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Transport of NO x in East Asia identified by satellite and in situ measurements and Lagrangian particle dispersion model simulations
Author(s) -
Lee H.J.,
Kim S.W.,
Brioude J.,
Cooper O. R.,
Frost G. J.,
Kim C.H.,
Park R. J.,
Trainer M.,
Woo J.H.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1002/2013jd021185
Subject(s) - lagrangian , east asia , satellite , china , dispersion (optics) , environmental science , china sea , climatology , particle (ecology) , atmospheric sciences , geography , meteorology , physics , geology , oceanography , archaeology , optics , astronomy , mathematical physics
Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) columns observed from space have been useful in detecting the increase of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) emissions in East Asia, particularly China, coinciding with rapid economic growth during the past several decades. NO 2 columns retrieved above a particular location reflect a combination of local NO x emissions and transported NO x from upwind sources. In this study, we demonstrate the transport of NO x emitted in East Asia using satellite and surface in situ measurements and Lagrangian particle dispersion model simulations. Enhanced satellite NO 2 columns in the Yellow Sea (between China and South Korea) and the East Sea (between South Korea and Japan), and different seasonal variations of NO 2 in China, North and South Korea, and Japan, suggest the importance of NO x transport in understanding the local NO x budget. Lagrangian transport model simulations with tracers of different chemical lifetimes identify source‐receptor relationships that explain high NO 2 over the oceans and springtime peaks in Korea and Japan, with China being the most likely source region. Our results have important implications for studies using satellite NO 2 retrievals to derive NO x emissions at local scales in regions adjacent to large sources, such as in East Asia, Europe, and the Eastern U.S.