TRopospheric Ozone and its Precursors from Earth System Sounding

The TRopospheric Ozone and its Precursors from Earth System Sounding (TROPESS) Project is a NASA funded activity under the NASA Earth Science Mission Directorate (SMD) program called Ozone Trends Science (OTS). TROPESS builds upon the success of the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) experiment. It incorporates a range of activities (including data dissemination, validation, and data analysis), which depend on data produced by the TROPESS SDPS, the physical Science Data Processing System. The TROPESS project is considered a bridge to allow the development of a continuous record of ozone and other trace-gas species as a follow-on to the TES mission.

Tropospheric sounding from satellite observations provides critical information about atmospheric composition and its impact on human health and climate. The TRopospheric Ozone and Precursors from Earth System Sounding (TROPESS) project will generate Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) of ozone and other atmospheric constituents by processing data from multiple satellites through a common retrieval algorithm and ground data system. These products will be rigorously validated using uncertainty analysis in conjunction with independent measurements. These steps will quantify the accuracies needed to make long-term trends through multi-satellite records and chemical data assimilation. Scientific analysis and evaluation leading to peer-reviewed publications will demonstrate the scientific value of these ESDRs and their utility to the broader community.