggest that soil sinks of HCN/CH3CN are at best very small. We investigate the partitioning and

  12. The sulfur budget of the troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, S. N.; Augustsson, T. R.

    1981-01-01

    A one dimensional photochemical tropospheric model was used to calculate the vertical profiles of tropospheric species. Particular attention is focused on the recent inclusion of the chemistry of the sulfur group, which consists of 13 species involving a total of 45 chemical reactions. It is found that the chemistry of the sulfur species, because it is largely anthropogenic, plays an increasingly important role in the distribution of tropospheric gases. The calculated vertical profiles were compared to available measurements and generally found to be in good agreement.

  13. An Overview of the NASA Spring/Summer 2008 Arctic Campaign - ARCTAS (Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jacob, Daniel J.; Clarke, Antony; Crawford, James H.; Dibbs, Jack; Ferrare, Richard A.; Hostetler, Chris A.; Maring, Hal; Russell, Philip B.; Singh, Hanwant B.

    2008-01-01

    ARCTAS (Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites) is a major NASA led airborne field campaign being performed in the spring and summer of 2008 at high latitudes (http://cloud1.arc.nasa.gov/arctas/). ARCTAS is a part of the International Polar Year program and its activities are closely coordinated with multiple U. S. (NOAA, DOE), Canadian, and European partners. Observational data from an ensemble of aircraft, surface, and satellite sensors are closely integrated with models of atmospheric chemistry and transport in this experiment. Principal NASA airborne platforms include a DC-8 for detailed atmospheric composition studies, a P-3 that focuses on aerosols and radiation, and a B-200 that is dedicated to remote sensing of aerosols. Satellite validation is a central activity in all these platforms and is mainly focused on CALIPSO, Aura, and Aqua satellites. Major ARCTAS themes are: (1) Long-range transport of pollution to the Arctic including arctic haze, tropospheric ozone, and persistent pollutants such as mercury; (2) Boreal forest fires and their implications for atmospheric composition and climate; (3) Aerosol radiative forcing from arctic haze, boreal fires, surface-deposited black carbon, and other perturbations; and (4) Chemical processes with focus on ozone, aerosols, mercury, and halogens. The spring deployment (April) is presently underway and is targeting plumes of anthropogenic and biomass burning pollution and dust from Asia and North America, arctic haze, stratosphere-troposphere exchange, and ozone photochemistry involving HOx and halogen radicals. The summer deployment (July) will target boreal forest fires and summertime photochemistry. The ARCTAS mission is providing a critical link to enhance the value of NASA satellite observations for Earth science. In this talk we will discuss the implementation of this campaign and some preliminary results.

  14. Quantifying emissions of CO and NOx using observations from MOPITT, OMI, TES, and OSIRIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, X.; Jones, D. B. A.; Keller, M.; Walker, T. W.; Jiang, Z.; Henze, D. K.; Bourassa, A. E.; Degenstein, D. A.; Rochon, Y. J.

    2016-12-01

    We use the GEOS-Chem four-dimensional variational (4D-var) data assimilation with satellite observations of multiple chemical species to estimate emissions of CO and NOx, as well as the tropospheric concentrations of O3. In doing so, we utilize CO retrievals from The Measurements of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT), O3 retrievals from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), O3 retrievals from the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS), and NO2 columns from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). By integrating these data in the 4D-Var scheme, we obtain a chemical state in the model that is consistent with all of the data over the assimilation period. In this context, for example, we find that combining TES and OSIRIS improves O3, particularly in the tropical upper troposphere (by 10-20%), which leads to a reduction in the uncertainty of the NOx emission estimates. However, although assimilating multiple chemical species provides a stronger constraint on the chemical, state, there are still large uncertainties on the CO and NOx emission estimates, due to the dependence of the results on the selection of the assimilation window and how the datasets are weighted in the cost function.

  15. Changes in air quality and tropospheric composition due to depletion of stratospheric ozone and interactions with climate.

    PubMed

    Tang, X; Wilson, S R; Solomon, K R; Shao, M; Madronich, S

    2011-02-01

    Air pollution will be directly influenced by future changes in emissions of pollutants, climate, and stratospheric ozone, and will have significant consequences for human health and the environment. UV radiation is one of the controlling factors for the formation of photochemical smog, which includes tropospheric ozone (O(3)) and aerosols; it also initiates the production of hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), which control the amount of many climate- and ozone-relevant gases (e.g., methane and HCFCs) in the atmosphere. Numerical models predict that future changes in UV radiation and climate will modify the trends and geographic distribution of ˙OH, thus affecting the formation of photochemical smog in many urban and regional areas. Concentrations of ˙OH are predicted to decrease globally by an average of 20% by 2100, with local concentrations varying by as much as a factor of two above and below current values. However, significant differences between modelled and measured values in a limited number of case studies show that chemistry of hydroxyl radicals in the atmosphere is not fully understood. Photochemically produced tropospheric ozone is projected to increase. If emissions of anthropogenic air pollutants from combustion of fossil fuels, burning of biomass, and agricultural activities continue to increase, concentrations of tropospheric O(3) will tend to increase over the next 20-40 years in certain regions of low and middle latitudes because of interactions of emissions, chemical processes, and climate change. Climate-driven increases in temperature and humidity will also increase production of tropospheric O(3) in polluted regions, but reduce it in more pristine regions. Higher temperatures tend to increase emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) from some soils and release of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vegetation, leading to greater background concentrations of ozone in the troposphere. The net effects of future changes in UV radiation

  16. Origin of tropospheric NO(x) over subarctic eastern Canada in summer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fan, S.-M; Jacob, D. J.; Mauzerall, D. L.; Bradshaw, J. D.; Sandholm, S. T.; Blake, D. R.; Singh, H. B.; Talbot, R. W.; Gregory, G. L.; Sachse, G. W.

    1994-01-01

    The original of NO(X) in the summertime troposphere over subarctic eastern Canada is investigated by photochemical modeling of aircraft and ground-based measurements from the Arctic Boundary Layer Expedition (ABLE 3B). It is found that decomposition of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) can account for most of the NO(X) observed between the surface and 6.2 km altitude (aircraft ceiling). Forest fires represent the principal source of PAN in the region, implying the same origin for NO(X). There is, however, evidence for an unidentified source of NO(X) in occasional air masses subsiding from the upper troposphere. Isoprene emissions from boreal forests maintain high NO(X) concentrations in the continental boundary layer over eastern Canada by scavenging OH and NO3, thus slowing down conversion of NO(X) to HNO3, both in the daytime and at night. This effect is partly compensated by the production of CH3CO3 radicals during isoprene oxidation, which slows down the decomposition of PAN subsiding from the free troposphere. The peroxy radical concentrations estimated from concurrent measurements of NO and NO2 concentrations during ABLE 3B are consistent with values computed from our photochemical model below 4 km, but model values are low at higher altitudes. The discrepancy may reflect either a missing radical source in the model or interferences in the NO2 measurement.

  17. New Particle Formation in the Mid-Latitude Upper Troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Axisa, Duncan

    Primary aerosol production due to new particle formation (NPF) in the upper troposphere and the impact that this might have on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration can be of sufficient magnitude to contribute to the uncertainty in radiative forcing. This uncertainty affects our ability to estimate how sensitive the climate is to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, new particle formation must be accurately defined, parametrized and accounted for in models. This research involved the deployment of instruments, data analysis and interpretation of particle formation events during the Mid-latitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment (MACPEX) campaign. The approach combined field measurements and observations with extensive data analysis and modeling to study the process of new particle formation and growth to CCN active sizes. Simultaneous measurements of O3, CO, ultrafine aerosol particles and surface area from a high-altitude research aircraft were used to study tropospheric-stratospheric mixing as well as the frequency and location of NPF. It was found that the upper troposphere was an active region in the production of new particles by gas-to-particle conversion, that nucleation was triggered by convective clouds and mixing processes, and that NPF occurred in regions with high relative humidity and low surface area. In certain cases, mesoscale and synoptic features enhanced mixing and facilitated the formation of new particles in the northern mid-latitudes. A modeling study of particle growth and CCN formation was done based on measured aerosol size distributions and modeled growth. The results indicate that when SO2 is of sufficient concentration NPF is a significant source of potential CCN in the upper troposphere. In conditions where convective cloud outflow eject high concentrations of SO2, a large number of new particles can form especially in the instance when the preexisting surface area is low. The fast growth of nucleated clusters produces a

  18. Elevated Ozone in the Troposphere over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the Northern Hemisphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Tie, Xuexi

    2003-01-01

    Tropospheric column ozone (TCO) is derived from differential measurements of total column ozone from Nimus-7 and Earth Probe TOMS, and stratospheric column ozone from the Microwave Limb Sounder instrument on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite. It is shown that TCO during summer months over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at northern mid-latitudes is about the same (50-60 Dobson Units) as over the continents of North America, Europe and Asia, where surface emissions of nitrogen oxides from industrial sources, biomass and biofuel burning and biogenic emissions are significantly larger. This nearly uniform zonal variation in TCO is modulated by surface topography of the Rocky and Himalayan mountains and Tibetan Plateau where TCO is reduced by 20-30 Dobson Units. The zonal characteristics of TCO derived from satellite measurements are well simulated by a global chemical transport model called MOZART-2 (Model of Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 2). The model results are analyzed to delineate the relative importance of various processes contributing to observed zonal characteristics of TCO, and they are shown that the surface emission of NOx contributes about 50% of the TCO at northern mid-latitudes, especially over the continents of North America, Europe and Asia. The result of TCO derived from TOMS and the analysis from MOZART-2 indicate that TCO is a very useful tool to study tropospheric O3 pollution resulting from surface emissions of pollutants.

  19. Mission Status for Earth Science Constellation MOWG Meeting at KSC: EOS Aura

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, Dominic

    2017-01-01

    This will be presented at the Earth Science Constellation Mission Operations Working Group (MOWG) meeting at KSC (Kennedy Space Center) in December 2017 to discus EOS (Earth Observing System) Aura status. Reviewed and approved by Eric Moyer, ESMO (Earth Sciences Mission Operations) Deputy Project Manager.

  20. MAX-DOAS tropospheric nitrogen dioxide column measurements compared with the Lotos-Euros air quality model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vlemmix, T.; Eskes, H. J.; Piters, A. J. M.; Schaap, M.; Sauter, F. J.; Kelder, H.; Levelt, P. F.

    2015-02-01

    A 14-month data set of MAX-DOAS (Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) tropospheric NO2 column observations in De Bilt, the Netherlands, has been compared with the regional air quality model Lotos-Euros. The model was run on a 7×7 km2 grid, the same resolution as the emission inventory used. A study was performed to assess the effect of clouds on the retrieval accuracy of the MAX-DOAS observations. Good agreement was found between modeled and measured tropospheric NO2 columns, with an average difference of less than 1% of the average tropospheric column (14.5 · 1015 molec cm-2). The comparisons show little cloud cover dependence after cloud corrections for which ceilometer data were used. Hourly differences between observations and model show a Gaussian behavior with a standard deviation (σ) of 5.5 · 1015 molec cm-2. For daily averages of tropospheric NO2 columns, a correlation of 0.72 was found for all observations, and 0.79 for cloud free conditions. The measured and modeled tropospheric NO2 columns have an almost identical distribution over the wind direction. A significant difference between model and measurements was found for the average weekly cycle, which shows a much stronger decrease during the weekend for the observations; for the diurnal cycle, the observed range is about twice as large as the modeled range. The results of the comparison demonstrate that averaged over a long time period, the tropospheric NO2 column observations are representative for a large spatial area despite the fact that they were obtained in an urban region. This makes the MAX-DOAS technique especially suitable for validation of satellite observations and air quality models in urban regions.

  1. The Governing Processes and Timescales of Stratosphere-to-Troposphere Transport and its Contribution to Ozone in the Arctic Troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liang, Q.; Douglass, A. R.; Duncan, B. N.; Stolarski, R. S.; Witte, J. C.

    2009-01-01

    We used the seasonality of a combination of atmospheric trace gases and idealized tracers to examine stratosphere-to-troposphere transport and its influence on tropospheric composition in the Arctic. Maximum stratosphere-to-troposphere transport of CFCs and O3 occurs in April as driven by the Brewer-Dobson circulation. Stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) occurs predominantly between 40 deg N to 80 deg N with stratospheric influx in the mid-latitudes (30-70 deg N) accounting for 67.81 percent of the air of stratospheric origin in the Northern Hemisphere extratropical troposphere. Transport from the lower stratosphere to the lower troposphere (LT) takes three months on average, one month to cross the tropopause, the second month to travel from the upper troposphere (UT) to the middle troposphere (MT), and the third month to reach the LT. During downward transport, the seasonality of a trace gas can be greatly impacted by wet removal and chemistry. A comparison of idealized tracers with varying lifetimes suggests that when initialized with the same concentrations and seasonal cycles at the tropopause, trace gases that have shorter lifetimes display lower concentrations, smaller amplitudes, and earlier seasonal maxima during transport to the LT. STE contributes to O3 in the Arctic troposphere directly from the transport of O3 and indirectly from the transport of NOy . Direct transport of O3 from the stratosphere accounts for 78 percent of O3 in the Arctic UT with maximum contributions occurring from March to May. The stratospheric contribution decreases significantly in the MT/LT (20.25 percent of total O3) and shows a very weak March.April maximum. Our NOx budget analysis in the Arctic UT shows that during spring and summer, the stratospheric injection of NO y-rich air increases NOx concentrations above the 20 pptv threshold level, thereby shifting the Arctic UT from a regime of net photochemical ozone loss to one of net production with rates as high as +16 ppbv/month.

  2. Acetone in theGlobal Troposphere: Its Possible Role as a Global Source of PAN

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singh, H. B.; Kanakidou, M.

    1994-01-01

    Oxygenated hydrocarbons are thought to be important components of the atmosphere but, with the exception of formaldehyde, very little about their distribution and fate is known. Aircraft measurements of acetone (CH3COCH3), PAN (CH3CO3NO2) and other organic species (e. g. acetaldehyde, methanol and ethanol) have been performed over the Pacific, the southern Atlantic, and the subarctic atmospheres. Sampled areas extended from 0 to 12 km altitude over latitudes of 70 deg N to 40 deg S. All measurements are based on real time in-situ analysis of cryogenically preconcentrated air samples. Substantial concentrations of these oxygenated species (10-2000 ppt) have been observed at all altitudes and geographical locations in the troposphere. Important sources include, emissions from biomass burning, plant and vegetation, secondary oxidation of primary non-methane hydrocarbons, and man-made emissions. Direct measurements within smoke plumes have been used to estimate the biomass burning source. Photochemistry studies are used to suggest that acetone could provide a major source of peroxyacetyl radicals in the atmosphere and play an important role in sequestering reactive nitrogen. Model calculations show that acetone photolysis contributes significantly to PAN formation in the middle and upper troposphere.

