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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 112, D02304, doi:10.1029/2006JD007268, 2007

Satellite chartography of atmospheric methane from SCIAMACHY on board ENVISAT: 2. Evaluation based on inverse model simulations

P. Bergamaschi

European Commission - DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, Italy


C. Frankenberg

Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany


J. F. Meirink

Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, Netherlands
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands


M. Krol

European Commission - DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, Italy
Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, Netherlands
Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht, Netherlands


F. Dentener

European Commission - DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, Italy


T. Wagner

Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany


U. Platt

Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany


J. O. Kaplan

European Commission - DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, Italy


S. Körner

Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany


M. Heimann

Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany


E. J. Dlugokencky

Global Monitoring Division, Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, Boulder, Colorado, USA


A. Goede

Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, Netherlands


Abstract

We extend the analysis of a global CH4 data set retrieved from SCIAMACHY (Frankenberg et al., 2006) by making a detailed comparison with inverse TM5 model simulations for 2003 that are optimized versus high accuracy CH4 surface measurements from the NOAA ESRL network. The comparison of column averaged mixing ratios over remote continental and oceanic regions shows that major features of the atmospheric CH4 distribution are consistent between SCIAMACHY observations and model simulations. However, the analysis suggests that SCIAMACHY CH4 retrievals may have some bias that depends on latitude and season (up to ∼30 ppb). Large enhancements of column averaged CH4 mixing ratios (∼50–100 ppb) are observed and modeled over India, Southeast Asia, and the tropical regions of South America, and Africa. We present a detailed comparison of observed spatial patterns and their seasonal evolution with TM5 1° × 1° zoom simulations over these regions. Application of a new wetland inventory leads to a significant improvement in the agreement between SCIAMACHY retrievals and model simulations over the Amazon basin during the first half of the year. Furthermore, we present an initial coupled inversion that simultaneously uses the surface and satellite observations and that allows the inverse system to compensate for the potential systematic bias. The results suggest significantly greater tropical emissions compared to either the a priori estimates or the inversion based on the surface measurements only. Emissions from rice paddies in India and Southeast Asia are relatively well constrained by the SCIAMACHY data and are slightly reduced by the inversion.

Received 7 March 2006; accepted 18 August 2006; published 24 January 2007.

Keywords: atmospheric CH4; inverse modeling; SCIAMACHY.

Index Terms: 0322 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Constituent sources and sinks; 0315 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Biosphere/atmosphere interactions (0426, 1610); 0365 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere: composition and chemistry; 0368 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere: constituent transport and chemistry; 0394 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Instruments and techniques.

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Citation: Bergamaschi, P., et al. (2007), Satellite chartography of atmospheric methane from SCIAMACHY on board ENVISAT: 2. Evaluation based on inverse model simulations, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D02304, doi:10.1029/2006JD007268.