Identification of tropospheric emissions sources from satellite observations: synergistic use of trace gas measurements of formaldehyde (HCHO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2)

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During recent years a new generation of UV/vis satellite instrument was put in orbit which allows to map global distributions of several tropospheric trace gases like NO2, HCHO, and SO2 at high spatial resolution. Because of short atmospheric lifetimes of these gases (hours to days), these maps allow investigation of the global distribution of sources, sinks, and their temporal changes. This is an important step forward for the knowledge of the composition and evolution of the atmosphere, and the implications for societally relevant issues, such as climate, ecosystems or human health. Here we propose to test and improve current estimates of the global distributions of sources for NO2, HCHO, and SO2. First, we will identify and assign the different known sources to the observed tropospheric trace gas distributions. Second, from the combined investigation of the different trace species we will characterize different types of sources due to their specific mix of emissions. In a third phase we will quantify the absolute emissions of selected sources from our satellite data. From a comparison of the NO2, HCHO, and SO2 satellite maps with atmospheric model results we will investigate in detail the quality of current emission inventories. The satellite maps will also be used to adjust the models by using inverse modelling method. In particular, the latter aspect requires tropospheric satellite data with largely improved accuracy. Therefore, much emphasis of the current project laid on the improvement of atmospheric radiation transfer modelling and cloud correction.