Increased Northern Hemispheric carbon monoxide burden in the troposphere in 2002 and 2003 detected from the ground and from space

oleh: L. N. Yurganov, P. Duchatelet, A. V. Dzhola, D. P. Edwards, F. Hase, I. Kramer, E. Mahieu, J. Mellqvist, J. Notholt, P. C. Novelli, A. Rockmann, H. E. Scheel, M. Schneider, A. Schulz, A. Strandberg, R. Sussmann, H. Tanimoto, V. Velazco, J. R. Drummond, J. C. Gille

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Copernicus Publications 2005-01-01

Deskripsi

Carbon monoxide total column amounts in the atmosphere have been measured in the High Northern Hemisphere (30°-90° N, HNH) between January 2002 and December 2003 using infrared spectrometers of high and moderate resolution and the Sun as a light source. They were compared to ground-level CO mixing ratios and to total column amounts measured from space by the Terra/MOPITT instrument. All these data reveal increased CO abundances in 2002-2003 in comparison to the unperturbed 2000-2001 period. Maximum anomalies were observed in September 2002 and August 2003. Using a simple two-box model, the corresponding annual CO emission anomalies (referenced to 2000-2001 period) have been found equal to 95Tg in 2002 and 130Tg in 2003, thus close to those for 1996 and 1998. A good correlation with hot spots detected by a satellite radiometer allows one to assume strong boreal forest fires, occurred mainly in Russia, as a source of the increased CO burdens.