The University of Tokyo · Environmental Science
Professor Ryoichi Imasu's research lab specializes in atmospheric remote sensing and greenhouse gas monitoring using satellite-based instruments. The lab focuses on developing advanced retrieval algorithms for trace gases such as CO₂, ammonia, and fluorinated compounds, with an emphasis on improving the accuracy of global concentration measurements. Key research directions include validating satellite data against airborne and in-situ observations, enhancing signal-to-noise performance in thermal and shortwave infrared sensors, and assessing the radiative forcing and environmental impacts of synthetic greenhouse gases. The lab also contributes to the development of next-generation Earth observation missions, such as GOSAT-2, to support climate change mitigation efforts.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Abstract The Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite 2 (GOSAT-2) was launched in October 2018 as a successor to GOSAT (launched in 2009), the first satellite to specialize in greenhouse gas observations. Compared to the GOSAT sensors, the sensors of GOSAT-2 offer higher performance in most respects. The quality and quantity of data from observations are expected to be improved accordingly. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is better in both the SWIR and TIR bands of TANSO-FTS-2, which is the main sen
Abstract. Hyperspectral thermal infrared sounders enable us to grasp the global behavior of minor atmospheric constituents. Ammonia, which imparts large impacts on the atmospheric environment by reacting with other species, is one of them. In this work, we present an ammonia retrieval system that we developed for the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and the estimates of global atmospheric ammonia column amounts that we derived from 2009 to 2014. The horizontal distributions of the se
Instantaneous radiative forcing was calculated for 5 fluoroalcohols, 21 fluoroethers, and 5 fluoroamines which had been proposed as the replacement compounds for the currently used chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs) in refrigeration. Theatmospheric lifetimes of the compounds were also estimated from highest-occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy. Based on the radiative forcing and atmospheric lifetimes, halocarbon global warming potentials (HGWPs) were evaluated for the replacement compounds. Most of t
Site environments and instrumental characteristics of carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements operated by local governments in the Kanto Plain, the center of which is Tokyo, were summarized for this study. The observation sites were classified into environments of three types: urban, suburban, and woodland. Based on a few decades of accumulated hourly data, the diurnal and seasonal variations of CO2 concentrations were analyzed as a composite of anomalies from annual means recorded for each site. In u
Abstract. The Thermal and Near Infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation (TANSO)–Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) on board the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) has been observing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in several atmospheric layers in the thermal infrared (TIR) band since its launch. This study compared TANSO-FTS TIR version 1 (V1) CO2 data and CO2 data obtained in the Comprehensive Observation Network for TRace gases by AIrLiner (CONTRAIL) project in the upper troposph
Abstract. An algorithm based on CO2 slicing, which has been used for cirrus cloud detection using thermal infrared data, was developed for high-resolution radiance spectra from satellites. The channels were reconstructed based on sensitivity height information of the original spectral channels to reduce the effects of measurement errors. Selection of the reconstructed channel pairs was optimized for several atmospheric profile patterns using simultaneous studies assuming a cloudy sky. That algor
Abstract. A novel, practical observation system for measuring tropospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations using a non-dispersive infrared analyzer carried by a small helium-filled balloon (CO2 sonde) has been developed for the first time. Vertical profiles of atmospheric CO2 can be measured with a 240–400 m altitude resolution through regular onboard calibrations using two different CO2 standard gases. The standard deviations (1σ) of the measured mole fractions in the laboratory experiments
Abstract. CO2 observations in the free troposphere can be useful for constraining CO2 source and sink estimates at the surface since they represent CO2 concentrations away from point source emissions. The thermal infrared (TIR) band of the Thermal and Near Infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation (TANSO) Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) on board the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) has been observing global CO2 concentrations in the free troposphere for about 8 years and thus could
Abstract. We performed a feasibility study of constraining the vertical profile of the tropospheric ozone by using a synergetic retrieval method on multiple spectra, i.e., ultraviolet (UV), thermal infrared (TIR), and microwave (MW) ranges, measured from space. This work provides, for the first time, a quantitative evaluation of the retrieval sensitivity of the tropospheric ozone by adding the MW measurement to the UV and TIR measurements. Two observation points in East Asia (one in an urban are
Site environments and instrumental characteristics of carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements operated by local governments in the Kanto Plain, the center of which is Tokyo were summarized for this study. The observation sites were classified into environments of three types: urban, suburban, and woodland. Based on a few decades of accumulated hourly data, the diurnal and seasonal variations of CO2 concentrations were analyzed as a composite of anomalies from annual means recorded for each site. In ur
Radiometric calibration accuracy of 0.3 K in Tbb is necessary to retrieve CO2 concentration profile with accuracy of 1 % in the upper atmosphere. In case of the thermal infrared (TIR) band (band 4) of GOSAT-TANSO-FTS, interferometric phase correction procedure is very important because the total transmittance of the optics at the band is about 70 % because of opacity of dichroic mirrors of band 1-3 placed obstructing the field of view of band 4, and the mirrors reflect the radiation emitted
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