Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Jan 2005)

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

  • 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

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 2
pp. 563 – 573

Abstract

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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.