Space-based constraints on the production of nitric oxide by lightning

[1] We interpret observations of trace-gases from three satellite platforms to provide top-down constraints on the production of NO by lightning. The space-based observations are tropospheric NO2 columns from SCIAMACHY, tropospheric O3 columns from OMI and MLS, and upper tropospheric HNO3 from ACE-FTS. A global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) is used to identify locations and time periods in which lightning would be expected to dominate the trace gas observations. The satellite observations are sampled at those locations and time periods. All three observations exhibit a maximum in the tropical Atlantic region and a minimum in the tropical Pacific. This wave-1 pattern is driven by injection of lightning NO into the upper troposphere over the tropical continents, followed by photochemical production of NO2, HNO3, and O3 during transport. Lightning produces a broad enhancement over the tropical Atlantic and Africa of 2–6 × 1014 molecules NO2 cm−2, 4 × 1017 molecules O3 cm−2 (15 Dobson Units), and 125 pptv of upper tropospheric HNO3. The lightning background is 25–50% weaker over the tropical Pacific. A global source of 6 ± 2 Tg N yr−1 from lightning in the model best represents the satellite observations of tropospheric NO2, O3, and HNO3.