  3. U.S. EPA'S RESEARCH TO UPDATE GUIDANCE FOR QUANTIFYING LANDFILL GAS EMISSIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Landfill emissions, if left uncontrolled, contribute to air toxics, climate change, tropospheric ozone, and urban smog. EPA's Office of Research and Development is conducting research to help update EPA's landfill gas emission factors. The last update to EPA's landfill gas emiss...

  4. Integrity modelling of tropospheric delay models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rózsa, Szabolcs; Bastiaan Ober, Pieter; Mile, Máté; Ambrus, Bence; Juni, Ildikó

    2017-04-01

    The effect of the neutral atmosphere on signal propagation is routinely estimated by various tropospheric delay models in satellite navigation. Although numerous studies can be found in the literature investigating the accuracy of these models, for safety-of-life applications it is crucial to study and model the worst case performance of these models using very low recurrence frequencies. The main objective of the INTegrity of TROpospheric models (INTRO) project funded by the ESA PECS programme is to establish a model (or models) of the residual error of existing tropospheric delay models for safety-of-life applications. Such models are required to overbound rare tropospheric delays and should thus include the tails of the error distributions. Their use should lead to safe error bounds on the user position and should allow computation of protection levels for the horizontal and vertical position errors. The current tropospheric model from the RTCA SBAS Minimal Operational Standards has an associated residual error that equals 0.12 meters in the vertical direction. This value is derived by simply extrapolating the observed distribution of the residuals into the tail (where no data is present) and then taking the point where the cumulative distribution has an exceedance level would be 10-7.While the resulting standard deviation is much higher than the estimated standard variance that best fits the data (0.05 meters), it surely is conservative for most applications. In the context of the INTRO project some widely used and newly developed tropospheric delay models (e.g. RTCA MOPS, ESA GALTROPO and GPT2W) were tested using 16 years of daily ERA-INTERIM Reanalysis numerical weather model data and the raytracing technique. The results showed that the performance of some of the widely applied models have a clear seasonal dependency and it is also affected by a geographical position. In order to provide a more realistic, but still conservative estimation of the residual

  5. Applying modeling Results in designing a global tropospheric experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    A set of field experiments and advanced modeling studies which provide a strategy for a program of global tropospheric experiments was identified. An expanded effort to develop space applications for trospheric air quality monitoring and studies was recommended. The tropospheric ozone, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles are addressed. Stratospheric-tropospheric exchange is discussed. Fast photochemical processes in the free troposphere are considered.

  6. TES/MLS Aura L2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nadir (TML2CO)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-05-06

    TES/MLS Aura L2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nadir (TML2CO) Atmospheric ... profile estimates and associated errors derived using TES & MLS spectral radiance measurements taken at nearest time and locations. ... a priori constraint vectors. News:  TES News Join TES News List Project Title:  TES ...

  7. TES/MLS Aura L2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nadir (TML2CO)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-05-07

    TES/MLS Aura L2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nadir (TML2CO) ... profile estimates and associated errors derived using TES & MLS spectral radiance measurements taken at nearest time and locations. ... a priori constraint vectors. News:  TES News Join TES News List Project Title:  TES ...

  8. TES/Aura L3 Atmospheric Temperatures Daily V4 (TL3ATD)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-05-09

    ... Platform:  TES Aura L1B Nadir/Limb Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir 37 x 23 km limb Spatial ... 0.5 x 5 km nadir 2.3 x 23 km limb Temporal Coverage:  08/22/2004 - present Temporal Resolution:  ...

  9. Current Applications of OMI Tropospheric NO2 Data for Air Quality and a Look to the Future

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pickering, Kenneth E.; Bucsela, E.; Allen, D.; Prados, A.; Gleason, J.; Kondragunta, S.

    2010-01-01

    Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Tropospheric NO2 products are being used to enhance the ability to monitor changes in NO2 air quality, update emission inventories, and evaluate regional air quality models. Trends in tropospheric column NO2 have been examined over the eastern United States in relation to emissions changes mandated by regulatory actions. Decreases of 20 to 40 percent over the period 2005 to 2008 were noted, largely in response to major emission reductions at power plants. The OMI data have been used to identify regions in which the opposite trend has been found. We have also used OMI NO2 in efforts to improve emission inventories for NOx emissions from soil. Lightning NOx emissions have been added to CMAQ, the US Environmental Protection Agency's regional air quality model. Evaluation of the resulting NO2 columns in the model is being conducted using the OMI NO2 observations. Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) together with the OMI NO2 data comprise a valuable tool for monitoring and predicting air quality. Looking to the future, we expect that the combination of Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) (morning) and OMI (afternoon) data sets obtained through use of the same retrieval algorithms will substantially increase the possibility of successful integration of satellite information into regional air quality forecast models. Farther down the road, we anticipate the Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) platform to supply data possibly on an hourly basis, allowing much more comprehensive analysis of air quality from space.

  10. Nonlinear response of nitric oxide fluxes to fertilizer inputs and the impacts of agricultural intensification on tropospheric ozone pollution in Kenya.

    PubMed

    Hickman, Jonathan E; Huang, Yaoxian; Wu, Shiliang; Diru, Willy; Groffman, Peter M; Tully, Katherine L; Palm, Cheryl A

    2017-08-01

    Crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa remain stagnant at 1 ton ha -1 , and 260 million people lack access to adequate food resources. Order-of-magnitude increases in fertilizer use are seen as a critical step in attaining food security. This increase represents an unprecedented input of nitrogen (N) to African ecosystems and will likely be accompanied by increased soil emissions of nitric oxide (NO). NO is a precursor to tropospheric ozone, an air pollutant and greenhouse gas. Emissions of NO from soils occur primarily during denitrification and nitrification, and N input rates are a key determinant of emission rates. We established experimental maize plots in western Kenya to allow us to quantify the response function relating NO flux to N input rate during the main 2011 and 2012 growing seasons. NO emissions followed a sigmoid response to fertilizer inputs and have emission factors under 1% for the roughly two-month measurement period in each year, although linear and step relationships could not be excluded in 2011. At fertilization rates above 100 kg N ha -1 , NO emissions increased without a concomitant increase in yields. We used the geos-chem chemical transport model to evaluate local impacts of increased NO emissions on tropospheric ozone concentrations. Mean 4-hour afternoon tropospheric ozone concentrations in Western Kenya increased by up to roughly 2.63 ppbv under fertilization rates of 150 kg N ha -1 or higher. Using AOT40, a metric for assessing crop damage from ozone, we find that the increased ozone concentrations result in an increase in AOT40 exposure of approximately 110 ppbh for inputs of 150 kg N ha -1 during the March-April-May crop growing season, compared with unfertilized simulations, with negligible impacts on crop productivity. Our results suggest that it may be possible to manage Kenyan agricultural systems for high yields while avoiding substantial impacts on air quality. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Application of OMI Observations to a Space-Based Indicator of NOx and VOC Controls on Surface Ozone Formation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, Bryan N.; Yoshida, Yasuko; Olson, Jennifer R.; Sillman, Sanford; Martin, Randall V.; Lamsal, Lok; Hu, Yongtao; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Retscher, Christian; Allen, Dale J.; hide

    2010-01-01

    We investigated variations in the relative sensitivity of surface ozone formation in summer to precursor species concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) as inferred from the ratio of the tropospheric columns of formaldehyde to nitrogen dioxide (the "Ratio") from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Our modeling study suggests that ozone formation decreases with reductions in VOCs at Ratios less than 1 and NOx at Ratios greater than 2; both NOx and VOC reductions may decrease ozone formation for Ratios between 1 and 2. Using this criteria. the OMI data indicate that ozone formation became: 1. more sensitive to NOx over most of the United States from 2005 to 2007 because of the substantial decrease in NOx emissions, primarily from stationary sources, and the concomitant decrease in the tropospheric column of NO2. and 2. more sensitive to NOx with increasing temperature, in part because emissions of highly reactive, biogenic isoprene increase with temperature, thus increasing the total VOC reactivity. In cities with relatively low isoprene emissions (e.g .. Chicago). the data clearly indicate that ozone formation became more sensitive to NOx from 2005 to 2007. In cities with relatively high isoprene emissions (e.g ., Atlanta), we found that the increase in the Ratio due to decreasing NOx emissions was not obvious as this signal was convolved with variations in the Ratio associated with the temperature dependence of isoprene emissions and, consequently, the formaldehyde concentration.

  12. Exploration of OMI Products for Air Quality Applications Through Comparisons with Models and Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pickering, K. E.; Ziemke, J.; Bucsela, E.; Gleason, J.; Marufu, L.; Dickerson, R.; Mathur, R.; Davidson, P.; Duncan, B.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2006-01-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board NASA s Aura satellite was launched in July 2004, and is now providing daily global observations of total column ozone, NO2, and SO2, as well as aerosol information. Algorithms have also been developed to produce daily tropospheric ozone and NO2 products. The tropospheric ozone product reported here is a tropospheric residual computed through use of Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) ozone profile data to quantify stratospheric ozone. We are investigating the applicability of OMI products for use in air quality modeling, forecasting, and analysis. These investigations include comparison of the OMI tropospheric O3 and NO2 products with global and regional models and with lower tropospheric aircraft observations. Large-scale transport of pollution seen in the OM1 tropospheric O3 data is compared with output from NASA's Global Modeling Initiative global chemistry and transport model. On the regional scale we compare the OMI tropospheric O3 and NO2 with fields from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environmental Protection Agency (NOAA/EPA) operational Eta/CMAQ air quality forecasting model over the eastern United States. This 12-km horizontal resolution model output is roughly of equivalent resolution to the OMI pixel data. Correlation analysis between lower tropospheric aircraft O3 profile data taken by the University of Maryland over the Mid-Atlantic States and OMI tropospheric column mean volume mixing ratio for O3 will be presented. These aircraft data are representative of the lowest 3 kilometers of the atmosphere, the region in which much of the locally-generated and regionally-transported ozone exists.

  13. Tropospheric Trace Gas Interactions with Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Penner, Joyce E.; Maddrea, George L., Jr. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Tropospheric aerosols are of considerable environmental importance. They modify the radiative budget of Earth by scattering and absorbing radiation, and by providing nuclei for cloud formation. Additionally, they provide surfaces for heterogeneous and multiphase reactions that affect tropospheric chemistry. For example, Dentener and Crutzen (1993) showed that reactions of N2O5 and NO3 with sulfate aerosols may significantly alter the tropospheric concentrations of NO(x), O3, and OH by converting NOx to HNO3 which is rapidly removed by precipitation. Zhang et al. (1994) assumed these same reactions would occur on dust aerosols and showed that dust outbreaks may reduce NO(x) levels by up to 50%. Dentener et al. (1996) studied the possible effect of reactions on dust on sulfate, nitrate, and O3 concentration. Heterogeneous and multiphase reactions on aerosols may also perturb the sulfur cycle the chlorine cycle and the bromine cycle. Because these reactions can release free chlorine and free bromine they might lead to the destruction of ozone in the marine boundary layer that may be important to include in models of tropospheric chemistry. The goal of our proposed work is to examine the role of heterogeneous and multiphase reactions in the tropospheric cycles of reactive nitrogen and sulfur.

  14. Upper tropospheric cloud systems determined from IR Sounders and their influence on the atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stubenrauch, Claudia; Protopapadaki, Sofia; Feofilov, Artem; Velasco, Carola Barrientos

    2017-02-01

    Covering about 30% of the Earth, upper tropospheric clouds play a key role in the climate system by modulating the Earth's energy budget and heat transport. Infrared Sounders reliably identify cirrus down to an IR optical depth of 0.1. Recently LMD has built global cloud climate data records from AIRS and IASI observations, covering the periods from 2003-2015 and 2008-2015, respectively. Upper tropospheric clouds often form mesoscale systems. Their organization and properties are being studied by (1) distinguishing cloud regimes within 2° × 2° regions and (2) applying a spatial composite technique on adjacent cloud pressures, which estimates the horizontal extent of the mesoscale cloud systems. Convective core, cirrus anvil and thin cirrus of these systems are then distinguished by their emissivity. Compared to other studies of tropical mesoscale convective systems our data include also the thinner anvil parts, which make out about 30% of the area of tropical mesoscale convective systems. Once the horizontal and vertical structure of these upper tropospheric cloud systems is known, we can estimate their radiative effects in terms of top of atmosphere and surface radiative fluxes and by computing their heating rates.

  15. Evaluation of the Ozone Fields in NASA’s MERRA-2 Reanalysis

    PubMed Central

    Wargan, Krzysztof; Labow, Gordon; Frith, Stacey; Pawson, Steven; Livesey, Nathaniel; Partyka, Gary

    2018-01-01

    We describe and assess the quality of the assimilated ozone product from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) produced at NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) spanning the time period from 1980 to present. MERRA-2 assimilates partial column ozone retrievals from a series of Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) radiometers on NASA and NOAA spacecraft between January 1980 and September 2004; starting in October 2004 retrieved ozone profiles from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and total column ozone from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA’s EOS Aura satellite are assimilated. We compare the MERRA-2 ozone with independent satellite and ozonesonde data focusing on the representation of the spatial and temporal variability of stratospheric and upper tropospheric ozone and on implications of the change in the observing system from SBUV to EOS Aura. The comparisons show agreement within 10 % (standard deviation of the difference) between MERRA-2 profiles and independent satellite data in most of the stratosphere. The agreement improves after 2004 when EOS Aura data are assimilated. The standard deviation of the differences between the lower stratospheric and upper tropospheric MERRA-2 ozone and ozonesondes is 11.2 % and 24.5 %, respectively, with correlations of 0.8 and above, indicative of a realistic representation of the near-tropopause ozone variability in MERRA-2. The agreement improves significantly in the EOS Aura period, however MERRA-2 is biased low in the upper troposphere with respect to the ozonesondes. Caution is recommended when using MERRA-2 ozone for decadal changes and trend studies. PMID:29527096

  16. Temperature Dependence of Factors Controlling Isoprene Emissions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, Bryan N.; Yoshida, Yasuko; Damon, Megan R.; Douglass, Anne R.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.

    2009-01-01

    We investigated the relationship of variability in the formaldehyde (HCHO) columns measured by the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) to isoprene emissions in the southeastern United States for 2005-2007. The data show that the inferred, regional-average isoprene emissions varied by about 22% during summer and are well correlated with temperature, which is known to influence emissions. Part of the correlation with temperature is likely associated with other causal factors that are temperature-dependent. We show that the variations in HCHO are convolved with the temperature dependence of surface ozone, which influences isoprene emissions, and the dependence of the HCHO column to mixed layer height as OMI's sensitivity to HCHO increases with altitude. Furthermore, we show that while there is an association of drought with the variation in HCHO, drought in the southeastern U.S. is convolved with temperature.

