Global CH <sub>4</sub> fluxes derived from JAXA/GOSAT lower-tropospheric partial column data and the CarbonTracker Europe-CH <sub>4</sub> atmospheric inverse model

Abstract. Satellite-driven inversions provide valuable information about methane (CH4) fluxes, but the assimilation of total column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of CH4 (XCH4) has been challenging. This study explores, for the first time, the potential of the new lower-tropospheric partial column (pXCH4_LT) GOSAT data, retrieved by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), to constrain global and regional CH4 fluxes. Using the CarbonTracker Europe-CH4 (CTE-CH4) atmospheric inverse model, we estimated CH4 fluxes between 2016–2019 by assimilating the JAXA/GOSAT pXCH4_LT and XCH4 data and surface CH4 observations independently of each other. The Northern Hemisphere CH4 fluxes derived from the pXCH4_LT data were similar to the estimates derived from the surface observations but were underestimated by about 35 Tg CH4 yr−1 (∼ 6 % of the global total) using the XCH4 data. For the Southern Hemisphere, the estimates from both GOSAT inversions were about 15–30 Tg CH4 yr−1 higher than those derived from surface data. The evaluations against independent data from the Atmospheric Tomography Mission aircraft campaign showed good agreement in the lower-tropospheric CH4 from the inversions using the pXCH4_LT and surface data. However, from these inversions, the modelled north–south gradients showed significant overestimation in the upper troposphere and stratosphere, possibly due to relatively uniform inter-hemispheric OH distributions that control CH4 sinks. Overall, we found that the use of the JAXA/GOSAT pXCH4_LT data shows considerable potential in constraining global and regional CH4 fluxes, advancing our understanding of the CH4 budget.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Published
2025-07-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7829-2025
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.11

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Global CH 4 fluxes derived from JAXA/GOSAT lower-tropospheric partial column data and the CarbonTracker Europe-CH 4 atmospheric inverse model

Minqiang Zhou, Kimberly Strong, Akihiko Kuze, Thorsten Warneke et al.
1 citations
Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
1.11
article

Global CH 4 fluxes derived from JAXA/GOSAT lower-tropospheric partial column data and the CarbonTracker Europe-CH 4 atmospheric inverse model

Minqiang Zhou, Kimberly Strong, Akihiko Kuze, Thorsten Warneke, Voltaire A. Velazco, Tuula Aalto, Kei Shiomi, Ella Kivimäki, Maria Tenkanen, Leif Backman, David F. Pollard, Omaira García, Rigel Kivi, Mahesh Kumar Sha, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Kathryn McKain, Nobuhiro Kikuchi, Ralf Sussmann, Hirofumi Ohyama, Isamu Morino, Aki Tsuruta, Fumie Kataoka, Yao Té, Hiroshi Suto, Frank Hase
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Abstract. Satellite-driven inversions provide valuable information about methane (CH4) fluxes, but the assimilation of total column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of CH4 (XCH4) has been challenging. This study explores, for the first time, the potential of the new lower-tropospheric partial column (pXCH4_LT) GOSAT data, retrieved by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), to constrain global and regional CH4 fluxes. Using the CarbonTracker Europe-CH4 (CTE-CH4) atmospheric inverse model, we estimated CH4 fluxes between 2016–2019 by assimilating the JAXA/GOSAT pXCH4_LT and XCH4 data and surface CH4 observations independently of each other. The Northern Hemisphere CH4 fluxes derived from the pXCH4_LT data were similar to the estimates derived from the surface observations but were underestimated by about 35 Tg CH4 yr−1 (∼ 6 % of the global total) using the XCH4 data. For the Southern Hemisphere, the estimates from both GOSAT inversions were about 15–30 Tg CH4 yr−1 higher than those derived from surface data. The evaluations against independent data from the Atmospheric Tomography Mission aircraft campaign showed good agreement in the lower-tropospheric CH4 from the inversions using the pXCH4_LT and surface data. However, from these inversions, the modelled north–south gradients showed significant overestimation in the upper troposphere and stratosphere, possibly due to relatively uniform inter-hemispheric OH distributions that control CH4 sinks. Overall, we found that the use of the JAXA/GOSAT pXCH4_LT data shows considerable potential in constraining global and regional CH4 fluxes, advancing our understanding of the CH4 budget.

Atmospheric chemistry and physicsVol. 25(14)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US), Cyprus Institute (CY), Deutscher Wetterdienst (DE), University of Bremen (DE), University of Toronto (CA), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BE), National Institute for Environmental Studies (JP), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JP), Sorbonne Université (FR), W. L. Gore & Associates (Japan) (JP), Safety Management Systems Aotearoa (New Zealand) (NZ), Molécule aux Nanos-objets : Réactivité, Interactions et Spectroscopies (FR), Institute of Atmospheric Physics (CN), Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (JP), Centre international de recherche sur le cancer (FR)
Academy of Finland, Université de La Réunion, CSC – IT Center for Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Horizon 2020, FP7 Ideas: European Research Council, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 22%
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
1.11
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.