Decadal record of satellite carbon monoxide observations

Atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) distributions are controlled by anthropogenic emissions, biomass burning, transport and oxidation by reaction with the hydroxyl radical (OH). Quantifying trends in CO is therefore important for understanding changes related to all of these contributions. Here we pres...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmospheric chemistry and physics 2013-01, Vol.13 (2), p.837-850
Main Authors: Worden, H. M, Deeter, M. N, Frankenberg, C, George, M, Nichitiu, F, Worden, J, Aben, I, Bowman, K. W, Clerbaux, C, Coheur, P. F, de Laat, A. T. J, Detweiler, R, Drummond, J. R, Edwards, D. P, Gille, J. C, Hurtmans, D, Luo, M, Martínez-Alonso, S, Massie, S, Pfister, G, Warner, J. X
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
Atmospherics
Biomass burning
Carbon monoxide
China
Emission analysis
Environmental Sciences
Hydroxyl radicals
Physics
Satellite observation
Trends
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) distributions are controlled by anthropogenic emissions, biomass burning, transport and oxidation by reaction with the hydroxyl radical (OH). Quantifying trends in CO is therefore important for understanding changes related to all of these contributions. Here we present a comprehensive record of satellite observations from 2000 through 2011 of total column CO using the available measurements from nadir-viewing thermal infrared instruments: MOPITT, AIRS, TES and IASI. We examine trends for CO in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres along with regional trends for Eastern China, Eastern USA, Europe and India. We find that all the satellite observations are consistent with a modest decreasing trend similar to -1 % yr super(-1) in total column CO over the Northern Hemisphere for this time period and a less significant, but still decreasing trend in the Southern Hemisphere. Although decreasing trends in the United States and Europe have been observed from surface CO measurements, we also find a decrease in CO over E. China that, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. Some of the interannual variability in the observations can be explained by global fire emissions, but the overall decrease needs further study to understand the implications for changes in anthropogenic emissions.
ISSN:1680-7324
1680-7316
1680-7324
DOI:10.5194/acp-13-837-2013