„ ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY MODELING GROUP

 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) participate in atmospheric photochemical reactions that contribute to ozone formation. Also, they are playing an important role in Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) production. Formaldehyde (HCHO) and glyoxal (CHOCHO) are produced by the oxidation of VOCs from anthropogenic and biogenic emission sources, respectively. Therefore, quantitative observations of their concentrations are becoming significant to monitor VOCs emissions. 

 Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS), which is a satellite onboard spectrometer in GEO-KOMPSAT 2B (GK2B), was launched in Feb 2020 and has been calibrated during the in-orbit test period and onward. We here develop the GEMS VOCs retrieval algorithm and evaluate its performance by comparing sun-synchronous satellite, ground-based measurement, airborne instruments, etc.



<The objectives of the GEMS>

1. To provide atmospheric chemistry measurements in high temporal and spatial over Asia.

2. To monitor regional transport events: transboundary pollution and Asia dust.

3. To enhance our understanding of interactions between atmospheric chemistry and meteorology.

4. To better understand the globalization of tropospheric pollution.

5. To improve air quality forecast by constraining emission rates/data assimilation of chemical observations.

*Image: Average tropospheric column NO2 derived from the OMI instrument on the NASA Aura mission.

*Graphic: NASA LaRC. NO2 Image: KNMI/ESA.