  17. Analysis of the Latitudinal Variability of Tropospheric Ozone in the Arctic Using the Large Number of Aircraft and Ozonesonde Observations in Early Summer 2008

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ancellet, Gerard; Daskalakis, Nikos; Raut, Jean Christophe; Quennehen, Boris; Ravetta, Francois; Hair, Jonathan; Tarasick, David; Schlager, Hans; Weinheimer, Andrew J.; Thompson, Anne M.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The goal of the paper are to: (1) present tropospheric ozone (O3) climatologies in summer 2008 based on a large amount of measurements, during the International Polar Year when the Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements, and Models of Climate Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport (POLARCAT) campaigns were conducted (2) investigate the processes that determine O3 concentrations in two different regions (Canada and Greenland) that were thoroughly studied using measurements from 3 aircraft and 7 ozonesonde stations. This paper provides an integrated analysis of these observations and the discussion of the latitudinal and vertical variability of tropospheric ozone north of 55oN during this period is performed using a regional model (WFR-Chem). Ozone, CO and potential vorticity (PV) distributions are extracted from the simulation at the measurement locations. The model is able to reproduce the O3 latitudinal and vertical variability but a negative O3 bias of 6-15 ppbv is found in the free troposphere over 4 km, especially over Canada. Ozone average concentrations are of the order of 65 ppbv at altitudes above 4 km both over Canada and Greenland, while they are less than 50 ppbv in the lower troposphere. The relative influence of stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) and of ozone production related to the local biomass burning (BB) emissions is discussed using differences between average values of O3, CO and PV for Southern and Northern Canada or Greenland and two vertical ranges in the troposphere: 0-4 km and 4-8 km. For Canada, the model CO distribution and the weak correlation (less than 30%) of O3 and PV suggests that stratosphere troposphere exchange (STE) is not the major contribution to average tropospheric ozone at latitudes less than 70 deg N, due to the fact that local biomass burning (BB) emissions were significant during the 2008 summer period. Conversely over Greenland, significant STE is found according to the better O3 versus PV

  18. Analysis of the Latitudinal Variability of Tropospheric Ozone in the Arctic Using the Large Number of Aircraft and Ozonesonde Observations in Early Summer 2008

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ancellet, Gerard; Daskalakis, Nikos; Raut, Jean Christophe; Tarasick, David; Hair, Jonathan; Quennehen, Boris; Ravetta, Francois; Schlager, Hans; Weinheimer, Andrew J.; Thompson, Anne M.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The goals of the paper are to: (1) present tropospheric ozone (O3) climatologies in summer 2008 based on a large amount of measurements, during the International Polar Year when the Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements, and Models of Climate Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport (POLARCAT) campaigns were conducted (2) investigate the processes that determine O3 concentrations in two different regions (Canada and Greenland) that were thoroughly studied using measurements from 3 aircraft and 7 ozonesonde stations. This paper provides an integrated analysis of these observations and the discussion of the latitudinal and vertical variability of tropospheric ozone north of 55oN during this period is performed using a regional model (WFR-Chem). Ozone, CO and potential vorticity (PV) distributions are extracted from the simulation at the measurement locations. The model is able to reproduce the O3 latitudinal and vertical variability but a negative O3 bias of 6-15 ppbv is found in the free troposphere over 4 km, especially over Canada. Ozone average concentrations are of the order of 65 ppbv at altitudes above 4 km both over Canada and Greenland, while they are less than 50 ppbv in the lower troposphere. The relative influence of stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) and of ozone production related to the local biomass burning (BB) emissions is discussed using differences between average values of O3, CO and PV for Southern and Northern Canada or Greenland and two vertical ranges in the troposphere: 0-4 km and 4-8 km. For Canada, the model CO distribution and the weak correlation ( 30) of O3 and PV suggests that stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) is not the major contribution to average tropospheric ozone at latitudes less than 70oN, due to the fact that local biomass burning (BB) emissions were significant during the 2008 summer period. Conversely over Greenland, significant STE is found according to the better O3 versus PV correlation

  19. TES/Aura L3 Methane (CH4) Monthly (TL3CH4M)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-02-28

    ... TES Aura L1B Nadir Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km Spatial Resolution:  0.5 x 5 km ... Guide Documents:  Data User's Guide (PDF):  Level 3 Level 3 Algorithms, Requirements, & Products (PDF) ...

  20. Halogens and the Chemistry of the Free Troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lary, David John

    2004-01-01

    The role of halogens in both the marine boundary layer and the stratosphere has long been recognized, while their role in the free troposphere is often not considered in global chemical models. However, a careful examination of free-tropospheric chemistry constrained by observations using a full chemical data assimilation system shows that halogens do play a significant role in the free troposphere. In particular, the chlorine initiation of methane oxidation in the free troposphere can contribute more than 10%, and in some regions up to 50%, of the total rate of initiation. The initiation of methane oxidation by chlorine is particularly important below the polar vortex and in northern mid-latitudes. Likewise, the hydrolysis of BrONO2 alone can contribute more than 35% of the HNO3 production rate in the free-troposphere.

  1. The High Resolution Tropospheric Ozone Residual

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schoeberl, Mark R.

    2006-01-01

    The co-flight of the MLS stratospheric limb sounder and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) provides the capability of computing the Tropospheric Ozone Residual (TOR) in much greater detail [Ziemke et al., 2006]. Using forward trajectory calculations of MLS ozone measurements combined with OMI column ozone we have developed a high horizontal resolution tropospheric ozone residual (HTOR) which can provide even more detail than the standard TOR product. HTOR is especially useful for extra-tropical studies of tropospheric ozone transport. We find that both the Pacific pollution corridor (East Asia to Alaska) and the Atlantic pollution corridor (North America east coast to Europe) are also preferred locations for strat-trop folds leading to systematic overestimates of pollution amounts. In fact, fold events appear to dominate extra-tropical Northern Hemisphere day-to-day maps of HTOR. Model estimates of the tropospheric column are in reasonable agreement with the HTOR amounts when offsets due to different tropopause height calculations are taken into consideration.

  2. Tropospheric ozone over Siberia in spring 2010: long-range transport of biomass burning and anthropogenic emissions, stratospheric intrusion and remote boundary layer influence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berchet, A.; Paris, J.-D.; Ancellet, G.; Law, K.; Stohl, A.; Nédélec, P.; Arshinov, M. Yu; Belan, B. D.; Ciais, P.

    2012-04-01

    Atmospheric pollution, including tropospheric ozone, has an adverse effect on humans and their environment. The Siberian air shed covers about 10% of Earth's land surface. Therefore, it can contribute significantly to the global tropospheric ozone budget due, in the region, to vast deposition losses on the boreal forest vegetation in the atmospheric surface layer on the one hand, and in-situ photochemical production from ozone precursors emitted by Siberian terrestrial ecosystems, and the influx of stratospheric ozone to the troposphere on the other hand. We have identified and characterized factors that influenced the tropospheric ozone budget over Siberia during spring 2010 by analyzing in-situ measurements of ozone, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane mixing ratios collected by continuous analyzers during an intensive airborne measurement campaign of the YAK-AEROSIB Project, carried out between 15 and 18 April 2010. The observations, spanning over 3000 km and stretching from 800 to 6700 m above ground level, were analyzed using the Lagrangian model FLEXPART to simulate backward air mass transport. The analysis of trace gas variability and simulated origin of air masses origins showed that biomass burning and anthropogenic activity expectedly increased carbon monoxide and dioxide concentrations. Also, such plumes coming from east and west of West Siberian plain and from North-Eastern China were shown to increase ozone mixing ratio owing to photochemical processes taking place along the transport route. In the case of low ozone mixing ratios observed over a large area (800x200km) in the upper troposphere above 5500 m the air masses transported to the region under study were likely influenced by an Arctic ozone depletion event transported to lower latitudes and advected to the upper troposphere. The stratospheric source of ozone to the troposphere was observed directly in a well-defined stratospheric intrusion. Numerical simulations of this event suggest

  3. Subtropical subsidence and surface deposition of oxidized mercury produced in the free troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shah, Viral; Jaeglé, Lyatt

    2017-07-01

    Oxidized mercury (Hg(II)) is chemically produced in the atmosphere by oxidation of elemental mercury and is directly emitted by anthropogenic activities. We use the GEOS-Chem global chemical transport model with gaseous oxidation driven by Br atoms to quantify how surface deposition of Hg(II) is influenced by Hg(II) production at different atmospheric heights. We tag Hg(II) chemically produced in the lower (surface-750 hPa), middle (750-400 hPa), and upper troposphere (400 hPa-tropopause), in the stratosphere, as well as directly emitted Hg(II). We evaluate our 2-year simulation (2013-2014) against observations of Hg(II) wet deposition as well as surface and free-tropospheric observations of Hg(II), finding reasonable agreement. We find that Hg(II) produced in the upper and middle troposphere constitutes 91 % of the tropospheric mass of Hg(II) and 91 % of the annual Hg(II) wet deposition flux. This large global influence from the upper and middle troposphere is the result of strong chemical production coupled with a long lifetime of Hg(II) in these regions. Annually, 77-84 % of surface-level Hg(II) over the western US, South America, South Africa, and Australia is produced in the upper and middle troposphere, whereas 26-66 % of surface Hg(II) over the eastern US, Europe, and East Asia, and South Asia is directly emitted. The influence of directly emitted Hg(II) near emission sources is likely higher but cannot be quantified by our coarse-resolution global model (2° latitude × 2.5° longitude). Over the oceans, 72 % of surface Hg(II) is produced in the lower troposphere because of higher Br concentrations in the marine boundary layer. The global contribution of the upper and middle troposphere to the Hg(II) dry deposition flux is 52 %. It is lower compared to the contribution to wet deposition because dry deposition of Hg(II) produced aloft requires its entrainment into the boundary layer, while rain can scavenge Hg(II) from higher altitudes more readily. We find

  4. Global distribution and sources of volatile and nonvolatile aerosol in the remote troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Hanwant B.; Anderson, B. E.; Avery, M. A.; Viezee, W.; Chen, Y.; Tabazadeh, A.; Hamill, P.; Pueschel, R.; Fuelberg, H. E.; Hannan, J. R.

    2002-06-01

    Airborne measurements of aerosol (condensation nuclei, CN) and selected trace gases made over areas of the North Atlantic Ocean during Subsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment (SONEX) (October/November 1997), the south tropical Pacific Ocean during Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM)-Tropics A (September/October 1996), and PEM-Tropics B (March/April 1999) have been analyzed. The emphasis is on interpreting variations in the number densities of fine (>17 nm) and ultrafine (>8 nm) aerosol in the upper troposphere (8-12 km). These data suggest that large number densities of highly volatile CN (104 - 105 cm-3) are present in the upper troposphere and particularly over the tropical/subtropical region. CN number densities in all regions are largest when the atmosphere is devoid of nonvolatile particles. Through marine convection and long-distance horizontal transport, volatile CN originating from the tropical/subtropical regions can frequently impact the abundance of aerosol in the middle and upper troposphere at mid to high latitudes. Nonvolatile aerosols behave in a manner similar to tracers of combustion (CO) and photochemical pollution (peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN)), implying a continental pollution source from industrial emissions or biomass burning. In the upper troposphere we find that volatile and nonvolatile aerosol number densities are inversely correlated. Results from an aerosol microphysical model suggest that the coagulation of fine volatile particles with fewer but larger nonvolatile particles, of principally anthropogenic origin, is one possible explanation for this relationship. In some instances the larger nonvolatile particles may also directly remove precursors (e.g., H2SO4) and effectively stop nucleation.

  5. Evaluating A Priori Ozone Profile Information Used in TEMPO Tropospheric Ozone Retrievals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Matthew S.; Sullivan, John T.; Liu, Xiong; Newchurch, Mike; Kuang, Shi; McGee, Thomas J.; Langford, Andrew O'Neil; Senff, Christoph J.; Leblanc, Thierry; Berkoff, Timothy; hide

    2016-01-01

    Ozone (O3) is a greenhouse gas and toxic pollutant which plays a major role in air quality. Typically, monitoring of surface air quality and O3 mixing ratios is primarily conducted using in situ measurement networks. This is partially due to high-quality information related to air quality being limited from space-borne platforms due to coarse spatial resolution, limited temporal frequency, and minimal sensitivity to lower tropospheric and surface-level O3. The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite is designed to address these limitations of current space-based platforms and to improve our ability to monitor North American air quality. TEMPO will provide hourly data of total column and vertical profiles of O3 with high spatial resolution to be used as a near-real-time air quality product. TEMPO O3 retrievals will apply the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory profile algorithm developed based on work from GOME, GOME-2, and OMI. This algorithm uses a priori O3 profile information from a climatological data-base developed from long-term ozone-sonde measurements (tropopause-based (TB) O3 climatology). It has been shown that satellite O3 retrievals are sensitive to a priori O3 profiles and covariance matrices. During this work we investigate the climatological data to be used in TEMPO algorithms (TB O3) and simulated data from the NASA GMAO Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) Forward Processing (FP) near-real-time (NRT) model products. These two data products will be evaluated with ground-based lidar data from the Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) at various locations of the US. This study evaluates the TB climatology, GEOS-5 climatology, and 3-hourly GEOS-5 data compared to lower tropospheric observations to demonstrate the accuracy of a priori information to potentially be used in TEMPO O3 algorithms. Here we present our initial analysis and the theoretical impact on TEMPO retrievals in the lower troposphere.

  6. Evaluating a Priori Ozone Profile Information Used in TEMPO Tropospheric Ozone Retrievals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Matthew S.; Sullivan, John; Liu, Xiong; Newchurch, Mike; Kuang, Shi; McGee, Thomas; Langford, Andrew; Senff, Chris; Leblanc, Thierry; Berkoff, Timothy; hide

    2016-01-01

    Ozone (O3) is a greenhouse gas and toxic pollutant which plays a major role in air quality. Typically, monitoring of surface air quality and O3 mixing ratios is primarily conducted using in situ measurement networks. This is partially due to high-quality information related to air quality being limited from space-borne platforms due to coarse spatial resolution, limited temporal frequency, and minimal sensitivity to lower tropospheric and surface-level O3. The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite is designed to address these limitations of current space-based platforms and to improve our ability to monitor North American air quality. TEMPO will provide hourly data of total column and vertical profiles of O3 with high spatial resolution to be used as a near-real-time air quality product.TEMPO O3 retrievals will apply the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory profile algorithm developed based on work from GOME, GOME-2, and OMI. This algorithm uses a priori O3 profile information from a climatological data-base developed from long-term ozone-sonde measurements (tropopause-based (TB) O3 climatology). It has been shown that satellite O3 retrievals are sensitive to a priori O3 profiles and covariance matrices. During this work we investigate the climatological data to be used in TEMPO algorithms (TB O3) and simulated data from the NASA GMAO Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) Forward Processing (FP) near-real-time (NRT) model products. These two data products will be evaluated with ground-based lidar data from the Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) at various locations of the US. This study evaluates the TB climatology, GEOS-5 climatology, and 3-hourly GEOS-5 data compared to lower tropospheric observations to demonstrate the accuracy of a priori information to potentially be used in TEMPO O3 algorithms. Here we present our initial analysis and the theoretical impact on TEMPO retrievals in the lower troposphere.

