Satellite borne spectrometers like GOME 1/2,SCIAMACHY,or OMI,allow the retrieval of several atmospheric absorbers on global scale.Tropospheric NO2 column densities derived from these measurements have improved our knowledge on spatial patterns,trends,and absolute numbers of different types of NOx emissions.Here we propose a new method for the quantification of transport and deposition of nitrogen oxides to the oceans: with the distance from major sources the decay of tropospheric NO2 is investigated and compared to photochemical NO2 lifetime estimates from numerical models.From this the deposition rate can be deduced.We will analyse the transport of NO2 from strong source regions (e.g.anthropogenic emissions from the US eastcoast,China or South Africa as well as biomass burning emissions and lightning produced NOx,predominantly in the tropics) out to the oceans on statistical basis as well as for different case studies.The amount of NOx transported over the oceans and the quantification of the NO2 loss along the way can help to deal with several important questions like NO2 wet/dry deposition rates or the fertilization of the oceans,having important impact on marine ecosystems.Despite the rather simple approach,the proposed method might provide global results which are difficult to obtain by other methods.From the detailed comparison with model results additional information on various deposition pathways might be obtained.