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Tropospheric NO2column (TNC) products retrieved from five satellites including GOME/ERS-2 (H, 1997–2002), SCIAMACHY (S, 2003–2011), OMI (O, 2005–2015), GOME-2/METOP_A (A, 2007–2013) and GOME-2/METOP_B (B, 2013–2015) were compared in terms of their spatiotemporal variability and changes over China. The temporal series of H suggested an increasing trend of TNC from 1997 to 2002, those of S, O and A revealed further increasing trends until the highest level of TNC was reached in 2011, but decreasing trends were detected by those of O and B from 2011 to 2015. Seasonally, TNC was the highest in winter and the lowest in summer. Variability and changes from satellite TNC products are also analyzed in different regions of China. Spatially, it was the highest in North China and the lowest in Tibetan Plateau based on five datasets. Overall, TNCs from A, B and S were higher than that from O; and TNC from S was larger than that from A at the country level. The higher TNC the region has, the larger difference satellite products would show. However, different datasets reached a good agreement in the spatial pattern of trends in TNC with highly significant increasing trends detected in North China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Satellite measurements of volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions can provide critical information for aviation hazard mitigation, particularly when ash detection techniques fail. Recent developments in space-based SO2 monitoring are discussed, focusing on daily, global ultraviolet (UV) measurements by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite. OMI’s high sensitivity to SO2 permits long-range tracking of volcanic clouds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) and accurate mapping of their perimeters to facilitate avoidance. Examples from 2006 to 2007 include eruptions of Soufriere Hills (Montserrat), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Nyamuragira (DR Congo), and Jebel at Tair (Yemen). A tendency for some volcanic clouds to occupy the jet stream suggests an increased threat to aircraft that exploit this phenomenon. Synergy between NASA A-Train sensors such as OMI and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the Aqua satellite can provide critical information on volcanic cloud altitude. OMI and AIRS SO2 data products are being produced in near real-time for distribution to Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAACs) via a NOAA website. Operational issues arising from these improved SO2 measurements include the reliability of SO2 as proxy for co-erupted ash, the duration of VAAC advisories for long-lived volcanic clouds, and the potential effects of elevated concentrations of SO2 and sulfate aerosol in ash-poor clouds on aircraft and avionics (including cumulative effects after multiple inadvertent transits through dilute clouds). Further research is required in these areas. Aviation community assistance is sought through continued reporting of sulfurous odors or other indications of diffuse volcanic cloud encounters, in order to validate the satellite retrievals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the donations received by American Meteorological Society's (AMS) 21st Century Campaign in the U.S. AMS members and nonmembers contributed over $300,000 which includes donations to the AMS Policy Program in 2007. Donations received by the Society from January 2007 until December 2007 are listed. The founder gave a onetime or cumulative donation of at least $10,000 and the Leadership Circle donated $1000 or more for at least 3 years.

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on EOS/Aura offers unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution, coupled with global coverage, for space-based UV measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO2). This paper describes an OMI SO2 algorithm (the band residual difference) that uses calibrated residuals at SO2 absorption band centers produced by the NASA operational ozone algorithm (OMTO3). By using optimum wavelengths for retrieval of SO2, the retrieval sensitivity is improved over NASA predecessor Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) by factors of 10 to 20, depending on location. The ground footprint of OMI is eight times smaller than TOMS. These factors produce two orders of magnitude improvement in the minimum detectable mass of SO2. Thus, the diffuse boundaries of volcanic clouds can be imaged better and the clouds can be tracked longer. More significantly, the improved sensitivity now permits daily global measurement of passive volcanic degassing of SO2 and of heavy anthropogenic SO2 pollution to provide new information on the relative importance of these sources for climate studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which processed data sets from the total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS), a cross-talk scanning monochromator, on the ADEOS I spacecraft using initial and time-dependent instrument characterization. Instrument summary; Prelaunch and postlaunch characterization; Primary concern of TOMS performance characterization; Conclusions.

It has been suggested that increases in ground-level UV-B, as a result of stratospheric ozone depletion, may have major deleterious effects on crop photosynthesis and productivity. The direct consequences of such effects have been projected by some as a world-wide decrease in crop yields of 20-25%. Further losses, or unrealized gains, have also been suggested as a result of increased UV-B counteracting the beneficial effects of elevated atmospheric CO. Deleterious UV-B effects may be largely partitioned between damage to the plant genome and damage to the photosynthetic machinery. Direct damage to DNA is a common result of absorption of high energy UV-B photons. However, most plants possess repair mechanisms adequate to deal with the levels of damage expected from projected increases in ground-level UV-B. In addition, most plants have the ability to increase production of UV-absorbing compounds in their leaves as a result of exposure to UV-B, UV-A and visible radiation. These compounds contribute substantially to reducing UV-B damage in situ. It has also been shown that in some plants, under the proper conditions, almost every facet of the photosynthetic machinery can be damaged directly by very high UV-B exposures. However, electron transport, mediated by Photosystem II (PS II) appears to be the most sensitive part of the system. Various laboratories have reported damage to virtually all parts of the PS II complex from the Mn binding site to the plastoquinone acceptor sites on the opposite surface of the thylakoid membrane. However, a critical review of the literature with emphasis on exposure protocols and characterization of the radiation environment, revealed that most growth chamber and greenhouse experiments and very many field experiments have been conducted at unrealistic or indeterminate UV-B exposure levels, especially with regard to the spectral balance of their normal radiation environment. Thus, these experiments have led directly to large overestimates of the potential for damage to crop photosynthesis and yield within the context of 100 year projections for stratospheric ozone depletion. Indeed, given the massive UV-B exposures necessary to produce many of these effects, we suggest it is unlikely that they would occur in a natural setting and urge reconsideration of the purported impacts of projected increases of UV-B on crop productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MEMBERSHIP. The membership of the Society as of 31 December 2016: Honorary Members 32 Fellows 698 Members 8,115 Members with Student Privileges 344 Associate Members, Voting 21 Associate Members, Nonvoting [...]

MEMBERSHIP. The membership of the Society as of 31 December 2014: Honorary Members 35 Fellows 682 Members 8298 Members with Student Privileges 257 Associate Members, Voting 26 Associate Members, Nonvoting [...]

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