  7. Evaluating A Priori Ozone Profile Information Used in TEMPO Tropospheric Ozone Retrievals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, M. S.; Sullivan, J. T.; Liu, X.; Newchurch, M.; Kuang, S.; McGee, T. J.; Langford, A. O.; Senff, C. J.; Leblanc, T.; Berkoff, T.; Gronoff, G.; Chen, G.; Strawbridge, K. B.

    2016-12-01

    Ozone (O3) is a greenhouse gas and toxic pollutant which plays a major role in air quality. Typically, monitoring of surface air quality and O3 mixing ratios is primarily conducted using in situ measurement networks. This is partially due to high-quality information related to air quality being limited from space-borne platforms due to coarse spatial resolution, limited temporal frequency, and minimal sensitivity to lower tropospheric and surface-level O3. The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite is designed to address these limitations of current space-based platforms and to improve our ability to monitor North American air quality. TEMPO will provide hourly data of total column and vertical profiles of O3 with high spatial resolution to be used as a near-real-time air quality product. TEMPO O3 retrievals will apply the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory profile algorithm developed based on work from GOME, GOME-2, and OMI. This algorithm uses a priori O3 profile information from a climatological data-base developed from long-term ozone-sonde measurements (tropopause-based (TB) O3 climatology). It has been shown that satellite O3 retrievals are sensitive to a priori O3 profiles and covariance matrices. During this work we investigate the climatological data to be used in TEMPO algorithms (TB O3) and simulated data from the NASA GMAO Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) Forward Processing (FP) near-real-time (NRT) model products. These two data products will be evaluated with ground-based lidar data from the Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) at various locations of the US. This study evaluates the TB climatology, GEOS-5 climatology, and 3-hourly GEOS-5 data compared to lower tropospheric observations to demonstrate the accuracy of a priori information to potentially be used in TEMPO O3 algorithms. Here we present our initial analysis and the theoretical impact on TEMPO retrievals in the lower troposphere.

  8. Correlative nature of ozone and carbon monoxide in the troposphere - Implications for the tropospheric ozone budget

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fishman, J.; Seiler, W.

    1983-01-01

    The small-scale vertical variability of troposheric O3 and CO is examined using a set of simultaneous measurements obtained in July and August 1974 between 55 deg S and 67 deg N. From this set of vertical profiles, it is found that many of the fluctuations are coincident in both species, and a method is presented that quantifies the correlation between the observed O3 and CO variability. A two-dimensional depiction of the distribution of these O3-CO correlations reveals that there are regions in the troposphere where these trace gases are positively correlated and that, at the same time, there are preferred locations where these two species are primarily anticorrelated. The regions of anticorrelation are found to be consistent with the traditional picture of the tropospheric ozone cycle, suggesting that this gas is chemically unreactive in the troposphere. On the other hand, the location and magnitude of the region in which these two species are positively correlated indicates that there is considerable in situ production of tropospheric ozone.

  9. Chemical Characteristics of Continental Outflow from Asia to the Troposphere over the Western Pacific Ocean during September - October 1991: Results from PEM-West A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Talbot, R. W.; Dibb, J. E.; Klemm, K. I.; Bradshaw, J. D.; Sandholm, S. T.; Blake, D. R.; Sachse, G. W.; Collins, J.; Heikes, B. G.; Gregory, G. L.; hide

    1996-01-01

    An important objective of the Pacific Exploratory Mission-West A (PEM-West A) was the chemical characterization of the outflow of tropospheric trace gases and aerosol particles from the Asian continent over the western Pacific Ocean. This paper summarizes the chemistry of this outflow during the period September - October 1991. The vertical distributions of CO, C2H6, and NO(x), showed regions of outflow at altitudes below 2 km and from 8 to 12 km. Mixing ratios of CO were approx. equals 130 parts per billion by volume (ppbv), approx. equals 1OOO parts per trillion by volume (pptv) for C2H6, and approx. equals 100 pptv for NO(x) in both of these regions. Direct outflow of Asian industrial materials was clearly evident at altitudes below 2 km, where halocarbon tracer compounds such as CH3CCl3 and C2Cl4 were enhanced about threefold compared to aged Pacific air. The source attribution of species outflowing from Asia to the Pacific at 8-12 km altitude was not straightforward. Above 10 km altitude there were substantial enhancements of NO(y), O3, CO, CH4, SO2, C2H6, C3H8, C2H2, and aerosol Pb-210 but not halocarbon industrial tracers. These air masses were rich in nitrogen relative to sulfur and contained ratios of C2H2/CO and C3H8/C2H6 (approx. equals l.5 and 0.1 respectively) indicative of several- day-old combustion emissions. It is unclear if these emissions were of Asian origin, or if they were rapidly transported to this region from Europe by the high wind speeds in this tropospheric region (60 - 70 m/s). The significant cyclonic activity over Asia at this time could have transported to the upper troposphere emissions from biomass burning in Southeast Asia or emissions from the extensive use of various biomass materials for cooking and space heating. Apparently, the emissions in the upper troposphere were brought there by wet convective systems since water-soluble gases and aerosols were depleted in these air masses. Near 9 km altitude there was a distinct

  10. Influence of tropospheric ozone control on exposure to ultraviolet radiation at the surface.

    PubMed

    Madronich, Sasha; Wagner, Mark; Groth, Philip

    2011-08-15

    Improving air quality by reducing ambient ozone (O(3)) will likely lower O(3) concentrations throughout the troposphere and increase the transmission of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation to the surface. The changes in surface UV radiation between two control scenarios (nominally 84 and 70 ppb O(3) for summer 2020) in the Eastern two-thirds of the contiguous U.S. are estimated, using tropospheric O(3) profiles calculated with a chemistry-transport model (Community Multi-Scale Air Quality, CMAQ) as inputs to a detailed model of the transfer of solar radiation through the atmosphere (tropospheric ultraviolet-visible, TUV) for clear skies, weighed for the wavelengths known to induce sunburn and skin cancer. Because the incremental emission controls differ according to region, strong spatial variability in O(3) reductions and in corresponding UV radiation increments is seen. The geographically averaged UV increase is 0.11 ± 0.03%, whereas the population-weighted increase is larger, 0.19 ± 0.06%, because O(3) reductions are greater in more densely populated regions. These relative increments in exposure are non-negligible given the already high incidence of UV-related health effects, but are lower by an order of magnitude or more than previous estimates.

  11. The Vertical Structure of Relative Humidity and Ozone in the Tropical Upper Troposphere: Intercomparisons Among In Situ Observations, A-Train Measurements and Large-Scale Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Selkirk, Henry B.; Manyin, Michael; Douglass, Anne R.; Oman, Luke; Pawson, Steven; Ott, Lesley; Benson, Craig; Stolarski, Richard

    2010-01-01

    In situ measurements in the tropics have shown that in regions of active convection, relative humidity with respect to ice in the upper troposphere is typically close to saturation on average, and supersaturations greater than 20% are not uncommon. Balloon soundings with the cryogenic frost point hygrometer (CFH) at Costa Rica during northern summer, for example, show this tendency to be strongest between 11 and 15.5 km (345-360 K potential temperature, or approximately 250-120 hPa). this is the altitude range of deep convective detrainment. Additionally, simultaneous ozonesonde measurements show that stratospheric air (O3 greater than 150 ppbv) can be found as low as approximately 14 km (350 K/150 hPa). In contrast, results from northern winter show a much drier upper troposphere and little penetration of stratospheric air below the tropopause at 17.5 km (approximately 383 K). We show that these results are consistent with in situ measurements from the Measurement of Ozone and water vapor by Airbus In-service airCraft (MOZAIC) program which samples a wider, though still limited, range of tropical locations. To generalize to the tropics as a whole, we compare our insitu results to data from two A-Train satellite instruments, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Aqua and Aura satellites respectively. Finally, we examine the vertical structure of water vapor, relative humidity and ozone in the NASA Goddard MERRA analysis, an assimilation dataset, and a new version of the GEOS CCM, a free-running chemistry-climate model. We demonstrate that conditional probability distributions of relative humidity and ozone are a sensitive diagnostic for assessing the representation of deep convection and upper troposphere/lower stratosphere mixing processes in large-scale analyses and climate models.

  12. Carbon monoxide measurements in the troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reichle, H. G., Jr.; Beck, S. M.; Haynes, R. E.; Hesketh, W. D.; Holland, J. A.; Hypes, W. D.; Orr, H. D., III; Sherrill, R. T.; Wallio, H. A.; Casas, J. C.

    1982-01-01

    Approximately 35 hours of radiometric measurements were obtained of the CO mixing ratio in the middle troposphere, upper troposphere, and lower stratosphere, by means of the Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites (MAPS) experiment carried in the OSTA-1 payload of the second Space Shuttle flight. In view of gas filter radiometer data in the 4.67-micron band, gathered over the 38 N-38 S latitude region during both daytime and nighttime, the performance of MAPS was excellent. Significant gradients have been found in the middle tropospheric CO mixing ratio with both latitude and longitude over the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Middle East.

  13. Tropospheric Chemistry Studies using Observations from GOME and TOMS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chance, Kelly; Spurr, Robert J. D.; Kurosu, Thomas P.; Jacob, Daniel J.; Gleason, James F.

    2003-01-01

    Studies to quantitatively determine trace gas and aerosol amounts from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) and the Total Ozone Monitoring Experiment (TOMS) and to perform chemical modeling studies which utilize these results are given. This includes: 1. Analysis of measurements from the GOME and TOMS instruments for troposphere distributions of O3 and HCHO; troposphere enhancements of SO2, NO2 and aerosols associated with major sources; and springtime events of elevated BrO in the lower Arctic troposphere. 2. Application of a global 3-dimensional model of troposphere chemistry to interpret the GOME observations in terms of the factors controlling the abundances of troposphere ozone and OH.

  14. Is There Evidence that Mid-Latitude Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Occurs in Conjunction with North American Monsoon Convection?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosenlof, K. H.; Ray, E. A.; Portmann, R. W.

    2017-12-01

    A recent study suggests that during the period of the summertime North American Monsoon (NAM), ozone depletion could occur as a result of catalytic ozone destruction associated with the cold and wet conditions caused by overshooting convection. Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) water vapor measurements do show that the NAM region is wetter than other parts of the globe in regards to both the mean and extremes. However, definitive evidence of ozone depletion occurring in that region has not been presented. In this study, we examine coincident measurements of water vapor, ozone, and tropospheric tracers from aircraft data taken during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) aircraft campaign looking specifically for ozone depletion in regions identified as impacted by overshooting convection. Although we do find evidence of lower ozone values in air impacted by convective overshoots, using tropospheric tracers we attribute those observations to input of tropospheric air rather than catalytic ozone destruction. Additionally, we explore the consequences of these lower ozone values on surface UV, and conclude that there is minimal impact on the UV index.

  15. Elevated audiovisual temporal interaction in patients with migraine without aura

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Photophobia and phonophobia are the most prominent symptoms in patients with migraine without aura. Hypersensitivity to visual stimuli can lead to greater hypersensitivity to auditory stimuli, which suggests that the interaction between visual and auditory stimuli may play an important role in the pathogenesis of migraine. However, audiovisual temporal interactions in migraine have not been well studied. Therefore, our aim was to examine auditory and visual interactions in migraine. Methods In this study, visual, auditory, and audiovisual stimuli with different temporal intervals between the visual and auditory stimuli were randomly presented to the left or right hemispace. During this time, the participants were asked to respond promptly to target stimuli. We used cumulative distribution functions to analyze the response times as a measure of audiovisual integration. Results Our results showed that audiovisual integration was significantly elevated in the migraineurs compared with the normal controls (p < 0.05); however, audiovisual suppression was weaker in the migraineurs compared with the normal controls (p < 0.05). Conclusions Our findings further objectively support the notion that migraineurs without aura are hypersensitive to external visual and auditory stimuli. Our study offers a new quantitative and objective method to evaluate hypersensitivity to audio-visual stimuli in patients with migraine. PMID:24961903

  16. Homepage for the Global Tropospheric Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ward, Eugene

    1995-01-01

    The objective of my NASA summer research project was to create a homepage to describe and present results from the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE). The GTE is a major component of NASA's Tropospheric Chemistry Program and is managed in the Atmospheric Studies Branch, Atmospheric Sciences Division at the NASA Langley Research Center.

  17. Influences of man-made emissions and climate changes on tropospheric ozone, methane, and sulfate at 2030 from a broad range of possible futures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Unger, Nadine; Shindell, Drew T.; Koch, Dorothy M.; Amann, Markus; Cofala, Janusz; Streets, David G.

    2006-06-01

    We apply the Goddard Institute for Space Studies composition-climate model to an assessment of tropospheric O3, CH4, and sulfate at 2030. We compare four different anthropogenic emissions forecasts: A1B and B1 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emissions Scenarios and Current Legislation (CLE) and Maximum Feasible Reduction (MFR) from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. The projections encompass a wide range of possible man-made emissions changes. The A1B, B1, and CLE forecasts all suggest large increases in surface O3 and sulfate baseline pollution at tropical and subtropical latitudes, especially over the Indian subcontinent, where the pollution increases may be as large as 100%. The ranges of annual mean regional ground level O3 and sulfate changes across all scenarios are -10 to +30 ppbv and -1200 to +3000 pptv, respectively. Physical climate changes reduce future surface O3, but tend to increase ground level sulfate locally over North Africa because of an enhancement of aqueous-phase SO2 oxidation. For all examined future scenarios the combined sum of the CH4, O3, and sulfate radiative forcings is positive, even for the MFR scenario, because of the large reduction in sulfate. For A1B the forcings are as much as half of that of the preindustrial to present-day forcing for each species. For MFR the sign of the forcing for each species is reversed with respect to the other scenarios. At 2030, global changes in climate-sensitive natural emissions of CH4 from wetlands, NOx from lightning, and dimethyl sulfide from the ocean appear to be small (<5%).

  18. [Migraine without aura treated with balance acupuncture therapy:a randomized controlled trial].

    PubMed

    Wang, Jinzhong; Qin, Xiaolan; Xie, Wenyuan; Wang, Wenyuan

    2017-08-12

    To assess the effect of balance acupuncture for migraine without aura. Blind evaluation was conducted. Forty patients with migraine without aura were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 19 cases in each one with 1 patient dropped out respectively. In the observation group, Toutongxue , the middle point was used in the hollow before the 1, 2 metatarsal combination, and in the control group, a sham point was applied in the hollow before the 3, 4 metatarsal combination. The manipulation in the two groups was the same. The treatment was given for 4 weeks, once a day, 5 times a week. The comprehensive score and visual analogue scale (VAS) were used before and after treatment, as well as 4 weeks after treatment. The comprehensive score and VAS score after treatment in the observation group decreased after treatment (both P <0.05), of which the total headache time and attack number for one month were lower than those before treatment (both P <0.05), but at follow-up the VAS score was higher than that after treatment ( P <0.05). The above indices in the control group were not significantly different from those before treatment (all P >0.05). All the indices in the observation group after treatment and at follow-up were lower than those in the control group (all P <0.05). The different values for the comprehensive score and VAS score before and after treatment, before treatment and at follow-up in the observation group were better than those in the control group (all P <0.05). The different values after treatment and at follow-up had no significant difference between the two groups (both P >0.05). Balance acupuncture at Toutongxue achieves obvious effect for migraine without aura, which can relieve pain.

