OMI Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an atmospheric trace gas, part of a family of nitrogen oxides, whose other important member is nitrogen oxide (NO). NO2 is formed when ozone (O3) attacks NO; NO2 is re-converted to NO and O3 under the action of sunlight (this is called photolysis). These two important nitrogen oxides ("NOx" is a shorthand for NO + NO2) are mainly formed in high-temperature combustion processes, and also in lightning. A small amount of NOx is also produced by the oxidation, in air and sunlight, of certain compounds that are released by soil-dwelling bacteria.
NO2 is a marker of poor air quality, both because it is harmful to living tissue in plants and animals, and because it is an essential part of the chain of reactions responsible for the formation of the ground level ozone. NO2 is responsible for the reddish-brown color of the haze you see in the air on particularly polluted days.
Both NO and NO2 are removed from the air by reactions with hydroxyl (OH), forming nitrous and nitric acids (HNO2 and HNO3). These dissolve in water and contribute to acid rain.
Major sources of tropospheric NOx include industrial emissions, automobile traffic, forest and brush fires, microbiological soil emissions, lightning, and aircraft. More that half of the total NOx emissions are estimated to be anthropogenic, mainly from the burning of fossil fuels for energy production, transportation, and industrial activities.
The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is an ultraviolet and visible spectrometer onboard the EOS AURA satellite. It measures sunlight reflected from the Earth's atmosphere and surface. Analysis of the reflected light reveals information about the amounts of several gases in the atmosphere, including NO2.
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