Tracking pollutants from space: Eight years of IASI satellite observation

Cathy Clerbaux (1, 2) , Juliette Hadji-Lazaro (1) , Solène Turquety (3) , Maya George (1) , Anne Boynard (1) , Matthieu Pommier (1) , Sarah Safieddine (1) , Pierre-François Coheur (2) , Daniel Hurtmans (2) , Lieven Clarisse (2) , Martin van Damme (2)

1 TROPO - LATMOS
2 Spectroscopie de l'atmosphère, Service de Chimie Quantique et Photophysique
3 LMD - Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539)

The IASI mission flying onboard the MetOp satellites has been providing global observations of the air composition twice a day since 2007. From the atmospheric spectra recorded by the instruments in the thermal infrared spectral range, concentrations of a series of trace gases can be monitored, enhanced levels of pollution can be detected, and particle types can be determined to some extent. This paper recalls the historical context for the IASI remote sensor, reviews its capability to observe some key species for global and regional pollution monitoring, and reports on information services that benefit from the mission.

Keywords: Remote sensing; IASI; Satellite; Pollution

Domains: Environmental Sciences

Cathy Clerbaux, Juliette Hadji-Lazaro, Solène Turquety, Maya George, Anne Boynard, et al.. Tracking pollutants from space: Eight years of IASI satellite observation. Comptes Rendus Géoscience, 2015, 347 (3), pp.134-144. ⟨10.1016/j.crte.2015.06.001⟩. ⟨insu-01182912⟩