FRENCH/BELGIAN SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION TO TROPOSPHERIC STUDIES USING THE METOP SENSORS

We propose to combine the tropospheric measurements provided by the IASI and GOME2 instruments aboard METOP, together with data from ground-based stations, airborne and spaceborne remote sensors, along with atmospheric chemistry models (CTMs) in order to improve our knowledge of processes constraining the chemical composition of the troposphere and to study the regional and global scale air quality. The measurements of ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde (CH2O), and methane (CH4) will be used in conjunction with the 3D tropospheric LMDz-INCA, MOZART, IMAGES and CHIMERE CTM models, using data assimilation and inversion modeling techniques, to study the global distribution of these species and to derive improved emissions estimates. Before the METOP launch, all the tools developed in the framework of this project will be used to analyse the AURA TES and OMI tropospheric products. After the launch of METOP, the data provided by both satellites will then be analyzed with the CTMs. The resulting global distributions will be used to perform detailed studies of the role of biomass burning in the budget of tropospheric species, the emissions of ozone precursors, the role of convective transport of pollutants, and its consequences in terms of air quality.