Top-down estimate of a large source of atmospheric carbon monoxide associated with fuel combustion in Asia

doi:doi:10.1029/2002GL015581

Abstract

Prasad Kasibhatla

Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

Avelino Arellano

Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

Jennifer A. Logan

Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

Paul I. Palmer

Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

Paul Novelli

Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA

Deriving robust regional estimates of the sources of chemically and radiatively important gases and aerosols to the atmosphere is challenging. Here, we focus on carbon monoxide. Using an inverse modeling methodology, we find that the source of carbon monoxide from fossil-fuel and biofuel combustion in Asia during 1994 was 350–380 Tg yr⁻¹, which is 110–140 Tg yr⁻¹ higher than bottom-up estimates derived using traditional inventory-based approaches. This discrepancy points to an important gap in our understanding of the human impact on atmospheric chemical composition.

Published 1 October 2002.

Citation: Kasibhatla, P., A. Arellano, J. A. Logan, P. I. Palmer, and P. Novelli (2002), Top-down estimate of a large source of atmospheric carbon monoxide associated with fuel combustion in Asia, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(19), 1900, doi:10.1029/2002GL015581.

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