Studies of air pollution: nitrogen dioxide

Owned by Maiwenn Herpe
Last updated: Jun 24, 2021 by Frederika Mourot
1 min read

Satellite(s)

e.g., Sentinel-5P.

Monitoring element

Absorption of trace gases in the backscattered radiation.

Satellite(s)

e.g., Sentinel-5P.

Monitoring element

Absorption of trace gases in the backscattered radiation.

Description technique

Dutheil et al. (2020) used satellite-observation to correlate reduction of NO2 following COVID-19 outbreak.
Lorente et al. (2019) showed that NO2 measurements from TROPOMI satellite sensor can directly determine the strength and distribution of a large city's emissions.

Accuracy / Resolution

5km x 5km (approx.).

Case study

Dutheil et al (2020) use the NO2 measurements and correlate COVID-19 with air pollution in Wuhan, China.
Lorente et. al. (2019) studied Paris' air pollution.

Benefits

  • Daily.

  • Data freely available.

Limitations

Steep learning curve for a non-expert, e.g., using the Google Earth Engine requires some investment in time.

Applicability for Northland

Uncertain.

Generally low concentration for New Zealand compared to global hotspots. Potential to look into general air pollution (caused by burning fossil fuels) for Northland urban areas (e.g. Whangarei), but unlikely correlation with air pollution given the population density.

Publication references

Dutheil, F., Baker, J.S., Navel, V., 2020. COVID-19 as a factor influencing air pollution? Environmental Pollution 263, 114466. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114466

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7144597

Lorente A, Boersma KF, Eskes HJ, Veefkind JP, van Geffen JHGM, de Zeeuw MB, Denier van der Gon HAC, Beirle S, Krol MC. 2019. Quantification of nitrogen oxides emissions from build-up of pollution over Paris with TROPOMI. Scientific Reports. 9(1):20033. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-56428-5.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-56428-5.pdf

Other comments or information

NRT: 2018 - current
Sentinel-5P's instrument called Tropomi (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) is a spectrometer sensing ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), near (NIR) and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) to monitor ozone, methane, formaldehyde, aerosol, carbon monoxide, NO2 and SO2 in the atmosphere.

https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/COPERNICUS_S5P_NRTI_L3_NO2