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March
14, 2007
FIRST
OZONE AND
NITROGEN DIOXIDE MEASUREMENTS FROM METOP-A
The
Global Ozone
Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) on board MetOp-A launched in October
2006 and
currently undergoing commissioning has delivered the first geophysical
products
for monitoring the Earth's ozone layer, and European and global air
quality.
This marks the start
of a long-term European commitment to monitor the recovery of the ozone
layer
and to support the monitoring and forecasting of air quality, both for
European
citizens and at a global level. The products have been developed by the
German
Aerospace Center (DLR) in partnership with EUMETSAT’s
Satellite Application
Facility on Ozone and Atmospheric Chemistry Monitoring (O3M SAF), which
is
coordinated by the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). The O3M SAF
generates, validates, archives and distributes atmospheric ozone, trace
gases,
aerosols and surface-ultraviolet radiation data products using
measurements
from MetOp-A.
GOME-2, a scanning
spectrometer, follows on from successful GOME flown on ESA’s
ERS-2 satellite
launched in April 1995, and provides near-global coverage on a daily
basis. The
instrument measures profiles of atmospheric ozone and the distribution
of other
trace gases in the atmosphere. The instrument measures profiles of
atmospheric
ozone and the distribution of other trace gases in the atmosphere that
are
related to the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere, and to natural
and
anthropogenic sources of pollution.
The amount of surface
ultraviolet radiation is also derived from GOME-2 measurements. The
ozone layer
at an altitude of 20-30 kilometers shields the Earth from harmful
ultra-violet
radiation. However, the depletion of this protective ozone layer, which
is most
noticeable over the Arctic and Antarctic
regions, is of particular environmental concern. The resulting
increased levels
of ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface of the Earth can cause
serious
damage to human health, agriculture, forests and water ecosystems. High
levels
of atmospheric pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide produced by fossil
fuel
combustion, can damage respiratory health and contribute to acid
deposition
which harms soil and vegetation.
Global Ozone
The first image above
shows total ozone in the atmosphere as measured by the GOME-2
instrument on 11
January 2007 during one day of successive orbits of MetOp-A. This
picture
illustrates the large variability within the ozone layer, with
ozone-rich air
at the northern mid-latitudes and smaller levels of ozone over the
(sub)-tropical region. GOME-2 monitors the ozone layer amount from day
to day
on a global basis, and will track the evolution of the ozone-hole above
Antarctica during austral spring.
Regional Nitrogen Dioxide
The image shows total
nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere over Europe
on 4 February 2007, as measured by the GOME-2 instrument on MetOp-A.
Nitrogen
dioxide is one of the most important contributors to air pollution.
With the
GOME-2 instrument, nitrogen dioxide can be measured worldwide on a
daily basis,
and at a city-size scale. Clearly visible in this picture are high
tropospheric
nitrogen dioxide concentrations over large urban and industrial areas
of Europe. Note that the pollution patterns seen on a daily
basis are also affected by the prevailing weather conditions and the
resulting
movement of clean and polluted air.
##
Contact:
Mariangela
D'Acunto
European Space Agency
39-069-418-0856
mariangela.dacunto@esa.int
This text derived from:
http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMXQCQ08ZE_economy_0.html
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