RII Track-4: Assessing the Capability of TEMPO Geostationary Satellite Observations of Formaldehyde to Constrain Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Western U.S. Wildfire Smok

野火向大气中排放有毒微量气体和特殊物质，严重影响空气质量，特别是在美国西部。该项目旨在为计划中的卫星的时间观测战略做出贡献，以近乎实时地监测野火产生的挥发性有机化合物(VOC)排放。该项目可能会为许多西部EPSCoR州带来更好的空气质量预报，如蒙大拿州、爱达荷州、怀俄明州、内华达州和犹他州，从而使数百万暴露在野火烟雾中的人受益。对流层排放：污染监测(TEMPO)地球静止轨道卫星计划于2022年发射，提供关键的对流层成分测量，包括以前所未有的高空间和时间分辨率测量甲醛(HCHO)。这项拟议的研究将探索计划中的TEMPO甲醛观测如何限制美国西部野火烟雾的VOC排放，并优化针对偶发野火事件的TEMPO观测策略。通过对史密森天体物理天文台(SAO)的合作访问，我们将在蒙大拿大学(UM)开发卫星遥感方面的新研究技能，这将为了解陆地表面的有机排放提供独特的力量。具体任务旨在利用各种机会加强与SAO和TEMPO科学小组的协作，并建设密歇根大学卫星遥感研究的能力：(A)生成合成TEMPO HCHO柱数据，(B)在美国西部上空利用合成数据应用高分辨率的伴随反演，(C)使用独立的航空和地面现场数据评估具体火灾事件的反演结果。这些结果将为TEMPO针对异常野火的时间观测策略提供参考，并为其他事件(如沙尘暴发)提供指导。合成的TEMPO数据和反演结果将通过主要关注野火排放的独立实地活动(WE-CAN、FIREX-AQ和Mt.学士天文台)。预计比较和验证将提高我们对卫星反演的不确定性的了解，并最终提高对野火VOC排放的了解。这项研究将重点关注美国西部的火灾，研究结果将为美国其他地区和世界各地以及以更高时间分辨率演变的其他污染排放提供参考。通过参与Tempo的发射前研究，拟议的项目不仅可能改变PI在卫星生命周期内的职业轨迹，还将提高UM在环境和生态研究方面的长期竞争力。该项目将把下一代地球观测系统带到蒙大拿州，并可能在空气污染、野火、林业、生态、公共卫生等领域的各种应用中造福于地区科学界和空气质量监管机构。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Wildfires emit toxic trace gases and particular matters into the atmosphere, substantially impacting air quality, particularly in the western U.S. The project aims to contribute to the temporal observing strategy of a planned satellite for monitoring volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from wildfires in near real-time. This project will potentially lead to better air quality forecast for many western EPSCoR states like Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah, and thus would benefit millions of people exposed to wildfire smoke. The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) geostationary satellite is planned for launch in 2022, providing key tropospheric composition measurements, including formaldehyde (HCHO) at unprecedentedly high spatial and temporal resolution. This proposed research will explore how the planned TEMPO formaldehyde observations could constrain VOC emissions from wildfire smoke in the western U.S., and to optimize TEMPO observing strategy for episodic wildfire events. Through the collaborative visit to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), we will develop new research skills in satellite remote sensing at the University of Montana (UM) that will provide a unique strength to understand organic emissions from the land surface. Specific tasks are designed to incorporate opportunities to strengthen the collaboration with the SAO and TEMPO science team and build the capacities of satellite remote sensing research at UM: (a) generating the synthetic TEMPO HCHO column data, (b) applying a high resolution adjoint-based inversion using synthetic data over western U.S., and (c) evaluating inversion results with independent airborne and ground field data for specific fire events. The results will inform TEMPO temporal observing strategy for exceptional wildfires and provide a guide for other episodic events such as dust outbreaks. The synthetic TEMPO data and the inversion results will be evaluated by independent field campaigns primarily focused on wildfire emissions (WE-CAN, FIREX-AQ, and Mt. Bachelor Observatory). It is expected that the comparison and validation will improve our knowledge on the uncertainties of satellite retrievals, and ultimately the VOC emissions from wildfires. This research will focus on fires in the western U.S., and results will be informative for other regions in the U.S. and around the world, and also for other pollution emissions that evolve at higher temporal resolution. By engaging in the TEMPO's pre-launch research, the proposed project not only will potentially transform the PI's career trajectory for the lifespan of the satellite, but also improve the UM's long-term competitiveness in environmental and ecological research. This project will bring the next generation of earth observing system to Montana and could benefit regional science communities and air quality regulators for various applications in air pollution, wildfire, forestry, ecology, public health, and beyond.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.