Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Applying the OMI NO2 Retrieval Algorithm to Estimate the Production Efficiency of Lightning NOx

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board the NASA Aura satellite was launched into sun-synchronous low-earth orbit in 2004. Its hyperspectral measurements have been an invaluable tool in determining trace-gas concentrations in the troposphere and stratosphere. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) has a particularly prominent absorption signature in the violet and near-UV regions of the OMI spectrum. This signature can be exploited in retrievals of column amounts of NO2 attributable to both natural and anthropogenic sources. We outline the OMI NO2 retrieval algorithm and demonstrate its utility for inferring NOx (NO + NO2) amounts due to lightning. Lightning is the dominant source of NOx in the free troposphere, and most estimates of the concentration of lightning NOx (LNOx) require knowledge of the amount of this species produced per lightning flash. We present the largest spatial- and temporal-scale investigation of LNOx to date that combines satellite-based NOx estimates and lightning flash data. The study comprises five northern-hemisphere (NH) summers, including much of the mid-latitude regions in North America and Asia and adjacent waters. NO2 measurements are converted to LNOx and compared with flashes preceding OMI overpass by 2 hours. The flash counts are derived from ground-based World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data that are adjusted for detection efficiency. We find reasonable correlation between the number of lightning flashes and the amount of LNOx produced and estimate mean efficiencies for the production of LNOx in various NH regions. Overall results indicate mole/flash values near the low end of those reported in previous LNOx studies, as well as a possible dependence of production efficiency on flash rate. These findings have potential implications in the chemistry of upper tropospheric trace gases and the global NOx budget.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

PDF Article
More Like This
Analysis of temporal and spatial patterns of OMI NO2 data

Annette Schütt, Gerrit Kuhlmann, Ying Zhu, and Mark Wenig
HM4E.2 Hyperspectral Imaging and Sounding of the Environment (HISE) 2016

A new cavity ring-down instrument for airborne monitoring of N2O5, NO3, NO2 and O3 in the upper troposphere lower stratosphere

Marc Goulette, Steven S. Brown, Hemanth Dinesan, William P. Dubé, Gerhard Hübler, Johannes Orphal, Albert A. Ruth, and Andreas Zahn
LTh1G.2 Laser Applications to Chemical, Security and Environmental Analysis (LACSEA) 2016

Impact of high aerosol loading on the retrieval of tropospheric NO2 from satellite

Chao Yu, Liangfu Chen, Meng Fan, and Shenshen Li
EW3A.5 Optics and Photonics for Energy and the Environment (ES) 2015

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved