- 1University of Aveiro, CESAM, Department of Environment and Planning, Aveiro, Portugal (daniel.helm@ua.pt)
- 2Air Quality and Emissions Research, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Utrecht, Netherlands
- 3Institute of Meteorology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin and Air Quality and Emissions Research, Germany
Anthropogenic emissions of reactive nitrogen in Europe have increased significantly over the last two centuries. A large proportion of this reactive nitrogen is released into the atmosphere in the form of ammonia (NH3), which is generated from livestock farming activities and fertilizer use, and in the form of oxides of nitrogen (NOX) generated from the combustion of fossil fuels.
The atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen can adversely impact ecosystems and biodiversity. This is particularly relevant to the Iberian Peninsula where ecosystems that have a low threshold for eutrophication, and are therefore highly sensitive to nitrogen levels, are found.
In-situ measurements of reactive nitrogen species in this region are sparse and those that are available are measurements of NO2 concentrations and in some cases intermittent measurements of NHX & NOY wet deposition. This limitation in the availability of deposition data gives rise to a dearth of knowledge and a high degree of uncertainty in ascertaining the budget of nitrogen species in this region.
Several approaches have been developed to estimate emissions of NO2 and NH3 utilizing earth observation. Here we present the application of a multi-gaussian plume inversion method in combination with satellite observations of NH3 from the Cross-Track Infrared Sounder instrument and observations of NO2 from the TROPOMI sensor to validate concentration distributions simulated by the LOTOS-EUROS chemistry transport model.
Initially, a steady-state inversion scheme was applied over the Iberian Peninsula to derive spatial-temporal emission fields and evaluate these against inventory emissions and existing spatial and temporal distributions. An analysis of these results shows variations between the spatial distribution of inventory emissions and those obtained from the satellite observations. Then, the resulting emission fields are used within the LOTOS-EUROS model to simulate the concentration and deposition fields which will be evaluated with in-situ data.
How to cite: Helm, D., Dammers, E., Gama, C., Schaap, M., and Monteiro, A.: Emissions of ammonia and nitrogen dioxide over the Iberian Peninsula estimated with satellite observations, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1143, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1143, 2025.
