Analysis of Long-Range Transport of Carbon Dioxide Using Satellite and Modeling Data over East Asia

Abstract:

This study aims to evaluate the long-range transport of CO₂ in East Asian region, using concentration data from a ground-based measurement site, column averaged concentration data of GOSAT observations, and the chemical transport model (GEOS–Chem) results for the period June 2009 to May 2011. We performed a validation of the data from GOSAT and GEOS–Chem with total column observations (TCCON). Satellite data and model simulation results show very similar seasonal variation and spatial distribution with well-known difference with TCCON data. The analysis of the long-range transport and high concentration (HC) events using surface/satellite observations and modeling results was conducted. During the HC events, the concentrations of CO₂ and other air pollutants such as SO₂ and CO are higher than that of all episodes. It means that CO₂ known as a globally well-mixed gas may also play as a finger-print of human activity with unique regional characteristics like other air pollutants. The comprehensive analysis, in particular with GOSAT CO₂ observation data, shows that CO₂ plume with high concentration can be long-range transported with 1-2 days duration with regional scale. This analysis with satellite data and modeling conducted in this study can help better understanding of the behavior of CO₂ and its impact on climate change and the carbon cycle.