Science objectives of the ozone monitoring instrument

Pieternel F. Levelt, Ernest Hilsenrath, Gilbert W. Leppelmeier, Gijsbertus H.J. Van Den Oord, Pawan K. Bhartia, Johanna Tamminen, Johan F. De Haan, J. Pepijn Veefkind

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

436 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) flies on NASA's Earth Observing System AURA satellite, launched in July 2004. OMI is an ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) nadir solar backscatter spectrometer, which provides nearly global coverage in one day, with a spatial resolution of 13 km × 24 km. Trace gases measured include O3, NO2, SO2, HCHO, BrO, and OClO. In addition OMI measures aerosol characteristics, cloud top heights and cloud coverage, and UV irradiance at the surface. OMI's unique capabilities for measuring important trace gases with daily global coverage and a small footprint will make a major contribution to our understanding of stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry and climate change along with Aura's other three instruments. OMI's high spatial resolution enables detection of air pollution at urban scales. Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer and differential optical absorption spectroscopy heritage algorithms, as well as new ones developed by the international (Dutch, Finnish, and U.S.) OMI science team, are used to derive OMI's advanced backscatter data products. In addition to providing data for Aura's prime objectives, OMI will provide near-real-time data for operational agencies in Europe and the U.S. Examples of OMI's unique capabilities are presented in this paper.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1199-1207
Number of pages9
JournalIEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Volume44
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2006

Keywords

  • Air quality
  • Atmospheric composition
  • Ozone monitoring
  • Satellite measurements

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