  19. Migraine with aura and risk of silent brain infarcts and white matter hyperintensities: an MRI study

    PubMed Central

    Garde, Ellen; Blaabjerg, Morten; Nielsen, Helle H.; Krøigård, Thomas; Østergaard, Kamilla; Møller, Harald S.; Hjelmborg, Jacob; Madsen, Camilla G.; Iversen, Pernille; Kyvik, Kirsten O.; Siebner, Hartwig R.; Ashina, Messoud

    2016-01-01

    Abstract A small number of population-based studies reported an association between migraine with aura and risk of silent brain infarcts and white matter hyperintensities in females. We investigated these relations in a population-based sample of female twins. We contacted female twins ages 30–60 years identified through the population-based Danish Twin Registry. Based on questionnaire responses, twins were invited to participate in a telephone-based interview conducted by physicians. Headache diagnoses were established according to the International Headache Society criteria. Cases with migraine with aura, their co-twins, and unrelated migraine-free twins (controls) were invited to a brain magnetic resonance imaging scan performed at a single centre. Brain scans were assessed for the presence of infarcts, and white matter hyperintensities (visual rating scales and volumetric analyses) blinded to headache diagnoses. Comparisons were based on 172 cases, 34 co-twins, and 139 control subjects. Compared with control subjects, cases did not differ with regard to frequency of silent brain infarcts (four cases versus one control), periventricular white matter hyperintensity scores [adjusted mean difference (95% confidence interval): −0.1 (−0.5 to 0.2)] or deep white matter hyperintensity scores [adjusted mean difference (95% confidence interval): 0.1 (−0.8 to 1.1)] assessed by Scheltens’ scale. Cases had a slightly higher total white matter hyperintensity volume compared with controls [adjusted mean difference (95% confidence interval): 0.17 (−0.08 to 0.41) cm 3 ] and a similar difference was present in analyses restricted to twin pairs discordant for migraine with aura [adjusted mean difference 0.21 (−0.20 to 0.63)], but these differences did not reach statistical significance. We found no evidence of an association between silent brain infarcts, white matter hyperintensities, and migraine with aura. PMID:27190013

  20. Honey From Maggots: Aura, Sacrifice, and the Human Universe in Charles Olson's "The Kingfishers"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roethle, Christopher James

    In this thesis, I contend that some form of aura can be recovered from the ravages of technological reproduction described in Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility (Third Version)." Recovering this aura, however, may require adopting an aesthetic of immediacy through destruction and even wanton disposability (what Georges Bataille in his general economic theory calls "nonproductive expenditure") to ensure that, though routinely diluted and discarded, the split-second authenticity of a work remains, its radical ephemerality and formal irreproducibility opposing the enslaving, commodifying powers of the copy. The poetry and poetic theory of American poet Charles Olson, especially in his long poem "The Kingfishers" and his essays "Projective Verse" and "Human Universe," serves as an example of how an author might inscribe auratic energy along nonproductive, general economic lines.

  1. Diurnal Variation in the Basal Emission Rate of Isoprene

    Treesearch

    Jennifer Funk; Clive G. Jones; Christine J. Baker; Heather M. Fuller; Christian P. Giardina; Manuel T. Lerdua

    2003-01-01

    Isoprene is emitted from numerous plant species and profoundly influences tropospheric chemistry. Due to the short lifetime of isoprene in the atmosphere, developing an understanding of emission patterns at small time scales is essential for modeling regional atmospheric chemistry processes. Previous studies suggest that diurnal fluctuations in isoprene emission may be...

  2. Tropospheric Halogen Chemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    von Glasow, R.; Crutzen, P. J.

    2003-12-01

    compilations of laboratory studies that were made to elucidate chemical reaction paths are given by, e.g., DeMore et al. (1997), Sander et al. (2000), and Atkinson et al. (1999, 2000). Emission inventories for chlorine were compiled by Graedel and Keene (1995) and Keene et al. (1999).In Section 4.02.2 of this overview we will first describe the main halogen reaction mechanisms and then discuss, in Section 4.02.3, the springtime surface ozone depletion events in high latitudes that were first observed in the Arctic. Another main part of this chapter is concerned with halogens in the marine boundary layer ( Section 4.02.4). In Section 4.02.5 we describe interactions of halogens with some other elements of atmospheric importance. A very recently discovered environment where halogen chemistry plays a large role are salt lakes ( Section 4.02.6). There the chemistry bears similarity to that of the high-latitude ozone depletion events. This is followed in Section 4.02.7 by a discussion of halogen chemistry in the free troposphere and in Section 4.02.8 by other sources of halogens such as industry and biomass burning.

  3. Exhaust emissions of volatile organic compounds of powered two-wheelers: effect of cold start and vehicle speed. Contribution to greenhouse effect and tropospheric ozone formation.

    PubMed

    Costagliola, M Antonietta; Murena, Fabio; Prati, M Vittoria

    2014-01-15

    Powered two-wheeler (PTW) vehicles complying with recent European type approval standards (stages Euro 2 and Euro 3) were tested on chassis dynamometer in order to measure exhaust emissions of about 25 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the range C1-C7, including carcinogenic compounds as benzene and 1,3-butadiene. The fleet consists of a moped (engine capacity ≤ 50 cm(3)) and three fuel injection motorcycles of different engine capacities (150, 300 and 400 cm(3)). Different driving conditions were tested (US FPT cycle, constant speed). Due to the poor control of the combustion and catalyst efficiency, moped is the highest pollutant emitter. In fact, fuel injection strategy and three way catalyst with lambda sensor are able to reduce VOC motorcycles' emission of about one order of magnitude with respect to moped. Cold start effect, that is crucial for the assessment of actual emission of PTWs in urban areas, was significant: 30-51% of extra emission for methane. In the investigated speed range, moped showed a significant maximum of VOC emission factor at minimum speed (10 km/h) and a slightly decreasing trend from 20 to 60 km/h; motorcycles showed on the average a less significant peak at 10 km/h, a minimum at 30-40 km/h and then an increasing trend with a maximum emission factor at 90 km/h. Carcinogenic VOCs show the same pattern of total VOCs. Ozone Formation Potential (OFP) was estimated by using Maximum Incremental Reactivity scale. The greatest contribution to tropospheric ozone formation comes from alkenes group which account for 50-80% to the total OFP. VOC contribution effect on greenhouse effect is negligible with respect to CO2 emitted. © 2013.

  4. Transport of sulfur dioxide from the Asian Pacific Rim to the North Pacific troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thornton, Donald C.; Bandy, Alan R.; Blomquist, Byron W.; Talbot, Robert W.; Dibb, Jack E.

    1997-12-01

    The NASA Pacific Exploratory Mission over the Western Pacific Ocean (PEM-West B) field experiment provided an opportunity to study sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the troposphere over the western Pacific Ocean from the tropics to 60°N during February-March 1993. The large suite of chemical and physical measurements yielded a complex matrix in which to understand the distribution of sulfur dioxide over the western Pacific region. In contrast to the late summer period of Pacific Exploratory Mission-West A (PEM-West A) (1991) over this same area, SO2 showed little increase with altitude, and concentrations were much lower in the free troposphere than during the PEM-West B period. Volcanic impacts on the upper troposphere were again found as a result of deep convection in the tropics. Extensive emission of SO2 from the Pacific Rim land masses were primarily observed in the lower well-mixed part of the boundary layer but also in the upper part of the boundary layer. Analyses of the SO2 data with aerosol sulfate, beryllium-7, and lead-210 indicated that SO2 contributed to half or more of the observed total oxidized sulfur (SO2 plus aerosol sulfate) in free tropospheric air. The combined data set suggests that SO2 above 8.5 km is transported from the surface but with aerosol sulfate being removed more effectively than SO2. Cloud processing and rain appeared to be responsible for lower SO2 levels between 3 and 8.5 km than above or below this region.

  5. Validation of Aura Microwave Limb Sounder HCl Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Froidevaux, L.; Jiang, Y. B.; Lambert, A.; Livesey, N. J.; Read, W. G.; Waters, J. W.; Fuller, R. A.; Marcy, T. P.; Popp, P. J.; Gao, R. S.; hide

    2008-01-01

    The Earth Observing System (EOS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) aboard the Aura satellite has provided daily global HCl profiles since August 2004. We provide a characterization of the resolution, random and systematic uncertainties, and known issues for the version 2.2 MLS HCl data. The MLS sampling allows for comparisons with many (1500 to more than 3000) closely matched profiles from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) and Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS). These data sets provide HCl latitudinal distributions that are, overall, very similar to those from (coincident) MLS profiles, although there are some discrepancies in the upper stratosphere between the MLS and HALOE gradients. As found in previous work, MLS and ACE HCl profiles agree very well (within approximately 5%, on average), but the MLS HCl abundances are generally larger (by 10-20%) than HALOE HCl. The bias versus HALOE is unlikely to arise mostly from MLS, as a similar systematic bias (of order 15%) is not observed between average MLS and balloon-borne measurements of HCl, obtained over Fort Sumner, New Mexico, in 2004 and 2005. At the largest pressure (147 hPa) for MLS HCl, a high bias (approximately 0.2 ppbv) is apparent in analyses of low to midlatitude data versus in situ aircraft chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) HCl measurements from the Aura Validation Experiment (AVE) campaigns in 2004, 2005, and 2006; this bias is also observed in comparisons of MLS and aircraftHCl/O3 correlations. Good agreement between MLS and CIMS HCl is obtained at 100 to 68 hPa. The recommended pressure range for MLS HCl is from 100 to 0.15 hPa.

  6. Evaluation of ozone hindcasts: optimal data sets to use, and results from simulations with the GMI model for 1990-2010.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Logan, J. A.; Megretskaia, I.; Liu, J.; Rodriguez, J. M.; Strahan, S. E.; Damon, M.; Steenrod, S. D.

    2012-12-01

    Simulations of atmospheric composition in the recent past (hindcasts) are a valuable tool for determining the causes of interannual variability (IAV) and trends in tropospheric ozone, including factors such as anthropogenic emissions, biomass burning, stratospheric input, and variability in meteorology. We will review the ozone data sets (balloon, satellite, and surface) that are the most reliable for evaluating hindcasts, and demonstrate their application with the GMI model. The GMI model is driven by the GEOS-5/MERRA reanalysis and includes both stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry. Preliminary analysis of a simulation for 1990-2010 using constant fossil fuel emissions is promising. The model reproduces the recent interannual variability (IAV) in ozone in the lowermost stratosphere seen in MLS and sonde data, as well as the IAV seen in sonde data in the lower stratosphere since 1995, and captures much of the IAV and short-term trends in surface ozone at remote sites, showing the influence of variability in dynamics. There was considerable IAV in ozone in the lowermost stratosphere in the Aura period, but almost none at European alpine sites in winter/spring, when ozone at 150 hPa has been shown to be correlated with that at 700 hPa in earlier years. The model matches the IAV in alpine ozone in Europe in July-September, including the high values in heat-waves, showing the role of variability in meteorology. A focus on IAV in each season is essential. The model matches IAV in MLS in the upper troposphere, TES tropical ozone, and the tropospheric ozone column (OMI/MLS) the best in tSropical regions controlled by ENSO related changes in dynamics. This study, combined with sensitivity simulations with changes to emissions, and simulations with passive tracers (see Abstract by Rodriguez et al. Session A76), lays the foundations for assessment of the mechanisms that have influenced tropospheric ozone in the past two decades.

  7. Global tropospheric chemistry: A plan for action

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1984-10-01

    Prompted by an increasing awareness of the influence of human activity on the chemistry of the global troposphere, a panel was formed to (1) assess the requirement for a global study of the chemistry of the troposphere; (2) develop a scientific strategy for a comprehensive plan taking into account the existing and projected programs of the government; (3) assess the requirements of a global study in terms of theoretical knowledge, numerical modeling, instrumentation, observing platforms, ground-level observational techniques, and other related needs; and (4) outline the appropriate sequence and coordination required to achieve the most effective utilization of available resources. Part 1 presents a coordinated national blueprint for scientific investigations of biogeochemical cycles in the global troposphere. part 2 presents much of the background information of the present knowledge and gaps in the understanding of tropospheric chemical cycles and processes from which the proposed program was developed.

  8. Global tropospheric chemistry: A plan for action

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    Prompted by an increasing awareness of the influence of human activity on the chemistry of the global troposphere, a panel was formed to (1) assess the requirement for a global study of the chemistry of the troposphere; (2) develop a scientific strategy for a comprehensive plan taking into account the existing and projected programs of the government; (3) assess the requirements of a global study in terms of theoretical knowledge, numerical modeling, instrumentation, observing platforms, ground-level observational techniques, and other related needs; and (4) outline the appropriate sequence and coordination required to achieve the most effective utilization of available resources. Part 1 presents a coordinated national blueprint for scientific investigations of biogeochemical cycles in the global troposphere. part 2 presents much of the background information of the present knowledge and gaps in the understanding of tropospheric chemical cycles and processes from which the proposed program was developed.

  9. Tropospheric Delay Raytracing Applied in VLBI Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacMillan, D. S.; Eriksson, D.; Gipson, J. M.

    2013-12-01

    Tropospheric delay modeling error continues to be one of the largest sources of error in VLBI analysis. For standard operational solutions, we use the VMF1 elevation-dependent mapping functions derived from ECMWF data. These mapping functions assume that tropospheric delay at a site is azimuthally symmetric. As this assumption does not reflect reality, we have determined the raytrace delay along the signal path through the troposphere for each VLBI quasar observation. We determined the troposphere refractivity fields from the pressure, temperature, specific humidity and geopotential height fields of the NASA GSFC GEOS-5 numerical weather model. We discuss results from analysis of the CONT11 R&D and the weekly operational R1+R4 experiment sessions. When applied in VLBI analysis, baseline length repeatabilities were better for 66-72% of baselines with raytraced delays than with VMF1 mapping functions. Vertical repeatabilities were better for 65% of sites.

