Substantial Increases in Eastern Amazon and Cerrado Biomass Burning-Sourced Tropospheric Ozone

Author(s):Show less -

Pope, Richard J. ^{[1, 2]} ; Arnold, Stephen R. ^[1] ; Chipperfield, Martyn P. ^{[1, 2]} ; Reddington, Carly L. S. ^[1] ; Butt, Edward W. ^[1] ; Keslake, Tim D. ^{[1, 2]} ; Feng, Wuhu ^{[1, 3]} ; Latter, Barry G. ^[4] ; Kerridge, Brian J. ^[4] ; Siddans, Richard ^[4] ; Rizzo, Luciana ^[5] ; Artaxo, Paulo ^[6] ; Sadiq, Mehliyar ^{[7, 8]} ; Tai, Amos P. K. ^{[7, 8, 9]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Leeds, Sch Earth & Environm, Leeds, W Yorkshire - England

^[2] Univ Leeds, Natl Ctr Earth Observat, Leeds, W Yorkshire - England

^[3] Univ Leeds, Natl Ctr Atmospher Sci, Leeds, W Yorkshire - England

^[4] STFC Rutherford Appleton Lab, Remote Sensing Grp, Chilton - England

^[5] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Environm Sci, Diadema - Brazil

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Phys, Dept Appl Phys, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[7] Chinese Univ Hong Kong, Inst Environm Energy & Sustainabil, Hong Kong - Peoples R China

^[8] Chinese Univ Hong Kong, Fac Sci, Earth Syst Sci Programme, Hong Kong - Peoples R China

^[9] Chinese Univ Hong Kong, State Key Lab Agrobiotechnol, Hong Kong - Peoples R China

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Geophysical Research Letters; v. 47, n. 3 FEB 16 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The decline in Amazonian deforestation rates and biomass burning activity (2001-2012) has been shown to reduce air pollutant emissions (e.g., aerosols) and improve regional air quality. However, in the Cerrado region (savannah grasslands in northeastern Brazil), satellite observations reveal increases in fire activity and tropospheric column nitrogen dioxide (an ozone precursor) during the burning season (August-October, 2005-2016), which have partially offset these air quality benefits. Simulations from a 3-D global chemistry transport model (CTM) capture this increase in NO2 with a surface increase of similar to 1 ppbv per decade. As there are limited long-term observational tropospheric ozone records, we utilize the well-evaluated CTM to investigate changes in ozone. Here, the CTM suggests that Cerrado region surface ozone is increasing by similar to 10 ppbv per decade. If left unmitigated, these positive fire-sourced ozone trends will substantially increase the regional health risks and impacts from expected future enhancements in South American biomass burning activity under climate change. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/17047-0 - Aerosol and clouds life cycles in Amazonia: biogenic emissions, biomass burning and impacts on ecosystem
• Grantee: Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/14437-9 - Study of physico-chemical properties of biomass burning aerosols and the radiative forcing at the SAMBBA experiment - the South American Biomass Burning Analysis
• Grantee: Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Regular Grants