MIPAS Observations of Organic compounds in the Upper Troposphere

J.J. Remedios, D.P. Moore, R.J, Parker and M. PanchalEOS-SRC, Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, U.K.

With acknowledgements to IMK, G. Allen and A. Waterfall

Structure of the Talk

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In this overview:1. History:

• Early motivation• Detection of organic compounds in i/r spectra• Importance of volatile organic compounds

2. MIPAS measurements of organics

3. Hydrocarbons and biomass burning

4. More Reactive Organics:• PAN and acetone• Formic acid and Formaldehyde

5. Future prospects and challenges

Early Motivation

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Arnold, GRL, 2003: Comparison of chemical responses to the injection of a convective plume of fresh acetone into the UT for the recommended acetone quantum yields (RQY, dotted) and the new acetone quantum yields (NQY, dashed). A base run without acetone is shown by the solid curves.

Effect of rates:Old – dottedNew ‐ dashed

Detection of Organics I

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MIPAS-B2 (balloon) Detection method: Remedios et al, ACP, 2007 [MIPAS-E Envisat also, e.g. Fischer et al, 2008]

• ΔY = Measured (MIPAS) –– Simulated (without target gas) –“Observation”

• ΔF = Simulated (with target gas) — Simulated (without) – “Simulation”

PAN Formic acid

Detection of Organics II

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MIPAS-B2 (balloon) Detection method: Remedios et al, ACP, 2007; [MIPAS-E Envisat also, e.g. Fischer et al, 2008]

• ΔY = Measured (MIPAS) –– Simulated (without target gas) –“Observation”

• ΔF = Simulated (with target gas) — Simulated (without) – “Simulation”AcetoneMIPAS‐B2

AcetoneMIPAS‐E

Importance of VOCs

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Volatile Organic compounds:

1. Free tropospheric chemistry:• Influence on ozone production/loss depending on Nox• Influence on OH• Sources of other reactive organics

2. Tracers of atmospheric dynamics• Biomass burning export/disturbance to the upper troposphere• Long-range transport• Monsoon anticyclone

3. Indicators of emission sources and plume chemistry• Emission ratios• Photochemical clocking

MIPAS‐E Organics

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Organic compound retrievals

a) F.T. i/r emission spectrom: 685‐2410 cm‐

1 in 4 bands. 0.025 cm‐1 resn. (unapod.)

b) Limb Sounding: 3 km vertical resn; 3‐1.5 km spacing in the UTLS.

c) Coverage: pole to pole.  Profiles every 75 s or approx. 500 km.

d) Operational products:

• Calibrated infra‐red spectra (level 1b)

• p/T, O3, H2O, HNO3, CH4, N2O, NO2 

(level 2)

Gas Spectral region (cm‐1) 

Ethyne (C2H2) 776

Ethane (C2H6) 822

PAN 790

Acetone 1220 

Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN)

745

Formaldehyde 1720

Formic acid 1100

Hydrocarbon transport

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ratio

ratio

August 2003: Ratios to CO: source, “photochemical clock”; 

R. Parker , PhD thesis

MOPITT CO

C2H6

C2H2

Biomass burning – October 2003

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MOPITT CO

(D)C2H6 (D)C2H2

HCN OLR

PAN

October 2003: C2H2, HCN tracers, PAN activity; HCN – M. Panchal, Leicester; Glatthor poster 

Biomass burning: PAN

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October 2003 - D.P. Moore (see poster also)Follows Glatthor et al, ACP, 2007

Biomass burning: Ozone variations

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Ozone variations in biomass burning plumes (Von Clarmann, ACP, 2007)

Blue – Africa plume Red – Tropical American plumeGreen – Australian/Indonesian

October 2003: PAN, fires, wind; 259 mbD. Moore, Leicester; also ACPD submitted

PAN and acetone co‐variations

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August 2003High Northern hemisphere amountsSteeper gradients in acetone compared to PAN

PAN Acetone

Glatthor  et al, 2007

Formic acid

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October 2003 (Leicester retrieval – D. Moore)Similar to ACE results for different year (Gonzalez-Abad, ACPD, 2009)Biomass burning signalHigh Northern hemisphere amounts

Formaldehyde

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Steck et al, ACP, 2008Very low signal, 3 nW (cm2 sr cm-1)Zonal mean. Daytime – nighttime difference at 40 km.Tropical enhancement > 60 pptv

Future prospects/challenges

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1. Excellent progress – a whole new class of measurements (with ACE)

2. Prospects are excellent for very good complementary measurementsto ACE

3. Emission sources – how well can we characterise these?

4. Plume differences – can we characterise photochemical consequences

5. Should we be making retrievals of some of these new species operational?

6. New measurement systems: • IASI• PREMIER