  10. Foveal and Peripapillary Vascular Decrement in Migraine With Aura Demonstrated by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

    PubMed Central

    Chang, Melinda Y.; Phasukkijwatana, Nopasak; Garrity, Sean; Pineles, Stacy L.; Rahimi, Mansour; Sarraf, David; Johnston, Mollie; Charles, Andrew; Arnold, Anthony C.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose Migraine, particularly with aura, has been associated with ocular and systemic ischemic complications, but there are limited data on the ocular vasculature in migraine. We used optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to assess perfusion of the macula and optic nerve in migraine patients, with (MA) and without (MO) aura, compared to healthy controls (HC). Methods We recruited 15 MA (mean age 42 years), 12 MO (mean age 46 years), and 22 HC (mean age 39 years) participants from neurology and neuro-ophthalmology clinics. Participants underwent optical coherence tomography and 3 × 3 mm OCTA of the macula and optic nerve. Foveal avascular zone area was automatically measured using AngioVue software, and vessel density was calculated as blood vessel length divided by scan area (mm−1) after skeletonization of OCTA images. Results On macular OCTA, MA participants had an enlarged foveal avascular zone area when compared with HC (0.300 ± 0.019 vs. 0.220 ± 0.066 mm2, P = 0.006). In addition, superficial foveal vessel density was decreased in MA participants when compared with MO participants (7.8 ± 0.31 vs. 9.3 ± 0.44, P = 0.04) and HC (7.8 ± 0.31 vs. 9.4 ± 0.21 mm−1, P = 0.002). On optic nerve OCTA, the MA participants had reduced superior peripapillary vessel density when compared with the MO participants (12.0 ± 0.45 vs. 14.0 ± 0.38 mm−1, P = 0.031) and HC (12.0 ± 0.45 vs. 14.1 ± 0.53 mm−1, P = 0.035). There were no significant differences between the MO and HC groups. Conclusions Migraine with, but not without, aura was associated with foveal and peripapillary vascular decrements, which may possibly mediate increased risk of ocular and systemic vascular complications in these patients. OCTA could potentially be useful as a biomarker for migraine with aura. PMID:29059314

  11. Quantifying isentropic stratosphere-troposphere exchange of ozone

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Huang; Chen, Gang; Tang, Qi

    There is increased evidence that stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) of ozone has a significant impact on tropospheric chemistry and radiation. Traditional diagnostics of STE consider the ozone budget in the lowermost stratosphere (LMS) as a whole. However, this can only render the hemispherically integrated ozone flux and therefore does not distinguish the exchange of ozone into low latitudes from that into high latitudes. The exchange of ozone at different latitudes may have different tropospheric impacts. This present study extends the traditional approach from the entire LMS to individual isentropic layers in the LMS and therefore gives the meridional distribution of STEmore » by the latitudes where each isentropic surface intersects the tropopause. The specified dynamics version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model is used to estimate the STE ozone flux on each isentropic surface. It is found that net troposphere-to-stratosphere ozone transport occurs in low latitudes along the 350–380 K isentropic surfaces and that net stratosphere-to-troposphere ozone transport takes place in the extratropics along the 280–350 K isentropes. Particularly, the seasonal cycle of extratropical STE ozone flux in the Northern Hemisphere displays a maximum in late spring and early summer, following the seasonal migration of the upper tropospheric jet and associated isentropic mixing. Moreover, differential diabatic heating and isentropic mixing tend to induce STE ozone fluxes in opposite directions, but the net effect results in a spatiotemporal pattern similar to the STE ozone flux associated with isentropic mixing.« less

  12. Quantifying isentropic stratosphere-troposphere exchange of ozone

    DOE PAGES

    Yang, Huang; Chen, Gang; Tang, Qi; ...

    2016-03-25

    There is increased evidence that stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) of ozone has a significant impact on tropospheric chemistry and radiation. Traditional diagnostics of STE consider the ozone budget in the lowermost stratosphere (LMS) as a whole. However, this can only render the hemispherically integrated ozone flux and therefore does not distinguish the exchange of ozone into low latitudes from that into high latitudes. The exchange of ozone at different latitudes may have different tropospheric impacts. This present study extends the traditional approach from the entire LMS to individual isentropic layers in the LMS and therefore gives the meridional distribution of STEmore » by the latitudes where each isentropic surface intersects the tropopause. The specified dynamics version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model is used to estimate the STE ozone flux on each isentropic surface. It is found that net troposphere-to-stratosphere ozone transport occurs in low latitudes along the 350–380 K isentropic surfaces and that net stratosphere-to-troposphere ozone transport takes place in the extratropics along the 280–350 K isentropes. Particularly, the seasonal cycle of extratropical STE ozone flux in the Northern Hemisphere displays a maximum in late spring and early summer, following the seasonal migration of the upper tropospheric jet and associated isentropic mixing. Moreover, differential diabatic heating and isentropic mixing tend to induce STE ozone fluxes in opposite directions, but the net effect results in a spatiotemporal pattern similar to the STE ozone flux associated with isentropic mixing.« less

  13. The Global Structure of UTLS Ozone in GEOS-5: A Multi-Year Assimilation of EOS Aura Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wargan, Krzysztof; Pawson, Steven; Olsen, Mark A.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.; Douglass, Anne R.; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Strahan, Susan E.; Nielsen, J. Eric

    2015-01-01

    Eight years of ozone measurements retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Microwave Limb Sounder, both on the EOS Aura satellite, have been assimilated into the Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) data assimilation system. This study thoroughly evaluates this assimilated product, highlighting its potential for science. The impact of observations on the GEOS-5 system is explored by examining the spatial distribution of the observation-minus-forecast statistics. Independent data are used for product validation. The correlation coefficient of the lower-stratospheric ozone column with ozonesondes is 0.99 and the bias is 0.5%, indicating the success of the assimilation in reproducing the ozone variability in that layer. The upper-tropospheric assimilated ozone column is about 10% lower than the ozonesonde column but the correlation is still high (0.87). The assimilation is shown to realistically capture the sharp cross-tropopause gradient in ozone mixing ratio. Occurrence of transport-driven low ozone laminae in the assimilation system is similar to that obtained from the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) above the 400 K potential temperature surface but the assimilation produces fewer laminae than seen by HIRDLS below that surface. Although the assimilation produces 5 - 8 fewer occurrences per day (up to approximately 20%) during the three years of HIRDLS data, the interannual variability is captured correctly. This data-driven assimilated product is complementary to ozone fields generated from chemistry and transport models. Applications include study of the radiative forcing by ozone and tracer transport near the tropopause.

  14. Free-tropospheric BrO investigations based on GOME

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Post, P.; van Roozendael, M.; Backman, L.; Damski, J.; Thölix, L.; Fayt, C.; Taalas, P.

    2003-04-01

    Bromine compounds contribute significantly to the stratospheric ozone depletion. However measurements of most bromine compounds are sparse or non-existent, and experimental studies essentially rely on BrO observations. The differences between balloon and ground based measurements of stratospheric BrO columns and satellite total column measurements are too large to be explained by measurement uncertainties. Therefore, it has been assumed that there is a concentration of BrO in the free troposphere of about 1-3 ppt. In a previous work, we have calculated the tropospheric BrO abundance as the difference between total BrO and stratospheric BrO columns. The total vertical column densities of BrO are extracted from GOME measurements using IASB-BIRA algorithms. The stratospheric amount has been calculated using chemical transport models (CTM). Results from SLIMCAT and FinROSE simulations are used for this purpose. SLIMCAT is a widely used 3D CTM that has been tested against balloon measurements. FinROSE is a 3D CTM developed at FMI. We have tried several different tropospheric BrO profiles. Our results show that a profile with high BrO concentrations in the boundary layer usually gives unrealistically high tropospheric column values over areas of low albedo (like oceans). This suggests that the tropospheric BrO would be predominantly distributed in the free troposphere. In this work, attempts are made to identify the signature of a free tropospheric BrO content when comparing cloudy and non-cloudy scenes. The possible impact of orography on measured BrO columns is also investigated.

  15. Precise estimation of tropospheric path delays with GPS techniques

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lichten, S. M.

    1990-01-01

    Tropospheric path delays are a major source of error in deep space tracking. However, the tropospheric-induced delay at tracking sites can be calibrated using measurements of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. A series of experiments has demonstrated the high sensitivity of GPS to tropospheric delays. A variety of tests and comparisons indicates that current accuracy of the GPS zenith tropospheric delay estimates is better than 1-cm root-mean-square over many hours, sampled continuously at intervals of six minutes. These results are consistent with expectations from covariance analyses. The covariance analyses also indicate that by the mid-1990s, when the GPS constellation is complete and the Deep Space Network is equipped with advanced GPS receivers, zenith tropospheric delay accuracy with GPS will improve further to 0.5 cm or better.

  16. Recent Advances in Ozone Data Assimilation at the GMAO - Towards a New Reanalysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krzysztof, Wargan; Pawson, S.; Nielsen, J. E.; Witte, J.; Douglass, A.; Strahan, S.; Joiner, J.; Bhartia, P. K.; Livesey, N.; Read, W.; hide

    2012-01-01

    This presentation summarized ongoing work on improving the representation of ozone in the GEOS Data Assimilation Systems. Data from two EOS Aura sensors was used: the total column ozone from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and high vertical resolution stratospheric profiles from Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS, version 3.3). As several previous studies have demonstrated, assimilation of this data can constrain the stratospheric and tropospheric ozone columns with relatively good accuracy. However, the representation of the vertical structures in the troposphere and near tropopause region is often deficient. Since both these layers of the atmosphere are critical to the understanding of the radiative forcing as well as the ozone budget in the troposphere, current work will focus on improving the assimilated product between the surface and the 50 hPa pressure level. The discussion included recent steps that have been taken towards refining the treatment of ozone in GEOS-5. Impacts of improved tropospheric chemistry model were discussed including the introduction of efficiency factors ("averaging kernels") for OMI total ozone, and direct assimilation of radiances from the MLS instrument. In particular, advantages and challenges involved in assimilating limb radiances rather than retrieved product were discussed. This work is, in part, a preparation for a planned reanalysis of the EOS Aura data from 2005 to present.

  17. Next Generation Aura-OMI SO2 Retrieval Algorithm: Introduction and Implementation Status

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Can; Joiner, Joanna; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Bhartia, Pawan K.

    2014-01-01

    We introduce our next generation algorithm to retrieve SO2 using radiance measurements from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). We employ a principal component analysis technique to analyze OMI radiance spectral in 310.5-340 nm acquired over regions with no significant SO2. The resulting principal components (PCs) capture radiance variability caused by both physical processes (e.g., Rayleigh and Raman scattering, and ozone absorption) and measurement artifacts, enabling us to account for these various interferences in SO2 retrievals. By fitting these PCs along with SO2 Jacobians calculated with a radiative transfer model to OMI-measured radiance spectra, we directly estimate SO2 vertical column density in one step. As compared with the previous generation operational OMSO2 PBL (Planetary Boundary Layer) SO2 product, our new algorithm greatly reduces unphysical biases and decreases the noise by a factor of two, providing greater sensitivity to anthropogenic emissions. The new algorithm is fast, eliminates the need for instrument-specific radiance correction schemes, and can be easily adapted to other sensors. These attributes make it a promising technique for producing long-term, consistent SO2 records for air quality and climate research. We have operationally implemented this new algorithm on OMI SIPS for producing the new generation standard OMI SO2 products.

  18. EOS Aura Mission Status at Earth Science Constellation MOWG Meeting @ LASP (Boulder, CO) April 13, 2016

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guit, William J.; Fisher, Dominic

    2016-01-01

    Presentation reflects EOS Aura mission status, spacecraft subsystems summary, recent and planned activities, inclination adjust maneuvers, propellant usage, orbit maintenance maneuvers, conjunction assessment events, orbital parameters trends and predictions.

  19. Efficient transport of tropospheric aerosol into the stratosphere via the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Pengfei; Rosenlof, Karen H.; Liu, Shang; Telg, Hagen; Thornberry, Troy D.; Rollins, Andrew W.; Portmann, Robert W.; Bai, Zhixuan; Ray, Eric A.; Duan, Yunjun; Pan, Laura L.; Toon, Owen B.; Bian, Jianchun; Gao, Ru-Shan

    2017-07-01

    An enhanced aerosol layer near the tropopause over Asia during the June-September period of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) was recently identified using satellite observations. Its sources and climate impact are presently not well-characterized. To improve understanding of this phenomenon, we made in situ aerosol measurements during summer 2015 from Kunming, China, then followed with a modeling study to assess the global significance. The in situ measurements revealed a robust enhancement in aerosol concentration that extended up to 2 km above the tropopause. A climate model simulation demonstrates that the abundant anthropogenic aerosol precursor emissions from Asia coupled with rapid vertical transport associated with monsoon convection leads to significant particle formation in the upper troposphere within the ASM anticyclone. These particles subsequently spread throughout the entire Northern Hemispheric (NH) lower stratosphere and contribute significantly (˜15%) to the NH stratospheric column aerosol surface area on an annual basis. This contribution is comparable to that from the sum of small volcanic eruptions in the period between 2000 and 2015. Although the ASM contribution is smaller than that from tropical upwelling (˜35%), we find that this region is about three times as efficient per unit area and time in populating the NH stratosphere with aerosol. With a substantial amount of organic and sulfur emissions in Asia, the ASM anticyclone serves as an efficient smokestack venting aerosols to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. As economic growth continues in Asia, the relative importance of Asian emissions to stratospheric aerosol is likely to increase.

  20. The chemistry and transport of methane and carbon monoxide in the troposphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peters, L. K.; Chameides, W. L.

    1980-01-01

    The present understanding of the physical and chemical behavior of methane, carbon monoxide and the chemical species involved in the conversion of CH4 to CO in the troposphere is reviewed. Following a brief summary of CO and CH4 emission and reactions in urban areas, attention is given to measurements of the spatial and temporal distributions of CO and CH4 in the rural atmosphere, the contribution of the oceans to atmospheric CO and CH4 concentrations, and interactions of CH4 and CO with soils and vegetation. Estimates of the transport of CH4 and CO from the troposphere to the stratosphere are discussed, and photochemical reactions of the constituents are examined. Two- and three-dimensional models for CH4 and CO transport are presented, and possible future variations in atmospheric abundances of the molecules are considered. Finally, present estimates of the global methane and carbon dioxide budgets are summarized, and it is pointed out that, despite the large contribution of anthropogenic sources, the budgets appear to be in balance.

