Studies on regional ozone formation sensitivities and transport with higher spatiotemporal resolutions in a stereoscopic dimension: GEMS and vertical observations

Abstract

Currently, ozone pollution is one of the key environmental concerns, and to provide more effective strategies for ozone control, this paper proposes the use of the Geostationary Environmental Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) in conjunction with MAX-DOAS for observations and ozone sensitivity analysis. Compared to traditional polar-orbiting satellites, GEMS, launched by South Korea in 2019, offers superior spatiotemporal resolution. However, there is a lack of ground validation for GEMS data related to ozone and its precursors. In this study, we conducted validation in the Jing-Jin-Ji (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) region using two typical MAX-DOAS sites and the China National Environmental Monitoring Center (CNEMC) sites, confirming the accuracy of GEMS data. Analysis of the seasonal horizontal distribution results from GEMS and vertical distribution results from MAX-DOAS in 2022 reveals that the concentrations of NO2, HCHO, O3, and ozone sensitivity not only display seasonality and regional variations but also exhibit distinct characteristics at different altitudes and times, influenced by local climatic conditions, human activities, and topography. When formulating ozone control policies, it becomes imperative to consider factors such as time, regional characteristics, and seasonality. Comparisons between daily results from TROPOMI and GEMS indicate that polar-orbiting satellites may overlook high-pollution periods within a single day, and their measurements may not provide a comprehensive representation of an entire day's data. Consequently, relying solely on polar-orbiting satellite data for shaping ozone prevention and control policies may inadvertently encourage ozone formation during specific time periods, rendering these policies ineffective. Therefore, leveraging GEMS is essential for the development of comprehensive, around-the-clock ozone control policies. Finally, we used monitoring data from Beijing on October 6, 2022, to illustrate how the combination of GEMS and MAX-DOAS enables three-dimensional monitoring of pollutant transport processes on an hourly scale.