Trace gases, troposphere-detection from space

Abstract

In the last 15 years, observing trace gases in the troposphere from space has been a tremendously fast developing field. Sophisticated retrieval techniques have been developed in order to obtain tropospheric trace gas concentrations, and these techniques have been validated successfully. Satellite instruments now provide daily observations of the chemical composition of the troposphere with spatial detail as fine as urban scale. Satellite observations have been successfully used to provide constraints on emissions of pollutants, to evaluate and improve atmospheric models, and to identify trends in air pollution. In the future, pixel sizes will even decrease further, and combined measurements from backscatter and thermal infrared will provide better vertical profiles in the troposphere.