These monthly mean plots illustrate the flux inversion from the MACC delayed-mode analysis
of CH4 concentrations, based on the TM5-4DVAR inverse modeling system [Bergamaschi et al., 2009]. While the MACC delayed-mode
analysis assimilates SCIAMACHY CH4 retrievals into the IFS model, we use in addition also high accuracy surface measurements
from the NOAA global cooperative air sampling network in the inversion. The latter constrain significantly the surface mixing ratios in
remote regions (ocean) and allow deriving corrections for potential small latitudinal or seasonal biases of the satellite
data. 3D fields of CH4 mixing ratios from the TM5-4DVAR inversion are available upon request.
While the results shown here present our first best effort, using NRT delayed-mode observations with some preliminary
quality control, the inversion set-up is still being improved and therefore results should not be taken as final.
Acknowledgments
We thank Ed Dlugokencky for provision of surface measurements from the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL)
global cooperative air sampling network.
References
Bergamaschi, P., C. Frankenberg, J. F. Meirink, M. Krol, M. G. Villani, S. Houweling, F. Dentener, E. J. Dlugokencky, J. B.
Miller, L. V. Gatti, A. Engel, and I. Levin, Inverse modeling of global and regional CH4 emissions using SCIAMACHY satellite
retrievals, J. Geophys. Res., 114, doi:10.1029/2009JD012287, 2009.
