Trends in SO₂ total column amounts (2005-2015, OMI)

Trends in Sulfate Wet Deposition (2005-2015, National Atmospheric Deposition Program)

Emission reductions both within and outside of Maryland have helped to reduce sulfate deposition in Beltsville, MD

A paper in Atmos. Environ. (Fedkin et al, 2019) introduces a new method using OMI observations to attribute decrease in acid deposition (upper right) to SO₂ emission reduction (upper left). Both have been observed over the eastern U.S. during the past decade, but no quantitative relationship has been established between the two. In this study, trajectory models, ground measurements, and OMI SO₂ retrievals are combined to determine areas/sources where emission reduction has contributed to the observed trends in deposition (see left for an example). The new method can help to attribute environmental benefits to emission reduction measures, and can also be applied to other regions of the world.