ESA - Living Planet Programme - MetOp - Satellite sensor maps global atmospheric ammonia emissions

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Satellite sensor maps global atmospheric ammonia emissions

7 July 2009

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This image shows ammonia distributions over Europe in 2008, as measured by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) instrument on the MetOp satellite. The image has been superimposed over an image acquired by the MODIS instrument. The yellow to red colours indicate areas with high concentrations of ammonia. The white structures are clouds.

Credits: ULB, CNES and INSU-CNRS [MODIS Image, L. Gonzalez et C. Deroo (LOA and Lille University)].

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This image shows the distribution of ammonia over North Italy in 2008, as measured by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) instrument on the MetOp satellite. The yellow to red colours indicate areas with high concentrations of ammonia.

Credits: ULB, CNES and INSU-CNRS (Image MODIS copyright L. Gonzalez/C. Deroo LOA)

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From MetOp's polar orbit, the IASI instrument observes the Earth up to an angle of 48.5° perpendicular to both sides of the satellite track corresponding to a swath of about 2 000 kilometres on the ground. Each sample is made up of four circular pixels with a maximum diameter of 12 kilometres at nadir. One swathe achieves 30 equally spaced Earth views (and two calibration views). The incoming radiation is measured in three spectral bands. Band one (15.5 to 8.26 microns) contributes mainly to retrievals of temperature profiles and ozone, band two (8.26 to 5 microns) contributes to retrievals of humidity and some trace gases and band three (5 to 3.62) contributes to retrievals of temperature and some trace gases.

MetOp-A was launched on 19 October 2006 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on a Soyuz ST rocket with a Fregat upper stage.

Credits: ESA - AOES Medialab

First ozone and nitrogen dioxide measurements from MetOp-A First images from MHS and GOME-2 on MetOp-A ESA transfers operations of MetOp-A to EUMETSAT

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MetOp