ASM
First CO2 Maps Produced
Moustafa Chahine has published the first map on the distribution of atmospheric carbon in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The map shows that most atmospheric CO2 is concentrated in belts 30-40 degrees from the equator. However, the northern belt contains much more CO2 than the southern one.
Chahine is the principal researcher on the AIRS instrument, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder which is mounted on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The map synthesises data obtained from the instrument between September 2002 and July 2008.
The maximum value of the CO2 is found at 8000 metres. Mt Everest is 8048 metres high.
The map is expected to be important to CO2 cycle research, especially in identifying sources and sinks.
Predictably, CO2 distribution is a function of its sources and sinks on the surface, and the prevailing weather. This largely explains the difference between north and south. The southern hemisphere is dominated by oceans, which are important sinks for CO2. Most sources are on land, and hence in the north.
The team attributed the increased levels of CO2 over the western North Atlantic to emissions transported from the Southeast US. Enhanced CO2 over the Mediterranean basin comes from North American and European sources. The East Asian plume extends out over the Pacific Ocean.
In the southern hemisphere, the major feature is the Andes, which lifts carbon dioxide from the respiration of plants and forest fires into the mid-troposphere. It becomes trapped in the jet stream and is transported rapidly around the world.
