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A B S T R A C T Carbon monoxide total column amounts in the atmosphere were measured between January 1996 and December 2003 in the High Northern Hemisphere (30º-90º N, HNH) using infrared spectrometers of high and moderate resolution. They are compared to mixing ratios measured in the surface layer and to total column amounts measured from space by the Terra/MOPITT instrument. All the data reveal increased CO abundances in summer-autumn time in 2002 and 2003 in comparison to the preceding period. Maximum anomalies of the HNH tropospheric burden compared to the period 2000 - 2001 were observed in September 2002 and August 2003. CO emission anomalies between January 1996 and December 2003 were retrieved using a simple two-box model. Annual emission anomalies in 2002 and 2003 were 98 and 142 Tg/year, respectively, and were close to those in 1996 and 1998. It is most likely that strong boreal forest fires in the HNH induced the increased CO burdens. Available ratios of CH4 and CO2 to CO were employed for assessments of the BB impact on methane and carbon dioxide. CO TOTAL COLUMN MEASUREMENTS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE FROM THE GROUND AND FROM SPACE: EFFECTS OF FOREST FIRES IN 2002 AND 2003 Leonid Yurganov (1); P. Duchatelet (2); A. Dzhola (3); D. Edwards (4); F. Hase (5); I. Kramer (5); E. Mahieu (2); J. Mellqvist (6); J. Notholt (7); P. Novelli (8); A. Rockman (9); H. Scheel (9); M. Schneider (5); A. Strandberg (6); R. Sussman (9); H. Tanimoto (10); V. Velazco (7); J. Gille (4) (1) Frontier Research Center for Global Change, JAMSTEC, Yokohama, Japan (2) Institute of Astrophysics and Geophysics, University of Liège, , Liège, Belgium (3) Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, , Moscow, Russia (4) National Center for Atmospheric Research, , Boulder, United States (5) IMK-ISF, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, , Karlsruhe, Germany (6) Chalmers University of Technology, , Göteborg, Sweden (7) University of Bremen, , Bremen, Germany (8) NOAA, Climate Monitoring and Diagnostic Laboratory, Boulder, United States (9) IMK-IFU, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, , Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (10) National Institute for Environmental Studies, , Tsukuba, Japan M E T H O D S CO total column amounts were derived from infrared solar observations with Fourier transform spectrometers (FTIR) operated at seven stations located in the Arctic, Scandinavia, Asia, the European Alps, and the subtropical Atlantic. The high resolution spectra (better than 0.005 cm-1) were fitted with calculated spectra, and CO vertical profiles were retrieved; only total column amounts have been used in this report. Near Moscow, Russia, total column amounts of CO were derived from the spectra of a grating spectrometer with a resolution of 0.2 cm-1. The random and systematic errors of a single total column measurement of CO were estimated as ± 2-3% and ± 5%, respectively. *** The satellite-borne MOPITT (Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere) instrument is a thermal IR nadir-viewing gas correlation radiometer. MOPITT uses a cross-track scan, which allows for almost complete coverage of the Earth’s surface in about 3 days, with individual pixels of 22 km × 22 km horizontal resolution. *** The data were compared to local CO concentrations in air samples collected in the surface atmospheric layer by the NOAA/CMDL Cooperative Air Sampling Network and by other programs. Most of these measurements were made by gas chromatography/HgO reduction detection using instruments from Trace Analytical, Inc. At some stations, CO mixing ratios were measured continuously using non-dispersive gas correlation IR instruments. C O b u r d e n M o d e l C O e m i s s i o n M e a s u r e m e n t s Seasonal patterns Whether a repeatability of strong forest fires increases? What may be their impact on CO2 and CH4 burdens? Box Model CO emission anomalies were multiplied by CH4/CO and CO2/CO ratios [Andreae & Merlet, 2001] TAU(CH4) is for CH4+OH reaction ([OH] by Spivakovsky et al.) TAU(CO2) =190 years TAUTRANS was the same as previously Monthly mean CO total column amounts in molecules/cm2. Blue line is reference CO, averaged over 2000 – 2001. The data for two ground sites and MOPITT averaged within 200 km radius around. Normally CO columns over Moscow exceed Zvenigorod values up to 50% due to the urban pollution. However, during several days in summer-autumn CO columns over Zvenigorod were triple as large comparing to normal ones, and exceeded typical columns over the Moscow center. MOPITT detected much lower increase in CO column, because of its low sensitivity to the boundary layer. All the observation stations detected anomalously high CO abundance, comparing to 2000-2001, in 1996, 1998, 2002 and 2003 (as well as MOPITT in 2002-2003). The anomaly of CO column over Zvenigorod in some days of July and September, 2003 was considered as regional effect; these days were omitted. Note a different behavior of CO in the FT (blue) and in the BL (red) in 1998 and in 2002. Also note an influence of Indonesian fires (after October, 1997) and Mexican fires (April, 1998) on CO in mid latitudes of NH. All other spikes are caused by the mid-latitude fires. Two-box model was used for calculation of CO emission in HNH. M’LNH was adopted from surface-based CMDL measurements (Novelli et al., 2003). BL+FT refers to burdens calculated from surface-based mixing ratios (for BL) merged with in-situ and total column measurements at mountain sites (for FT). TC, FTIR is based on spectroscopic measurements at low-altitude sites. Fire counts are from ATSR data. Inter-annual variability TOMS aerosol. Note red spots in NH multitudes (IGAC-2004, Christchurch, New Zealand) If the boreal forest fires similar to those observed in 2002-2003 would happen every year, then carbon dioxide growth rate would increase by 30-50% and methane growth rate would be as high as it has been in 1983 – 1988 (11 ppb/yr). BB emissions perturbed CO in High NH in periods of strong fires (e.g., in 1998, 2002-03) A case of peat fires. CH4/CO = 1/3.8 (molar) CH4/CO = 1/40 (molar)