Comparison of TROPOMI/Sentinel 5 Precursor NO 2 observations with ground-based measurements in Helsinki

2019
Abstract. We present a comparison between satellite-based TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) NO2 products and ground-based observations in Helsinki (Finland). TROPOMI NO2 total (summed) columns are compared with the measurements performed by the Pandora spectrometer during April–September 2018. We find a high correlation (r = 0.68) between satellite- and ground-based data, but also that TROPOMI total columns underestimate ground-based observations for relatively large Pandora NO2 total columns, corresponding to episodes of relatively elevated pollution. This is expected because of the relatively large size of the TROPOMI ground pixel (3.5 km x 7 km) and the a-priori used in the retrieval compared to the relatively small field-of-view of the Pandora instrument. Replacing the coarse a-priori NO2 profiles with high-resolution profiles from the CAMS chemical transport modelimproves the agreement between TROPOMI and Pandora total columns for episodes of NO2 enhancement. We also analyse the consistency between satellite-based data and in situ NO2 surface concentrations measured at the Helsinki-Kumpula air quality station (located a few metres from the Pandora spectrometer). We find similar day-to-day variability between TROPOMI, Pandora and in situ measurements, with NO2 enhancements observed during the same days. Both satellite- and ground-based data show a similar weekly cycle, with lower NO2 levels during the weekend compared to the weekdays as a result of reduced emissions from traffic and industrial activities (as expected in urban sites). The TROPOMI NO2 maps reveal also spatial features, such as the main traffic ways and the airport area, as well as the effect of the prevailing south-west wind patterns. This is one of the first works in which TROPOMI NO2 retrievals are validated against ground-based observations and the results provide an early evaluation of their applicability for monitoring pollution levels in urban sites. Overall, TROPOMI retrievals are valuable to complement the ground-based air quality data (available with high temporal resolution) for describing the spatio-temporal variability of NO2, even in a relatively small city like Helsinki.
    • Correction
    • Source
    • Cite
    • Save
    31
    References
    62
    Citations
    NaN
    KQI
    []
    Baidu
    map