Satellite remote sensing of interannual variation in carbon monoxide over Asia

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a major air pollutant and a precursor of ozone, influencing atmospheric oxidation and ozone dynamics. It serves as a tracer for tracking pollutant transport. Asia is characterized by the highest CO concentrations in the world, and the CO concentrations there very greatly from year to year. It has been suggested that biomass burning is one of the main drivers for such interannual variation (IAV). This study integrates satellite remote sensing of fires from MODIS, and of CO from MOPITT and AIRS to capture IAV of CO in Asia and the its response to fire activities during 2003-2017. The results show that the IAV of CO total column in Asia is highest over frequent fire regions, including Indo-China, Indonesia and South Siberia. The correlation between the interannual CO and fire activities is highest over forest land cover, while among seasons, the correlation is highest in fall.