  1. Large-scale Rossby Normal Modes during Some Recent Northern Hemisphere Winters

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-01

    day wave has been observed ubiquitously in the troposphere (Madden, 1978) and in the middle atmosphere during winter (Forbes et al., 1995), as well as...assimilate version 2.2 limb retrievals of temperature, water vapor and ozone from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on NASA’s Aura satellite and...aspects of the wintertime meteorology have been documented: the tropospheric pre-conditioning of a SSW (Coy et al., 2009); the role of gravity wave

  2. Importance of Rain Evaporation and Continental Convection in the Tropical Water Cycle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Worden, John; Noone, David; Bowman, Kevin; Beer, R.; Eldering, A.; Fisher, B.; Gunson, M.; Goldman, Aaron; Kulawik, S. S.; Lampel, Michael; hide

    2007-01-01

    Atmospheric moisture cycling is an important aspect of the Earth's climate system, yet the processes determining atmospheric humidity are poorly understood. For example, direct evaporation of rain contributes significantly to the heat and moisture budgets of clouds, but few observations of these processes are available. Similarly, the relative contributions to atmospheric moisture over land from local evaporation and humidity from oceanic sources are uncertain. Lighter isotopes of water vapour preferentially evaporate whereas heavier isotopes preferentially condense and the isotopic composition of ocean water is known. Here we use this information combined with global measurements of the isotopic composition of tropospheric water vapour from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) aboard the Aura spacecraft, to investigate aspects of the atmospheric hydrological cycle that are not well constrained by observations of precipitation or atmospheric vapour content. Our measurements of the isotopic composition of water vapour near tropical clouds suggest that rainfall evaporation contributes significantly to lower troposphere humidity, with typically 20% and up to 50% of rainfall evaporating near convective clouds. Over the tropical continents the isotopic signature of tropospheric water vapour differs significantly from that of precipitation, suggesting that convection of vapour from both oceanic sources and evapotranspiration are the dominant moisture sources. Our measurements allow an assessment of the intensity of the present hydrological cycle and will help identify any future changes as they occur.

  3. Importance of rain evaporation and continental convection in the tropical water cycle.

    PubMed

    Worden, John; Noone, David; Bowman, Kevin

    2007-02-01

    Atmospheric moisture cycling is an important aspect of the Earth's climate system, yet the processes determining atmospheric humidity are poorly understood. For example, direct evaporation of rain contributes significantly to the heat and moisture budgets of clouds, but few observations of these processes are available. Similarly, the relative contributions to atmospheric moisture over land from local evaporation and humidity from oceanic sources are uncertain. Lighter isotopes of water vapour preferentially evaporate whereas heavier isotopes preferentially condense and the isotopic composition of ocean water is known. Here we use this information combined with global measurements of the isotopic composition of tropospheric water vapour from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) aboard the Aura spacecraft, to investigate aspects of the atmospheric hydrological cycle that are not well constrained by observations of precipitation or atmospheric vapour content. Our measurements of the isotopic composition of water vapour near tropical clouds suggest that rainfall evaporation contributes significantly to lower troposphere humidity, with typically 20% and up to 50% of rainfall evaporating near convective clouds. Over the tropical continents the isotopic signature of tropospheric water vapour differs significantly from that of precipitation, suggesting that convection of vapour from both oceanic sources and evapotranspiration are the dominant moisture sources. Our measurements allow an assessment of the intensity of the present hydrological cycle and will help identify any future changes as they occur.

  4. Tropospheric NO2 and HCHO columns derived from ground-based MAX-DOAS system in Guangzhou, China and comparison with satellite observations: First results within the EU FP7 project MarcoPolo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Drosoglou, Theano; Kouremeti, Natalia; Bais, Alkis; Zyrichidou, Irene; Li, Shu; Balis, Dimitris; Huang, Zhonghui

    2016-04-01

    A miniature MAX-DOAS system, Phaethon, has been developed at the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, for ground-based monitoring of column densities of atmospheric gases. Simultaneous measurements with two Phaethon systems at the city centre of Thessaloniki and at a rural location about 30 km away have shown that Phaethon provides NO2 and HCHO tropospheric column measurements of acceptable accuracy under both low and high air-pollution levels. Currently three systems have been deployed in areas with different pollution patterns to support air quality and satellite validation studies. In the framework of the EU FP7 Monitoring and Assessment of Regional air quality in China using space Observations, Project Of Long-term sino-european co-Operation, MarcoPolo project, one of the Phaethon systems has been installed since April 2015 in the Guangzhou region in China. Tropospheric NO2 and HCHO columns derived at Guangzhou during the first 10 months of operation are compared with corresponding retrievals from OMI/Aura and GOME-2/Metop-A and /Metop-B satellite sensors. The area is characterized by humid subtropical monsoon climate and cloud-free conditions are rather rare from early March to mid-October. Despite this limitation and the short period of operation of Phaethon in Guangzhou, the agreement between ground-based and satellite observations is generally good for both NO2 and HCHO. It appears that GOME-2 sensors seem to underestimate the tropospheric NO2, possibly due to their large pixel size, whereas the comparison with OMI data is better, especially when a small cloud fraction (< 0.2) is used for cloud screening.

  5. Relationship between surface and free tropospheric ozone in the Western U.S.

    PubMed

    Jaffe, Dan

    2011-01-15

    Ozone is an important air pollutant that affects lung function. In the U.S., the EPA has reduced the allowable O(3) concentrations several times over the last few decades. This puts greater emphasis on understanding the interannual variability and the contributions to surface O(3) from all sources. We have examined O(3) data from 11 rural CASTNET sites in the western US for the period 1995-2009. The 11 surface sites show a similar seasonal cycle and generally a good correlation in the deseasonalized monthly means, indicating that there are large scale influences on O(3) that operate across the entire western US. These sites also show a good correlation between site elevation and annual mean O(3), indicating a significant contribution from the free troposphere. We examined the number of exceedance days for each site, defined as a day when the Maximum Daily 8-h Average (MDA8) exceeds a threshold value. Over this time period, more than half of these sites exceeded an MDA8 threshold of 70 ppbv at least 4 times per year, and all sites exceeded a threshold value of 65 ppbv at least 4 times per year. The transition to lower threshold values increases substantially the number of exceedance days, especially during spring, reflecting the fact that background O(3) peaks during spring. We next examined the correlation between surface O(3) and free tropospheric O(3) in the same region, as measured by routine balloon launches from Boulder, CO. Using ozone measured by the balloon sensor in the range of 3-6 km above sea level we find statistically significant correlations between surface and free tropospheric O(3) in spring and summer months using both monthly means, daily MDA8 values, and the number of surface exceedance days. We suggest that during spring this correlation reflects variations in the flux of O(3) transport from the free troposphere to the surface. In summer, free tropospheric and surface concentrations of O(3) and the number of exceedance days are all

  6. Ozone in the Pacific Troposphere from Ozonesonde Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oltmans, S. J.; Johnson, B. J.; Harris, J. M.; Voemel, H.; Koshy, K.; Simon, P.; Bendura, R.; Thompson, A. M.; Logan, J. A.; Hasebe, F.; hide

    2000-01-01

    Ozone vertical profile measurements obtained from ozonesondes flown at Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and the Galapagos are used to characterize ozone in the troposphere over the tropical Pacific. There is a significant seasonal variation at each of these sites. At sites in both the eastern and western Pacific, ozone is highest at almost all levels in the troposphere during the September-November season and lowest during, March-May. There is a relative maximum at all of the sites in the mid-troposphere during all seasons of the year (the largest amounts are usually found near the tropopause). This maximum is particularly pronounced during, the September-November season. On average, throughout the troposphere at all seasons, the Galapagos has larger ozone amounts than the western Pacific sites. A trajectory climatology is used to identify the major flow regimes that are associated with the characteristic ozone behavior at various altitudes and seasons. The enhanced ozone seen in the mid-troposphere during September-November is associated with flow from the continents. In the western Pacific this flow is usually from southern Africa (although 10-day trajectories do not always reach the continent), but also may come from Australia and Indonesia. In the Galapagos the ozone peak in the mid-troposphere is seen in flow from the South American continent and particularly from northern Brazil. The time of year and flow characteristics associated with the ozone mixing ratio peaks seen in both the western and eastern Pacific suggest that these enhanced ozone values result from biomass burning. In the upper troposphere low ozone amounts are seen with flow that originates in the convective western Pacific.

  7. Accuracy Assessment of the Precise Point Positioning for Different Troposphere Models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oguz Selbesoglu, Mahmut; Gurturk, Mert; Soycan, Metin

    2016-04-01

    This study investigates the accuracy and repeatability of PPP technique at different latitudes by using different troposphere delay models. Nine IGS stations were selected between 00-800 latitudes at northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere. Coordinates were obtained for 7 days at 1 hour intervals in summer and winter. At first, the coordinates were estimated by using Niell troposphere delay model with and without including north and east gradients in order to investigate the contribution of troposphere delay gradients to the positioning . Secondly, Saastamoinen model was used to eliminate troposphere path delays by using standart atmosphere parameters were extrapolated for all station levels. Finally, coordinates were estimated by using RTCA-MOPS empirical troposphere delay model. Results demonstrate that Niell troposphere delay model with horizontal gradients has better mean values of rms errors 0.09 % and 65 % than the Niell troposphere model without horizontal gradients and RTCA-MOPS model, respectively. Saastamoinen model mean values of rms errors were obtained approximately 4 times bigger than the Niell troposphere delay model with horizontal gradients.

  8. The Influence of Ozone Precursor Emissions from Four World Regions on Tropospheric Composition and Radiative Climate Forcing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fry, Meridith; Naik, Vaishali; West, J. Jason; Schwarzkopf, M. Daniel; Fiore, Arlene M.; Collins, William J.; Dentener, Frank J.; Shindell, Drew T.; Atherton, Cyndi; Bergmann, Daniel; hide

    2012-01-01

    Ozone (O3) precursor emissions influence regional and global climate and air quality through changes in tropospheric O3 and oxidants, which also influence methane (CH4) and sulfate aerosols (SO4 (sup 2-)). We examine changes in the tropospheric composition of O3, CH4, SO4 (sup 2-) and global net radiative forcing (RF) for 20% reductions in global CH4 burden and in anthropogenic O3 precursor emissions (NOx, NMVOC, and CO) from four regions (East Asia, Europe and Northern Africa, North America, and South Asia) using the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution Source-Receptor global chemical transport model (CTM) simulations, assessing uncertainty (mean plus or minus 1 standard deviation) across multiple CTMs. We evaluate steady state O3 responses, including long-term feedbacks via CH4. With a radiative transfer model that includes greenhouse gases and the aerosol direct effect, we find that regional NOx reductions produce global, annually averaged positive net RFs (0.2 plus or minus 0.6 to 1.7 2 mWm(sup -2)/Tg N yr(sup -1), with some variation among models. Negative net RFs result from reductions in global CH4 (-162.6 plus or minus 2 mWm(sup -2) for a change from 1760 to 1408 ppbv CH4) and regional NMVOC (-0.4 plus or minus 0.2 to 0.7 plus or minus 0.2 mWm(sup -2)/Tg C yr(sup -1) and CO emissions (-0.13 plus or minus 0.02 to -0.15 plus or minus 0.02 mWm(sup-2)/Tg CO yr(sup-1). Including the effect of O3 on CO2 uptake by vegetation likely makes these net RFs more negative by -1.9 to- 5.2 mWm(sup -2)/Tg N yr(sup -1), -0.2 to -0.7 mWm(sup -2)/Tg C yr(sup -1), and -0.02 to -0.05 mWm(sup -2)/ Tg CO yr(sup -1). Net RF impacts reflect the distribution of concentration changes, where RF is affected locally by changes in SO4 (sup -2), regionally to hemispherically by O3, and globally by CH4. Global annual average SO4 2 responses to oxidant changes range from 0.4 plus or minus 2.6 to -1.9 plus or minus 1.3 Gg for NOx reductions, 0.1 plus or minus 1.2 to -0.9 plus

  9. Infrared Solar Spectroscopic Measurements of Free Tropospheric CO, C2H6, and HCN above Mauna Loa, Hawaii: Seasonal Variations and Evidence for Enhanced Emissions from the Southeast Asian Fires of 1997-1998. Revised

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rinsland, C. P.; Goldman, A.; Murcray, F. J.; Stephen, T. M.; Pougatchev, N. S.; Fishman, J.; David, S. J.; Blatherwick, R. D.; Novelli, P. C.; Jones, N. B.; hide

    1999-01-01

    High spectral resolution (0.003/ cm) infrared solar absorption measurements of CO, C2H6, and HCN have been recorded at the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change station on Mauna Loa, Hawaii, (19.5 deg N, 155.6 deg W, altitude 3.4 km). The observations were obtained on over 250 days between August 1995 and February 1998. Column measurements are reported for the 3.4 - 16 km altitude region, which corresponds approximately to the free troposphere above the station. Average CO mixing ratios computed for this layer have been compared with flask sampling CO measurements obtained in situ at the station during the same time period. Both show asymmetrical seasonal cycles superimposed on significant variability. The first two years of observations exhibit a broad January-April maximum and a sharper CO minimum during late summer. The C2H6 and CO 3.4 - 16 km columns were highly correlated throughout the observing period with the C2H6/CO slope intermediate between higher and lower values derived from similar infrared spectroscopic measurements at 32 deg N and 45 deg S latitude, respectively. Variable enhancements in CO, C2H6, and particularly HCN were observed beginning in about September 1997. The maximum HCN free tropospheric monthly mean column observed in November 1997 corresponds to an average 3.4 - 16 km mixing ratio of 0.7 ppbv (1 ppbv = 10(exp -9) per unit volume), more than a factor of 3 above the background level. The HCN enhancements continued through the end of the observational series. Back-trajectory calculations suggest that the emissions originated at low northern latitudes in southeast Asia. Surface CO mixing ratios and the C2H6 tropospheric columns measured during the same time also showed anomalous autumn 1997 maxima. The intense and widespread tropical wild fires that burned during 3 the strong El Nino warm phase of 1997-1998 are the likely source of the elevated emission products.

  10. Infrared Solar Spectroscopic Measurements of Free Tropospheric CO, C2H6, and HCN above Mauna Loa, Hawaii: Seasonal Variations and Evidence for Enhanced Emissions from the Southeast Asian Tropical Fires of 1997-1998

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rinsland, C. P.; Goldman, A.; Murcray, F. J.; Stephen, T. M.; Pougatchev, N. S.; Fishman, J.; David, S. J.; Blatherwick, R. D.; Novelli, P. C.; Jones, N. B.

    1999-01-01

    High spectral resolution (0.003 per cm) infrared solar absorption measurements of CO, C2H6, and HCN have been recorded at the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change station on Mauna Loa, Hawaii, (19.5N, 155.6W, altitude 3.4 km). The observations were obtained on over 250 days between August 1995 and February 1998. Column measurements are reported for the 3.4-16 km altitude region, which corresponds approximately to the free troposphere above the station. Average CO mixing ratios computed for this layer have been compared with flask sampling CO measurements obtained in situ at the station during the same time period. Both show asymmetrical seasonal cycles superimposed on significant variability. The first 2 years of observations exhibit a broad January-April maximum and a sharper CO minimum during late summer. The C2H6 and CO 3.4-16 km columns were highly correlated throughout the observing period with the C2H6/CO slope intermediate between higher and lower values derived from similar infrared spectroscopic measurements at 32'N and 45'S latitude, respectively. Variable enhancements in CO, C2H6, and particularly HCN were observed beginning in about September 1997. The maximum HCN free tropospheric monthly mean column observed in November 1997 corresponds to an average 3.4-16 km mixing ratio of 0.7 ppbv (1 ppbv = 10(exp -9) per unit volume), more than a factor of 3 above the background level. The HCN enhancements continued through the end of the observational series. Back-trajectory calculations suggest that the emissions originated at low northern latitudes in southeast Asia. Surface CO mixing ratios and the C2H6 tropospheric columns measured during the same time also showed anomalous autumn 1997 maxima. The intense and widespread tropical wild fires that burned during the strong El Nino warm phase of 1997- 1998 are the likely source of the elevated emission products.

