CHAPS: a sustainable approach to targeted air pollution observation from small satellites

Adverse air quality impacts human health and climate and has implications for environmental equity. The Compact Hyperspectral Air Pollution Sensor (CHAPS) is a newly designed small imaging spectrometer for remote sensing of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and other air pollutants from space. It incorporates two emerging technologies, to achieve the...

First aircraft test results of a compact, low cost hyperspectral imager for earth observation from space

In recent years TNO has investigated and developed different innovative opto-mechanical designs to realize advanced spectrometers for space applications in a more compact and cost-effective manner. This offers multiple advantages: a compact instrument can be flown on a much smaller platform or as add-on on a larger platform; a low-cost...

MAX-DOAS tropospheric nitrogen dioxide column measurements compared with the Lotos-Euros air quality model

A 14-month data set of MAX-DOAS (Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) tropospheric NO2 column observations in De Bilt, the Netherlands, has been compared with the regional air quality model Lotos-Euros. The model was run on a 7×7 km2 grid, the same resolution as the emission inventory used. A study was performed to assess the...

TROPOMI on the ESA Sentinel-5 Precursor: A GMES mission for global observations of the atmospheric composition for climate, air quality and ozone layer applications

The ESA (European Space Agency) Sentinel-5 Precursor (S-5 P) is a low Earth orbit polar satellite to provide information and services on air quality, climate and the ozone layer in the timeframe 2015-2022. The S-5 P mission is part of the Global Monitoring of the Environment and Security (GMES) Space Component Programme. The payload of the...

Breadboarding activities of the TROPOMI-SWIR module

The TROPOMI instrument concept is part of the TRAQ mission proposal to ESA in response to the Call for Ideas in 2005. TRAQ (TRopospheric composition and Air Quality) has been accepted for a further pre-phase A study for the next Earth Explorer core Mission. A very similar instrument has been proposed for the CAMEO platform to the US National...

TROPOMI: Solar backscatter satellite instrument for air quality and climate

TROPOMI is a nadir-viewing grating-based imaging spectrograph in the line of OMI and SCIAMACHY. TROPOMI is part of the ESA Candidate Core Explorer Mission proposal TRAQ and also of the CAMEO satellite proposed for the US NRC decadal study. A TROPOMI-like instrument is part of the ESA/EU Sentinel 4&5 pre-phase A studies. TROPOMI covers the OMI...

The ozone monitoring instrument

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) flies on the National Aeronautics and Space Adminsitration's Earth Observing System Aura satellite launched in July 2004. OMI is a 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...

From OMI to TROPOMI: Entering the realm of air quality from space

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's AURA satellite is one of the first instruments measuring an extensive set of daily air quality parameters from space. This anwers to a growing interest in obtaining space data for the air we breath next to the higher altitude air masses. OMI combines UV-Visible nadir viewing spectroscopy, small...

TROPOMI and TROPI: UV/VIS/NIR/SWIR instruments

TROPOMI (Tropospheric Ozone-Monitoring Instrument) is a five-channel UV-VIS-NIR-SWIR non-scanning nadir viewing imaging spectrometer that combines a wide swath (114°) with high spatial resolution (10 × 10 km 2). The instrument heritage consists of GOME on ERS-2, SCIAMACHY on Envisat and, especially, OMI on EOS-Aura. TROPOMI has even smaller...

Sensitivity analysis of a new SWIR-channel measuring tropospheric CH 4 and CO from space

In preparation for future atmospheric space missions a consortium of Dutch organizations is performing design studies on a nadir viewing grating-based imaging spectrometer using OMI and SCIAMACHY heritage. The spectrometer measures selected species (O3, NO2, HCHO, H2O, SO 2, aerosols (optical depth, type and absorption index), CO and CH4) with...