Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Spatiotemporal Variability of Global Atmospheric Methane Observed from Two Decades of Satellite Hyperspectral Infrared Sounders

Lihang Zhou
ORCID logo ,
Juying Warner
* ,
Nicholas R.Nalli
ORCID logo ,
Zigang Wei
,
Youmi Oh
ORCID logo ,
Lori Bruhwiler
,
Xingpin Liu
,
Murty Divakarla
,
Ken Pryor
,
Satya Kalluri
,
Mitch D. Goldberg
Version 1 : Received: 7 May 2023 / Approved: 11 May 2023 / Online: 11 May 2023 (04:26:45 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Zhou, L.; Warner, J.; Nalli, N.R.; Wei, Z.; Oh, Y.; Bruhwiler, L.; Liu, X.; Divakarla, M.; Pryor, K.; Kalluri, S.; Goldberg, M.D. Spatiotemporal Variability of Global Atmospheric Methane Observed from Two Decades of Satellite Hyperspectral Infrared Sounders. Remote Sens. 2023, 15, 2992. Zhou, L.; Warner, J.; Nalli, N.R.; Wei, Z.; Oh, Y.; Bruhwiler, L.; Liu, X.; Divakarla, M.; Pryor, K.; Kalluri, S.; Goldberg, M.D. Spatiotemporal Variability of Global Atmospheric Methane Observed from Two Decades of Satellite Hyperspectral Infrared Sounders. Remote Sens. 2023, 15, 2992.

Abstract

Methane (CH4) is the second most significant contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide (CO2), accounting for approximately 20% of the contributions from all the well-mixed greenhouse gases. Understanding the spatiotemporal distributions, and the relevant long-term trends are crucial to identifying the sources, sinks, and impacts on climate. Hyperspectral thermal infrared (TIR) sounders, including the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), have been used to measure global CH4 concentrations since 2002. This study analyzed nearly twenty years of data from AIRS and CrIS and confirmed a significant increase in CH4 concentrations in the mid-upper troposphere (around 400 hPa) from 2003 to 2020, with a total increase of approximately 85 ppb, representing a +4.8% increase in 18 years. The rate of increase was derived using global satellite TIR measurements is consistent with in-situ measurements, indicating a steady increase starting in 2007 and became stronger in 2014. The study also compared CH4 concentrations derived from the AIRS and CrIS against ground-based measurements from NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) and found phase shifts in the seasonal cycles in the middle to high latitudes in the northern hemisphere, which is attributed to the influence of stratospheric CH4 that varies at different latitudes. These findings provide insights into the global budget of atmospheric composition and the understanding of satellite measurement sensitivity of CH4.

Keywords

Hyperspectral IR Sounding; Methane; CH4 Concentration; AIRS; CrIS; CH4 Trends

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Remote Sensing

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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