Distributions and recent changes of carbon monoxide in the lower troposphere

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Abstract

Since 1988, the distribution of carbon monoxide (CO) in the lower troposphere has been determined using a globally distributed air sampling network. Site locations range from 82°N to 90°S, with wide longitudinal coverage, and represent the marine boundary layer, regionally polluted atmospheres, and the free troposphere. These measurements present a unique, intercalibrated, and internally consistent data set that are used to better define the global temporal and spatial distribution of CO. In this paper, times series from 49 sites are discussed. With an average lifetime of ∼2 months, CO showed significant concentration gradients. In the marine boundary layer, mixing ratios were greatest in the northern winter (200–220 ppb) and lowest in the southern summer (35–45 ppb). The interhemispheric gradient showed strong seasonality with a maximum difference between the high latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres (160–180 ppb) in February and March and a minimum in July and August (10–20 ppb). Higher CO was found in regions near human development relative to those over more remote areas. The distributions provide additional evidence of the widespread pollution of the lower atmosphere. Remote areas in the high northern hemisphere are polluted by anthropogenic activities in the middle latitudes, and those in the southern hemisphere are heavily influenced by the burning of biomass in the tropics. While tropospheric concentrations of CO exhibit periods of increase and decrease, the globally averaged CO mixing ratio over the period from 1990 through 1995 decreased at a rate of approximately 2 ppb yr −1 .

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