OMPS SO2 Monitoring System

Click image to enlarge.

The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) is a hyperspectral instrument which consists of three spectrometers designed to measure the concentration of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere. OMPS builds upon more than 3 decades of ozone and ozone profile records established by the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer (SBUV and SBUV/2) and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS). Similar to OMPS on SNPP, OMPS on board NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 carries nadir mapper OMPS-NM and nadir profiler OMPS-NP. NOAA-21 also carries OMPS-LP similar to SNPP but NOAA-20 does not carry OMPS-LP. NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 provide higher resolution than OMPS SNPP.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) produced from volcanoes and anthropogenic sources is also monitored by OMPS. OMPS provides near real-time data to detect, monitor, and characterize SO2 and ash injected into the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions. Data from OMPS is used to assess the impacts of volcanic eruptions on air traffic control operations globally.