Citation:

Szykman, J., L. Valin, K. Chance, X. Liu, G. Abad, C. Nowlan, R. Cohen, D. Flittner, T. Hanisco, J. Herman, M. Newchurch, M. Johnson, J. Judd, R. Pierce, J. Sullivan, R. Stauffer, AND M. Tisdale. TROPOSPHERIC EMISSIONS: MONITORING OF POLLUTION (TEMPO) PROJECT Level 2 Science Data Product Validation Plan. NASA, Washington, DC, 2023.

Impact/Purpose:

The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) mission was launched from Space Force Canaveral in April 2023 after 15 years of planning and outreach to end-data users. TEMPO collected its first Earth measurements in August 2023. TEMPO will provide hourly observations of air quality-relevant metrics over North America down to the neighborhood scale from its geostationary orbit. Under daylit, cloud-free conditions, TEMPO measurements of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde total columns is expected to help scientists, air quality managers and the public to better understand how pollutants are changing over hours, days, and weeks, between regions of the US and across neighborhoods. It is hoped that this fine-scale information can be used to analyze how air pollution disproportionately impacts underserved communities and how policies can be implemented to improve air quality in these neighborhoods.  As part of the TEMPO Science Team, ORD/CEMM scientists have been integral in the planning and implementation phase of the TEMPO mission, which includes leading the development of the validation plan.  At the core of the validation plan is the use of a comprehensive set of measurements (ground-based and spaceborne) for routine validation enhanced by episodic field mission efforts (airborne).  This includes ground-based observations from networks operated by EPA (e.g., CASTNET) and state and local air monitoring agencies, with one key effort being the integration of new ground-based spectrometers at select sites to better understand the interconnection between surface air quality and column abundances monitored by TEMPO. This document presents a validation plan for Level 2 (L2) geophysical data products, O3, NO2 and HCHO. The plan describes product validation maturity level, correlative data sets for product validation, and methodologies to be applied to establish the scientific validity and associated validation level of the data products. The objectives of validation are twofold; (1) assessment and communication of product quality and (2) assessment of areas for product improvements. These efforts will be conducted in collaboration with the TEMPO algorithm development team and will include the TEMPO science team’s characterization of the performance of the L2 products. The L2 product maturity levels will be categorized in to three levels Beta, Provisional, and Full validation. The intent of the product maturity levels is to communicate product quality to the broader air quality community to help the community understand the appropriate data use, or product fitness-for-purpose science and applications. A general description of the three maturity levels follows: Beta: the product is minimally validated but may still contain significant errors; based on product quick looks using the initial calibration parameters. Publication of research based on Beta maturity products is not recommended and highly discouraged. Provisional: product performance has been demonstrated through a large, but still (seasonally or otherwise) limited number of independent measurements. The analysis is sufficient for limited qualitative determinations of product fitness-for-purpose, and the product is potentially ready for testing by operational users and may be suitable for scientific publication. Full: product performance has been demonstrated over a large and wide range of representative conditions, with comprehensive documentation of product performance, including known anomalies and their remediation strategies. Products are ready for systematic use and covering the full range of scientific and application use and publication.

Description:

Under this effort we will develop a validation plan for TEMPO Level 2 geophysical products in collaboration with Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, NASA, and NOAA. The validation plan will include a focus on better addressing the air quality management needs of EPA and state and local air quality agencies through improved analysis at existing air quality monitoring sites, uncertainty analyses, and spatio-temporal representativeness of TEMPO satellite products.  The plan will include metrics associated with varying data product maturity levels which will discuss appropriate uses of the data for each maturity level. 

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