Aerosol and CO loading in the atmosphere observed by the MODIS and MOPITT: Russian forest fire case

摘要

The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides aerosol optical depth (AOD) along with the fine mode fraction over ocean and darker land surfaces. Measurement Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) onboard the Terra satellite provides quantitative information of carbon monoxide (CO). Measurements of CO whose principal sources arise from anthropogenic emissions such as biomass burning and forest fires, is very useful for tracing fire emissions in the atmosphere. In this study, intense fires in the southeast part of Russia in May, 2003 are studied with the satellite data from MODIS and MOPITT. The AOD distribution from the MODIS for May, 2003 show stretched regions of high AODs near the Korean Peninsula. The CO concentrations at 700 hPa from the MOPITT for May, 2003 also show enhanced values. Correlation between CO and AOD are investigated for the forest fire case. This multi-instrumental approach to monitor the aerosol in the atmosphere is expected to contribute to the classification of the aerosol characteristics in the atmosphere, carbonaceous aerosol in particular.