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U.S. oil and natural gas production volumes have grown by up to 100% in key production areas between January 2017 and August 2019. Here we show that recent trends are visible from space and can be attributed to drilling, production, and gas flaring activities. By using oil and gas activity data as predictors in a multivariate regression to satellite measurements of tropospheric NO2 columns, observed changes in NO2 over time could be attributed to NOx emissions associated with drilling, production and gas flaring for three select regions: the Permian, Bakken, and Eagle Ford basins. We find that drilling had been the dominant NOx source contributing around 80% before the downturn in drilling activity in 2015. Thereafter, NOx contributions from drilling activities and combined production and flaring activities are similar. Comparison of our top-down source attribution with a bottom-up fuel-based oil and gas NOx emission inventory shows agreement within error margins.

A new aerosol optical depth retrieval algorithm is presented that uses the two-angle view capability of the Along Track Scanning Radiometer 2 (ATSR-2). By combining the two-angle view and the spectral information this so-called dual view algorithm separates between aerosol and surface contributions to the top of the atmosphere radiance. First validation of the dual view algorithm was performed during the Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment (TARFOX), which was conducted at the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States in July 1996. The satellite retrieved spectral aerosol optical depth is in good agreement with the aerosol optical depth from ground-based Sun/sky radiometers in three out of four cases. This shows the potential of aerosol retrieval over land using two-angle view satellite radiometry. Copyright 1998 by the American Geophysical Union.

[1] Aggressive measures were instituted by the Beijing municipal authorities to restrict vehicular traffic in the Chinese capital during the recent Sino-African Summit. We show that reductions in associated emissions of NOx were detected by the Dutch-Finnish Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard the Aura satellite. Interpretation of these data using a 3-dimensional chemical transport model indicates that emissions of NOx were reduced by 40% over the period of November 4 to 6, 2006, for which the restrictions were in place.