Satellite Measurements of Tropospheric Column O3 and NO2 in Eastern and Southeastern Asia: Comparison with a Global Model (MOZART-2)
Résumé
Satellite measurements of tropospheric column O3 and NO2 in eastern and southeastern Asia are analyzed to study the spatial and seasonal characteristics of pollution in these regions. Tropospheric column O3 is derived from differential measurements of total column ozone from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), and stratospheric column ozone from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The tropospheric column NO2 is measured by Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME). A global chemical and transport model (Model of Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 2; MOZART-2) is applied to analyze and interpret the satellite measurements. The study, which is based on spring, summer, and fall months of 1997 shows generally good agreement between the model and satellite data with respect to seasonal and spatial characteristics of O3 and NO2 fields. The analysis of the model results show that the industrial emission of NOx (NO + NO2) contributes about 50%–80% to tropospheric column NO2 in eastern Asia and about 20%–50% in southeastern Asia. The contribution of industrial emission of NOx to tropospheric column O3 ranges from 10% to 30% in eastern Asia. Biomass burning and lightning NOx emissions have a small effect on tropospheric O3 in central and eastern Asia, but they have a significant impact in southeastern Asia. The varying effects of NOx on tropospheric column ozone are attributed to differences in relative abundance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with respect to total nitrogen in the two regions.