Carbon monoxide monitoring in Northeast Asia using MOPITT: Effects of biomass burning and regional pollution in April 2000

To assess the influence of biomass burning and regional pollution on CO levels in Northeast Asia, trajectory analysis and satellite observations from the Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument were applied. As a case study, data for April 2000 were used. Ground measurement data at remote sites in Korea showed high CO levels and did not have typical seasonal variations due to regional pollution. Therefore, MOPITT data over the East/Japan Sea was recommended for identification of long-range transport of CO. The locations of biomass burning, distribution of MOPITT CO, and backward trajectories clearly indicated that Siberian fires and industrial activities in East China affected CO levels in Korea and Japan. CO levels over East China for the first two weeks were enhanced more than 35 ppb by biomass burning in Myanmar and Indo-China, and high CO levels over the East/Japan Sea for the last two weeks were affected by both anthropogenic emissions and biomass burning. The average difference in CO concentrations over the East/Japan Sea between fire days (217±18 ppb) and non-fire days (186±15 ppb) was 31 ppb (p<0.05). These results suggest again that regional pollution as well as biomass burning plays an important role for CO levels in Northeast Asia and that MOPITT is a promising tool for the comprehensive understanding of CO emissions and transport.