Airborne Mapping of Atmospheric Ammonia in a Mixed Discrete and Diffuse Emission Environment

• Published in: Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2025-01, Vol.17 (1), p.95
• Main Authors: Tratt, David M., Chang, Clement S., Keim, Eric R., Buckland, Kerry N., Alvarez, Morad, Kalashnikova, Olga, Hasheminassab, Sina, Garay, Michael J., Miao, Yaning, Porter, William C., Hopkins, Francesca M., Pakbin, Payam, Sowlat, Mohammad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; airborne spectral imaging; Ammonia; Animal culture; Animal husbandry; Atmospheric boundary layer; Boundary layers; emission quantification; Emissions; Gases; Geothermal power; Ground truth; Hyperspectral imaging; Image acquisition; In situ measurement; Industrial plant emissions; Infrared imagery; longwave infrared; Measurement techniques; Nitrates; Observatories; Particulate matter; Pixels; Planetary boundary layer; Plumes; Pollution sources; Quality management; Quality standards; Remote sensing; Spectral emittance; Thermal boundary layer
• ISSN: 2072-4292; 2072-4292
• DOI: 10.3390/rs17010095

Airborne longwave-infrared (LWIR) hyperspectral imagery acquisitions were coordinated with stationary and mobile ground-based in situ measurements of atmospheric ammonia in regions surrounding California’s Salton Sea, an area of commingled intensive animal husbandry and agriculture operations that is encumbered by exceptionally high levels of persistent ammonia and PM2.5 pollution. The goal of this study was to validate remotely sensed ammonia retrievals against ground truth measurements as part of a broader effort to elucidate the behavior of the atmospheric ammonia burden in this area of abundant diffuse and point sources. The nominal 2 m pixel size of the airborne data revealed variability in ammonia concentrations at a diversity of scales within the study area. At this pixel resolution, ammonia plumes emitted by individual facilities could be clearly discriminated and their dispersion characteristics inferred. Several factors, including thermal contrast and atmospheric boundary layer depth, contributed to the overall uncertainty of the intercomparison between airborne ammonia quantitative retrievals and the corresponding in situ measurements, for which agreement was in the 16–37% range under the most favorable conditions. Hence, while the findings attest to the viability of airborne LWIR spectral imaging for quantifying atmospheric ammonia concentrations, the accuracy of ground-level estimations depends significantly on precise knowledge of these atmospheric factors.