Satellite remote sensing of atmospheric pollution: the far-reaching impact of burning in southern Africa

Jack Fishman; Jassim A. Al-Saadi; Doreen O. Neil; John K. Creilson; Kurt Severance; Larry W Thomason; David R. Edwards

doi:10.1117/12.799499

27 August 2008 Satellite remote sensing of atmospheric pollution: the far-reaching impact of burning in southern Africa

Jack Fishman, Jassim A. Al-Saadi, Doreen O. Neil, John K. Creilson, Kurt Severance, Larry W Thomason, David R. Edwards

Proceedings Volume 7089, Remote Sensing of Fire: Science and Application; 708903 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.799499
Event: Optical Engineering + Applications, 2008, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

When the first observations of a tropospheric trace gas were obtained in the 1980s, carbon monoxide enhancements from tropical biomass burning dominated the observed features. In 2005, an active remote-sensing system to provide detailed information on the vertical distribution of aerosols and clouds was launched, and again, one of the most imposing features observed was the presence of emissions from tropical biomass burning. This paper presents a brief overview of space-borne observations of the distribution of trace gases and aerosols and how tropical biomass burning, primarily in the Southern Hemisphere, has provided an initially surprising picture of the distribution of these species and how they have evolved from prevailing transport patterns in that hemisphere. We also show how interpretation of these observations has improved significantly as a result of the improved capability of trajectory modeling in recent years and how information from this capability has provided additional insight into previous measurements form satellites.

Citation Download Citation

Jack Fishman, Jassim A. Al-Saadi, Doreen O. Neil, John K. Creilson, Kurt Severance, Larry W Thomason, and David R. Edwards "Satellite remote sensing of atmospheric pollution: the far-reaching impact of burning in southern Africa", Proc. SPIE 7089, Remote Sensing of Fire: Science and Application, 708903 (27 August 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.799499

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KEYWORDS

Ozone

Satellites

Carbon monoxide

Aerosols

Combustion

Pollution

Atmospheric particles

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