Using remote sensing to infer emissions

Geostationary satellites observe the same region throughout the day, making them well suited for capturing short-lived emission events that polar-orbiting instruments can miss. Rocket launches are one example: they inject nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere on timescales of minutes. I use geostationary satellite observations to detect and quantify these emissions, and derive a robust relationship between launch mass and NOx emissions.