Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics www.atmos-chem-phys.net 1680-7316 1680-7324 5 2 2005 10.5194/acp-5-563-2005 http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/5/563/2005/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/5/563/2005/acp-5-563-2005.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/5/563/2005/acp-5-563-2005.pdf 563 573 2005-02-21 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 Frontier Research Center for Global Change, JAMSTEC, Yokohama, Japan Institute of Astrophysics and Geophysics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Moscow, Russia Atmospheric Chemistry Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA IMK-ASF, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany Radio and Space Science, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany Climate Monitoring and Diagnostic Laboratory, NOAA, Boulder, Colorado, USA IMK-IFU, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Potsdam, Germany National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan University of Toronto, Toronto, Canadar 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.