OMPS/NPP Satellite Sulfur Dioxide Total and Tropospheric Columns

Satellite measurements provide global sulfur dioxide (SO2) total and tropospheric column amounts retrieved from the Ozone Mapping and Profiling Suite Nadir-Mapper sensor aboard the Suomi-NPP satellite. A Principle Component Analysis algorithm retrieves column amounts for specific atmospheric layers centered at 2.5 km, 7.5 km, 11 km, and 16 km. Data is produced by the OMINRT organization and provided in near-real-time orbital swaths covering daylight portions of approximately 14 orbits per day.

Use Cases

• Tracking volcanic SO2 plume dispersion and altitude using the retrieved column amounts for lower, middle, upper troposphere, and lower stratosphere.
• Monitoring anthropogenic pollution from industrial sources and power plants via global, daily SO2 total column measurements.
• Validating and improving atmospheric chemistry and transport models with spatially gridded SO2 data at ~50 km resolution.
• Studying the role of SO2 in aerosol formation and its climate impacts by analyzing time-series data from consistent satellite observations.

Strengths

• Provides vertical profiling of SO2 with column amounts retrieved for four distinct atmospheric layers.
• Offers global spatial coverage (-90 to 90 degrees latitude) with approximately 14 orbits of data per day.
• Uses a defined, consistent retrieval algorithm (Principle Component Analysis) applied across the mission.

Limitations

• Specific column names and the complete data schema are not provided by any source platform.
• Conflicting license information exists between sources ('other-license-specified' and 'None').
• Pixel resolution is coarse (~50 km x 50 km at nadir), limiting analysis of localized emission sources.

Provenance

Source

OMINRT (organization), data from the OMPS Nadir-Mapper sensor on the Suomi-NPP satellite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using a Principle Component Analysis (PCA) retrieval algorithm.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 22:55:51.890049

Geography

Global (-90 to 90 degrees latitude).