Berlin 2005 – scientific programme

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UP: Umweltphysik

UP 9: Poster: Atmosph
äre und Klima

UP 9.7: Poster

Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 10:15–12:15, Poster TU HTF

Spatial and temporal distribution of HCHO concentrations measured from space — •Folkard Wittrock, Andreas Richter, and John P. Burrows — University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics, D-28359 Bremen

Formaldehyde (HCHO) indicates and supports photochemical activity in the atmosphere. Large amounts are expected to found in industrial areas and during biomass burning. HCHO is a major intermediate in the degradation of methane (and many other hydrocarbons). In the absence of heterogenous losses, essentially every methane molecule is converted to HCHO. Therefore it is found throughout the troposphere. It is destroyed via photolysis and reaction with OH. In continental boundary layers, non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) emitted by biogenic and anthropogenic sources dominate over Methane also as a source of HCHO.

GOME and SCIAMACHY are the first satellite instruments, which allow observations of Formaldehyde on a global scale giving the opportunity to improve our knowledge about emission fluxes of Methane and NMHCs. This study presents GOME measurements of formaldehyde since launch of ERS-2 in 1995. Ground-based measurements are used to validate the GOME HCHO product. In addition time series for selected regions are shown to illustrate the general interannual and interseasonal variation of HCHO depending on the main sources.