Overview of Boundary Layer including Surface Science Overview of Boundary Layer including Surface Science (BLiSS) Activities in Canadian Universities & (BLiSS) Activities in Canadian Universities &

Some Emerging Remote Sensing Capabilities Some Emerging Remote Sensing Capabilities

Randall Martin (Dalhousie)with Contributions from Alan Manson (Saskatchewan)

2 Dec 2009Canadian Space Agency

BLiSS is Central to Canadian Interests in Global ChangeBLiSS is Central to Canadian Interests in Global Change… but Canadian BLiSS-science often not (yet) engaged with CSA… but Canadian BLiSS-science often not (yet) engaged with CSA

Prominent Issues

• Climate change

• Air quality

BLiSS broadly interpreted to include the lower troposphere, the Earth's surface, and exchange between the two domains

Lower troposphere•Nearly half of atmospheric mass•Fully encompasses atmospheric boundary layer•Connects the surface with the atmosphere above

Depiction of Various Surface and PBL processes

Top of Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL)

Some BLiSS ProcessesSome BLiSS Processes

cloud formationvertical transport of heat and mass

atmospheric instability

atmospheric electricity

scattering by aerosols and molecules

pollution sources precipitation

More BLiSS ProcessesMore BLiSS ProcessesBLiSS Fully within Earth System Science (ESS)BLiSS Fully within Earth System Science (ESS)

BLiSS in Canadian UniversitiesBLiSS in Canadian Universities

U British Columbia, Depts of Earth & Ocean Sciences, Geography, Forestry cloud properties; remote sensing; micrometeorology; aerosol transport

U Alberta, Dept of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences land use/cover change, sea ice, clouds & storms, micrometeorology

U Saskatchewan, Inst Space & Atmospheric Studies, Depts. Geography, Biology atmospheric dynamics/chemistry, remote sensing, hydrology, ecology

U Manitoba, Dept of Soil Science micrometeorology, surface fluxes, forest fires

Initial survey reveals ~80 professors, ~300 university staff engaged

Ultrasonic anemometer to measure in-canopy flow

Andreas Christen

BLiSS in Canadian Universities…continuedBLiSS in Canadian Universities…continued

U Waterloo, Depts Earth & Environ Sciences; Geog. & Environ Management atmospheric modelling, aerosols, satellite retrievals, pollution transport

York University, Depts of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Chemistry, Geography, Biology, Faculty of Environmental Studies boundary layer, climate modelling, air quality, remote sensing

U Toronto, Depts of Physics, Chemistry, Forestry, Chemical Engineering aerosols, atmos. chemistry, transport, general circulation, modeling, forests

U Ottawa, Dept of Civil Environmental Engineering air quality modelling, data assimilation

Jennifer Murphy onboard a research aircraft to measure volatile organic compounds

BLiSS in Canadian Universities… continuedBLiSS in Canadian Universities… continuedMcGill, Dept of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences atmospheric

boundary layer, clouds, precipitation, ice-albedo, climate

U Québec à Montréal, Department of Earth and Atmosphere Science precipitation, aerosols, snow, remote sensing

U Sherbrooke, CARTEL (Centre d’application et de recherche en télédétection) aerosol remote sensing, surface temperature retrieval, soil moisture

Dalhousie University, Depts of Physics & Atmospheric Science, Oceanography remote sensing, atmospheric composition, cloud-aerosol, convection, oceans

Likely even more …

Nitrogen Dioxide from OMI as a Tracer of Combustion

Tropospheric NO2 Column (1015 molec cm-2)

BLiSS in GovernmentBLiSS in Government

• Environment Canada (MSC, S&T)• Natural Resources Canada• Department of Fisheries and Oceans• Agriculture and Agri-foods Canada

Indicator of the state and productivity of vegetation used for information about the strength and location of carbon sinks

Shusen Wang

Simulated Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation

Some Emerging BLiSS/ESS ObservationsSome Emerging BLiSS/ESS Observations

CALIPSO Observations of Biomass Burning Aerosol and Marine Stratus

Chand et al., Nature Geoscience, 2008

532 nm backscatter

Climatology of Fire Injection Heights Into the AtmosphereClimatology of Fire Injection Heights Into the Atmosphere

Inferred from MISR Satellite Instrument

Val Martin et al., ACP, submitted

Global Phenology Inferred from MODISGlobal Phenology Inferred from MODISInsight into Timing of Biosphere-Atmosphere FluxesInsight into Timing of Biosphere-Atmosphere Fluxes

Zhang et al., JGR, 2006

Satellite Observations of Precipitation-Dynamical InteractionSatellite Observations of Precipitation-Dynamical InteractionHow sensitive to aerosol are cloud cover and radiative forcing?How sensitive to aerosol are cloud cover and radiative forcing?

Rob Wood

Satellite-based Estimate of Ground-Level Air QualitySatellite-based Estimate of Ground-Level Air QualityImprovement Requires Better Modeling of BLiSS/ESS ProcessesImprovement Requires Better Modeling of BLiSS/ESS Processes

SatelliteDerived

In-situ

Sat

ellit

e-D

eriv

ed

[μg/

m3]

In-situ PM2.5 [μg/m3]

Ann

ual M

ean

PM

2.5 [

μg/

m3]

(200

1-20

06)

van Donkelaar et al., EHP, submitted

Aerosol Optical Depth from MODIS & MISR

Model Used to Relate Atmospheric Column to Surface PM2.5

BLiSS Exciting and Active Research AreaBLiSS Exciting and Active Research Area

Some emerging BLiSS/ESS applications of satellite data• insight into the carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles

• estimate ground-level air quality

• improve radiative forcing estimates

• provide top-down constraints on emission sources

• observe cloud properties and their interactions with aerosol

• monitor long-range transport of pollution

• provide information about forest fires and environmental disasters

• quantify fluxes to/from the biosphere

• . . .

Strong need for remote sensing innovation to advance emerging applications

in combination with modelling and in-situ measurements

Initial survey reveals ~80 professors, ~300 university staff engaged