Can TROPOMI NO2 satellite data be used to track the drop in and resurgence of NOx emissions in Germany between 2019–2021 using the multi-source plume method (MSPM)?

• Published in: Geoscientific Model Development 2024-06, Vol.17 (12), p.4983-5007
• Main Authors: Dammers, Enrico, Tokaya, Janot, Mielke, Christian, Hausmann, Kevin, Griffin, Debora, McLinden, Chris, Eskes, Henk, Timmermans, Renske
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerosols; Air pollution; Anthropogenic factors; Atmospheric chemistry; Atmospheric composition; COVID-19; Datasets; Emission inventories; Emissions; Environmental perception; Estimates; Industrial plant emissions; International agreements; Methods; Nitrogen; Nitrogen compounds; Nitrogen dioxide; Nitrogen oxides; Nitrogen oxides emissions; Outdoor air quality; Pollutants; Power plants; Satellite data; Satellite tracking; Satellites; Shelter in place; Treaties; Trends; Trucks
• ISSN: 1991-962X; 1991-959X; 1991-962X; 1991-9603
• DOI: 10.5194/gmd-17-4983-2024

NOx is an important primary air pollutant of major environmental concern which is predominantly produced by anthropogenic combustion activities. NOx needs to be accounted for in national emission inventories, according to international treaties. Constructing accurate inventories requires substantial time and effort, resulting in reporting delays of 1 to 5 years. In addition to this, difficulties can arise from temporal and country-specific legislative and protocol differences. To address these issues, satellite-based atmospheric composition measurements offer a unique opportunity for the independent and large-scale estimation of emissions in a consistent, transparent, and comprehensible manner. Here we test the multi-source plume method (MSPM) to assess the NOx emissions over Germany in the COVID-19 period from 2019–2021. For the years where reporting is available, the differences between satellite estimates and inventory totals were within 75–100 kt (NO2) NOx (