Assimilation of satellite oceanic and atmospheric products to improve emission forecasting

Abstract

Satellite data presents an unprecedented opportunity to improve emission inventories at a near-real-time pace. Here we demonstrate how to utilize satellite oceanic and atmospheric products to improve emission forecasting. First, we present the development and validation of a global high resolution marine isoprene emission product. Isoprene emission is calculated from NOAA global weather forecasting data and Chlorophyll-a and light attenuation rate at 490 nm (K490) data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) aboard Aqua. The emission product is validated with isoprene measurements from field campaigns. In the second case, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) data from the EPA Air Quality System (AQS) and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used to examine the long-term trends in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions for the NOAA National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC). Comparing of summertime NOx data from OMI, NAQFC and AQS over New York between 2005 and 2011 shows a similar reduction level from all datasets (33 % reduction from 2005 to 2011), but OMI and AQS agree better while NAQFC emission inventories fail to catch the gradual progression of emission reduction. These case studies, in addressing various aspects of emission uncertainty, collectively demonstrate that satellite remote sensing can play an important role in improving emission forecasting and, hopefully, air quality predictions.