Archive OMI News in 2006 (All items: EN+NL)
Overview of the news items in 2006, INCLUDING items in Dutch.
2006
Ozongat groter dan ooit gemeten
Date: 4 oktober 2006Het ozongat boven het Zuidpoolgebied is dit jaar groter dan ooit werd gemeten. Dit volgt uit de meetreeks van de satellietinstrumenten GOME, SCIAMACHY en OMI.
In de analyse van het KNMI was op 1 oktober het ozonverlies groter dan het record in het jaar 2000. Ook de Wereld Meteorologische Organisatie maakt hier nu melding van. Het ozonverlies is de maat voor de hoeveelheid ozon die is afgebroken in het ozongat, en wordt bepaald door zowel het oppervlak als de diepte van het ozongat. Lees verder.
Live OMI measurements of UV radiation on the Earth's surface
Date: 25 July 2006The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) delivers almost live OMI measurements of the amount of UV radiation on the Earth's surface (as UV-index and erythemally weighted dose) and the total amount of ozone in the atmosphere above Central and North Europe. The measurements of these so-called Very Fast Delivery (VFD) products are on-line within 30 minutes after observation.
During several overpasses per day, OMI has direct contact with FMI's Satellite Data Center at Sodankylä in Northern Finland. During those periods, OMI measurements are broadcasted directly to this data center and directly processed, using processing software from KNMI for cloud and ozone products and the software from FMI for UV processing. Read More and see the images at FMI's VFD site.
Hittegolf en vervuiling Groot Brittannië vanuit de ruimte
Datum: 25 juli 2006Terwijl Groot Brittannië zucht onder de hittegolf registreren sensoren in de ruimte (AATSR op ESA's ENVISAT en OMI op NASA's EOS-Aura) een dramatische toename in temperatuur en luchtvervuiling, vooral in de grote steden. Aldus bijgaand persbericht van de University of Leicester.
De Britse meteorologische dienst rapporteerde dat de temperatuur op 19 juli een record maximum heeft bereikt voor de maand juli. Ook de luchtvervuiling als gevolg van stikstofdioxide (NO2) is aanzienlijk gestegen. Lees meer in het door het KNMI vertaalde persbericht.
UK Record Heatwave and Rising Pollution Observed by Eyes in the Sky
Date: 25 July 2006As the UK bakes during this summer's heatwave, sensors in space (AATSR on ESA's ENVISAT and OMI op NASA's EOS-Aura) have been recording dramatic increases in both UK land temperature and in air pollution, particularly in major cities.
During a period of persistent stable summer weather from 15th and 19th July, temperatures rose to record highs for the U.K. and pollution due to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a respiratory inhibitor, appears to have risen considerably too; the Met Office reported that temperatures on July 19th reached a record maximum for July. Read More in this press release from the University of Leicester.
Satellietmissie Luchtkwaliteit en Klimaat geselecteerd door ESA
Datum: 7 juli 2006De Europese Ruimtevaart Organisatie ESA heeft een satellietmissie, geleid door het KNMI, ten behoeve van luchtkwaliteit en klimaat geselecteerd voor verdere studie. Daarmee is de kans dat deze missie gerealiseerd wordt een stuk groter geworden. In dit z.g. TRAQ voorstel (TRopospheric Composition and Air Quality werkt het KNMI internationaal samen met als belangrijkste partner Frankrijk. SRON en de Nederlandse ruimtevaartindustrie zijn nauw betrokken bij het ontwerp van één van de TRAQ instrumenten (TROPOMI).
Lees meer in het persbericht van het KNMI.
ANTARCTIC OZONE HOLE TO RECOVER LATER THAN EXPECTED
Date: 30 June 2006Scientists from NASA and other agencies have concluded that the ozone hole over the Antarctic will recover around 2068, nearly 20 years later than previously believed. Their findings, with lead author Paul Newman (OMI science team member from NASA-GSFC) have been published today in Geophysical Research Letters (Vol. 33, No. 12.)
For the first time, a model combines estimates of future Antarctic chlorine and bromine levels based on current amounts as captured from TOMS and OMI satellite observations, NOAA ground-level observations, NCAR airplane-based observations, with anticipated future emissions, the time it takes for the transport of those emissions into the Antarctic stratosphere, and assessments of future weather patterns over Antarctica. Read more ...
OMI Measures Volcanic Gas Cloud (quicktime movie 3,2 Mb)
Date: 29 June 2006; update 20 July 2006On May 20, 2006 a major lava dome collapse at the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat (West Indies) triggered an explosive emission of volcanic gases. The resulting gas cloud penetrated the stratosphere, reaching an altitude of ~20 km. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) in this cloud was tracked by OMI for 3 weeks as it moved westwards across the Pacific, before finally dissipating below detection limits over the Indian Ocean on June 11. Read more ...
See also (shorter but with Calipso measurements of same event).
SO2 Emissions from Smelters
Date: 28 June 2006The Peruvian copper smelters are among the world's largest industrial point sources of sulfur dioxide (SO2). OMI is sensitive enough to be able to identify the copper being emitted from the La Oroya and Ilo smelters even though these produce less SO2 than the volcanoes.
In addition to air quality applications, these data provide insights into the different lifetimes, dispersal etc of volcanic vs. industrial emission plumes. Read more ...
First global tropospheric maps show streams of tropospheric ozone crossing the oceans
Date: 28 June 2006The monthly mean maps by the Aura instruments OMI and MLS of tropospheric ozone show pollution streaming from the U.S., Europe and China to the west in summer and pollution from biomass burning in the equatorial zone.
The tropospheric ozone measurements were made by subtracting the MLS stratospheric ozone from OMI column ozone. Read more ...
Asian Dust Storms (movie)
Date: 15 April 2006Asia is suffering through the worst dust storm season in at least five years. The eighth major storm this year clogged the air over China, Korea, and Japan with sand from the Taklamkan and Gobi deserts. The sand picks up a toxic mix of heavy metals and carcinogens as the clouds pass over China's industrial areas, exacerbating health problems due to these storms. Read more ...
Dust Storm over Eastern China
Date: 15 March 2006A large dust storm spread aerosols (airborne particles) over Asia and the Pacific starting on March 9, 2006. The storm reached the Beijing region on March 10, and the tiny particles remained aloft for several more days. The dust cloud remained intense as it migrated eastward from China over Korea and Japan. OMI captured these images on March 9, 11, and 13. Read more ...