Tropospheric ozone over the tropical Atlantic: A satellite perspective

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Read Full Article (file size: 1543045 bytes) Cited by JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 108, NO. D8, 4237, doi:10.1029/2002JD002927, 2003 Tropospheric ozone over the tropical Atlantic: A satellite perspective D. P. Edwards National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA J.-F. Lamarque National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA J.-L. Attié Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France L. K. Emmons National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA A. Richter Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany J.-P. Cammas Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France J. C. Gille National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA G. L. Francis National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA M. N. Deeter National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA J. Warner National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA D. C. Ziskin National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA L. V. Lyjak National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA J. R. Drummond Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada J. P. Burrows Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany Abstract We use satellite sensor measurements to obtain a broad picture of the processes affecting tropical tropospheric O₃ production over Africa and the Atlantic in the early part of the year. Terra/MOPITT CO retrievals correlate well with biomass burning fire counts observed by the TRMM/VIRS instrument in Northern Hemisphere savanna regions and allow investigation of the subsequent convection of the biomass burning plume at the intertropical convergence zone and interhemispheric transport. Measurements of NO₂ from the ERS-2/GOME instrument enable identification of two important tropical sources of this O₃ precursor, biomass burning and lightning. Good correlation is seen between NO₂ retrievals and TRMM/LIS lightning flash observations in southern African regions free of biomass burning, thus indicating a probable lightning source of NO_x. The combination of MOPITT CO, GOME NO₂, and TRMM fire and lightning flash counts provides a powerful tool for investigating the tropospheric production of O₃ precursors. These data are used in conjunction with the MOZART-2 chemical transport model to investigate the early year tropical Atlantic tropospheric O₃ distribution using January 2001 as a case study. Inconsistencies between the various tropical tropospheric O₃ column products obtained from EP/TOMS data, and between these products, in situ measurements, and modeling, have led to questions about how the Northern Hemisphere biomass burning is connected to the TOMS derived O₃ maximum in the tropical southern Atlantic. We show that the early year tropical O₃ distribution is actually characterized by two maxima. The first arises due to biomass burning emissions, is located near the Northern Hemisphere fires, and is most evident in the lower troposphere. The second is located in the southern tropical Atlantic midtroposphere, and results from NO_x produced by lightning over southern Africa and South America. Published 17 April 2003. Index Terms: 0345 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Pollution—urban and regional (0305); 0365 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere—composition and chemistry; 0368 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere—constituent transport and chemistry; 3360 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Remote sensing. Read Full Article (file size: 1543045 bytes) Cited by Citation: Edwards, D. P., et al. (2003), Tropospheric ozone over the tropical Atlantic: A satellite perspective, J. Geophys. Res., 108(D8), 4237, doi:10.1029/2002JD002927. Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.

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