  11. Dehydration, denitrification and ozone loss during the Arctic winter 2015/2016: Simulations with the Chemistry-Climate Model EMAC and comparison to Aura/MLS and GLORIA observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khosrawi, Farahnaz; Kirner, Oliver; Sinnhuber, Bjoern-Martin; Johansson, Sören; Höpfner, Michael; Santee, Michelle L.; Manney, Gloria; Froidevaux, Lucien; Ungermann, Jörn; Preusse, Peter; Friedl-Vallon, Felix; Ruhnke, Roland; Woiwode, Wolfgang; Oelhaf, Hermann; Braesicke, Peter

    2017-04-01

    The Arctic winter 2015/2016 has been one of the coldest stratospheric winters in recent years. A stable vortex formed already in early December and the early winter has been exceptionally cold. Cold pool temperatures dropped below the Nitric Acid Trihydrate (NAT) existence temperature, thus allowing Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) to form. The low temperatures in the polar stratosphere persisted until early March allowing chlorine activation and catalytic ozone destruction. Satellite observations indicate that sedimentation of PSC particles have led to denitrification as well as dehydration of stratospheric layers. Nudged model simulations of the Arctic winter 2015/2016 were performed with the atmospheric chemistry-climate model ECHAM5/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) for the POLSTRACC (Polar Stratosphere in a Changing Climate) campaign. POLSTRACC was a HALO mission (High Altitude and LOng Range Research Aircraft) aiming on the investigation of the structure, composition and evolution of the Arctic Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere (UTLS). The chemical and physical processes involved in Arctic stratospheric ozone depletion, transport and mixing processes in the UTLS at high latitudes, polar stratospheric clouds as well as cirrus clouds were investigated. In this presentation, an overview of the chemistry and dynamics of the Arctic winter 2015/2016 as simulated with EMAC will be given. Chemical-dynamical processes such as denitrification, dehydration and ozone loss will be investigated. Comparisons to satellite observations by the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (Aura/MLS) as well as to airborne measurements with the Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere (GLORIA) performed onboard of HALO during the POLSTRACC campaign show that the EMAC simulations are in good agreement with observations (differences generally within ±20%). However, larger differences between model and simulations are found e.g. in the areas of denitrification. Both

  12. Role of Biomass Burning in the Formation of Tropospheric Ozone Laminae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nair, U. S.; Wu, Y.; Kuang, S.; Newchurch, M.

    2016-12-01

    Laminar structure in free-tropospheric ozone profiles is a feature that is frequently observed in ozonesonde and lidar observations. Origins of these features are not well understood and have been linked to tropopause folding, stratospheric warming events and biomass burning emissions. Ozone laminae events with maximum ozone exceeding 80 ppb have been observed by the DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) instrument in Huntsville, Alabama. While many of the events are linked to tropopause folding, a subset of events located in the mid troposphere (2-6km) coincided with a smoke layer are associated with biomass burning. Satellite observations show the smoke originated from northwestern US wildfire events. Several of these ozone laminae associated with smoke have ozone excess of 20 ppb above the background values and have the potential to impact surface air quality if they enter the boundary layer. This presentation will report on process studies of ozone laminae associated with biomass burning plumes using A-Train satellite, ground based DIAL and ozonesonde observations. Fate and transport of the feature is also examined using WRFChem simulations, in specific transport into the boundary layer and impact on air quality at the surface.

  13. Estimates of the Tropospheric Vertical Structure of Neptune Based on Microwave Radiative Transfer Studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeBoer, David R.; Steffes, Paul G.

    1996-01-01

    A radiative transfer model incorporating, among other things, the recently measured centimeter wavelength opacity of H2S, the full line catalog of PH3, and absorption due to CO has been developed to study the tropospheric vertical structure of Neptune. To match radio-telescope observations, subsolar amounts of NH3 and supersolar amounts of H2S are found to be needed, as has been previously noted. To match both the measured microwave emission and the measured opacity at 13 cm and 6.3 bars by Voyager 2, an H2S dominant atmosphere (H2S/NH3 approximately equals 40) with enhanced PH3 (15 x solar) or NH3 supersaturation with respect to the putative NH4SH cloud (400 ppbv) seems to be indicated. Due to the possible importance of PH3 opacity, it is suggested that measurements of its opacity could aid in resolving some of the outstanding ambiguities concerning Neptune's tropospheric structure.

  14. O3 variability/trends in the troposphere from IASI observations in 2008-2017

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wespes, C.; Hurtmans, D.; Clerbaux, C.; Pierre-Francois, C.

    2017-12-01

    In this study, we describe the recent changes in the tropospheric ozone (O3) columns (TOCs) measured by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) onboard the Metop satellites during the first ten years of the IASI operation (2008-2017). The instrument provides a unique dataset of vertically-resolved O3 profiles with a twice daily global coverage and a fairly good vertical resolution allowing us to monitor the year-to-year variability in the troposphere. The retrievals are performed using the FORLI software, a fast radiative transfer model based on the optimal estimation method, set up for near real time and large scale processing of IASI data. We differentiate trend characteristics from the seasonal and non-seasonal O3 variations captured by IASI in the troposphere by applying appropriate annual and seasonal multivariate regression models, which include important geophysical drivers of O3 variation (e.g. quasi biennial oscillations - QBO, El Niño/Southern Oscillation - ENSO, North Atlantic Oscillation-NAO) and a linear trend term, on time series of spatially gridded averaged O3. The performances of the regression models (annual vs seasonal) are first investigated. Given the large contribution of the interannual variability, we will then describe the effects of the main contributing O3 proxies (e.g. positive - or negatives - ENSO indexes measured during moderate to intense El Niño - or La Niña - episodes in the tropics) in addition to the adjusted O3 trend patterns. A special focus will be given over the Northern Hemisphere which is characterized by decreasing O3 precursor emissions (mainly over Europe and the US). FORLI O3-CO correlations patterns will also be discussed to evaluate the continental influence on the tropospheric O3 trends.

  15. Prospective testing of ICHD-3 beta diagnostic criteria for migraine with aura and migraine with typical aura in patients with transient ischemic attacks.

    PubMed

    Lebedeva, Elena R; Gurary, Natalia M; Gilev, Denis V; Olesen, Jes

    2018-03-01

    Introduction The International Classification of Headache Disorders 3rd edition beta (ICHD-3 beta) gave alternative diagnostic criteria for 1.2 migraine with aura (MA) and 1.2.1 migraine with typical aura (MTA) in the appendix. The latter were presumed to better differentiate transient ischemic attacks (TIA) from MA. The aim of the present study was to field test that. Methods Soon after admission, a neurologist interviewed 120 consecutive patients diagnosed with TIA after MRI or CT. Semi-structured interview forms addressed all details of the TIA episode and all information necessary to apply the ICHD-3beta diagnostic criteria for 1.2, 1.2.1, A1.2 and A1.2.1. Results Requiring at least one identical previous attack, the main body and the appendix criteria performed almost equally well. But requiring only one attack, more than a quarter of TIA patients also fulfilled the main body criteria for 1.2. Specificity was as follows for one attack: 1.2: 0.73, A1.2: 0.91, 1.2.1: 0.88 and A1.2.1: 1.0. Sensitivity when tested against ICHD-2 criteria were 100% for the main body criteria (because they were unchanged), 96% for A1.2 and 94% for A1.2.1. Conclusion The appendix criteria performed much better than the main body criteria for 1.2 MA and 1.2.1 MTA when diagnosing one attack (probable MA). We recommend that the appendix criteria should replace the main body criteria in the ICHD-3.

  16. Coincidental Impact of Transcatheter Patent Foramen Ovale Closure on Migraine with and without Aura - A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Kanwar, Siddak M; Noheria, Amit; DeSimone, Christopher V; Rabinstein, Alejandro A; Asirvatham, Samuel J

    2016-03-01

    We analyzed the literature to assess the coincidental impact on migraines of transcatheter patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure performed for secondary stroke prevention. We searched Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database for studies published up until August 2013. We included English-language studies that provided information on complete resolution or improvement in migraine headaches following PFO closure. Two study authors identified 375 original articles and both independently reviewed 32 relevant manuscripts. Data including study methodology, inclusion criteria, PFO closure and migraine outcomes were extracted manually from all eligible studies. Pooled odds (and probability) of resolution or improvement of migraine headaches were calculated using random-effects models. Twenty studies were analyzed. Most were uncontrolled studies that included a small number of patients with cryptogenic stroke who had undergone PFO closure and had variable time of followup. The probability of complete resolution of migraine with PFO closure (18 studies, 917 patients) was 0.46 (95% confidence interval 0.39, 0.53) and of any improvement in migraine (17 studies, 881 patients) was 0.78 (0.74, 0.82). There was evidence for publication bias in studies reporting on improvement in migraines (Begg's p=0.002), but not for studies on complete resolution of migraine (p=0.3). In patients with aura, the probability of complete resolution of migraine post-PFO closure was 0.54 (0.43, 0.65), and in those without aura, complete resolution occurred in 0.39 (0.29, 0.51). Among patients with unexplained stroke and migraine undergoing transcatheter PFO closure, resolution of headaches occurred in a majority of patients with aura and for a smaller proportion of patients without aura.

  17. Analysis of zenith tropospheric delay in tropical latitudes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zablotskyj, Fedir; Zablotska, Alexandra

    2010-05-01

    The paper studies some peculiarities of the nature of zenith tropospheric delay in tropical latitudes. There are shown the values of dry and wet components of zenith tropospheric delay obtained by an integration of the radiosonde data at 9 stations: Guam, Seyshelles, Singapore, Pago Pago, Hilo, Koror, San Cristobal, San Juan and Belem. There were made 350 atmospheric models for the period from 11th to 20th of January, April, July and October 2008 at 0h and 12h UT (Universal Time). The quantities of the dry dd(aer) and wet dw(aer) components of zenith tropospheric delay were determined by means of the integration for each atmospheric model. Then the quantities of the dry dd(SA), dd(HO) and wet dw(SA), dw(HO) components of zenith tropospheric delay (Saastamoinen and Hopfield analytical models) were calculated by the surface values of the pressure P0, temperature t0, relative air humidity U0 on the height H0 and by the geographic latitude φ. It must be point out the following from the analysis of the averaged quantities and differences δdd(SA), δdd(HO), δdw(SA), δdw(HO) between the correspondent components of zenith tropospheric delay obtained by the radiosonde data and by the analytical models: zenith tropospheric delay obtained by the radiosonde data amounts to considerably larger value in the equatorial zone, especially, at the expense of the wet component, in contrast to high and middle latitudes. Thus, the dry component of zenith tropospheric delay is equal at the average 2290 mm and the wet component is 290 mm; by the results of the analysis of Saastamoinen and Hopfield models the dry component differences δdd(SA) and δdd(HO) are negative in all cases and average -20 mm. It is not typical neither for high latitudes nor for middle ones; the differences between the values of the wet components obtained from radiosonde data and of Saastamoinen and Hopfield models are positive in general. Therewith the δdw(HO) values are larger than the correspondent

  18. Upper Tropospheric Methane Variation over Indian Region: Role of Meteorology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    M, K.; Nair, P. R.

    2016-12-01

    Rising concern over the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and their dangerous consequences on global climate has fuelled systematic monitoring of these gases all over the globe. Methane (CH4) is the most abundant reactive greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, playing vital roles in the energy balance and chemistry of the tropospheric and stratospheric regions of the atmosphere. It is the second-most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2) in terms of net radiative forcing and is emitted from a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic sources. The present study addresses the seasonal changes in the mixing ratio of the upper troposphere (UCH4) and near surface CH4 along with the column averaged mixing ratio (XCH4), over three latitude sectors over Indian region, as observed by aircraft-based (CARIBIC), in-situ (Cape Rama, Goa and Ahmedabad) and satellite based (SCIAMACHY) measurements respectively. The observed seasonal features were examined in the light of the airflow pattern/air mass back trajectories, changes in convective activities, vertical winds and boundary layer height (BLH). In addition to this the vertical distribution of CH4 was analysed using AIRS observation. XCH4 and UCH4 were found to follow more or less similar pattern over all the three latitude sectors, with the peak occurring in July-August, and minimum in late winter. The seasonal amplitude in XCH4 is less at low latitude sector ( 64 ppbv) compared to that of high latitudes ( 101 ppbv at 18°-22°N and 88 ppbv at 22°-24°N). On the other hand, the near surface methane shows opposite pattern peaking in winter attaining low in monsoon. During monsoon when methane sources are active at the surface, XCH4 > UCH4 and during other seasons UCH4 > XCH4 indicating presence of high altitude layers. This analysis revealed non-homogeneous distribution of methane in the troposphere indicative of stratified layers. The analysis of CH4 using AIRS measurement over Indian

  19. Improved simulation of tropospheric ozone by a global-multi-regional two-way coupling model system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Y.; Lin, J.; Hu, L.; Chen, J.

    2016-12-01

    seasons. Additionally, the two-way coupled simulation also reduces the global tropospheric mean hydroxyl radical by 5% with improved estimates of methyl chloroform and methane lifetimes. Simulation improvements are more significant in the Northern Hemisphere, and are mainly driven by improved representation of spatial inhomogeneity in chemistry/emissions.

  20. Troposphere Delay Raytracing Applied in VLBI Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eriksson, David; MacMillan, Daniel; Gipson, John

    2014-12-01

    Tropospheric delay modeling error is one of the largest sources of error in VLBI analysis. For standard operational solutions, we use the VMF1 elevation-dependent mapping functions derived from European Centre for Medium Range Forecasting (ECMWF) data. These mapping functions assume that tropospheric delay at a site is azimuthally symmetric. As this assumption does not reflect reality, we have instead determined the raytrace delay along the signal path through the three-dimensional troposphere refractivity field for each VLBI quasar observation. We calculated the troposphere refractivity fields from the pressure, temperature, specific humidity, and geopotential height fields of the NASA GSFC GEOS-5 numerical weather model. We discuss results using raytrace delay in the analysis of the CONT11 R&D sessions. When applied in VLBI analysis, baseline length repeatabilities were better for 70% of baselines with raytraced delays than with VMF1 mapping functions. Vertical repeatabilities were better for 2/3 of all stations. The reference frame scale bias error was 0.02 ppb for raytracing versus 0.08 ppb and 0.06 ppb for VMF1 and NMF, respectively.