The Quest for TROPOMI-Observed En-Route Aviation NOx Emissions

Abstract

In this work the possibility for use of the satellite remote sensing instrument TROPOMI to detect NOx emissions from en-route aviation is assessed. Analysis of aviation intensity, quality of satellite retrievals, and emissions from non-aviation anthropogenic sources showed that the North Atlantic, including the North Atlantic Flight Corridor, would have high detection potential. Over this corridor, emissions from telemetric observed aircraft are computed under assumption of stable meteorology leading to an upper bound for the average accumulation of emissions for the months of April 2020 and April 2021. These emissions are compared with TROPOMI NO2 observations retrieved over all sky and cloudy sky scenes. In order to reduce advection influences, TROPOMI measurements at locations of aviation observations close to the overpass time are analysed separately.

General conclusions of this first assessment are not optimistic for detection of en-route aviation emissions by means of TROPOMI observations. The maximum NOx emissions attributable to en-route aviation over the North Atlantic Flight Corridor during April 2020 and April 2021 were found to be lower than detection limits associated with TROPOMI for NO2 retrieval. Neither did inspection of TROPOMI measurements at locations of recent aircraft observations retrieve any evidence of aviation-attributable emissions. Therefore detection, documentation and quantification of actual NOx emissions from en-route aviation remains a
challenge.