HR: 09:45h
AN: A51B-08    [PDF]
TI: Continental-scale partitioning of fire emissions during the 1997-2001 El Ni¤o / La Ni¤a period
AU: * van der Werf, G R
EM: guido@ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: USDA-FAS, NASA-GSFC Code 923 Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771
AU: Randerson, J T
EM: jimr@gps.caltech.edu
AF: California Institute of Technology, Mail stop 100-23, Pasadena, CA 91125
AU: Collatz, G J
EM: jcollatz@biome.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA-GSFC, Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771
AU: Giglio, L
EM: giglio@hades.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: SSAI, Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771
AU: Kasibhatla, P S
EM: psk9@duke.edu
AF: Duke University, Nicolas School of the environment, Levine Science Research Center, Durham, NC 27708
AU: Arellano, A
EM: avelino.arellano@duke.edu
AF: Duke University, Nicolas School of the environment, Levine Science Research Center, Durham, NC 27708
AU: Olsen, S C
EM: olsen@gps.caltech.edu
AF: California Institute of Technology, Mail stop 100-23, Pasadena, CA 91125
AU: Kasischke, E S
EM: ekasisch@geog.umd.edu
AF: University of Maryland, Department of Geography, College Park, MD 20742
AB: During the 1997-1998 El Ni¤o event, the terrestrial biosphere experienced drought conditions that triggered widespread increases in fire activity. We combined satellite-based estimates of the timing and spatial distribution of fires, biogeochemical modeling, and an inverse analysis of atmospheric CO anomalies to evaluate the contribution of fire emissions from different continents to trace gas variability during this period. While anomalously high fire emissions from Southeast Asia accounted for ~60% of the global fire emissions anomaly during the El Ni¤o period, our analysis identified that significant, and previously underestimated, contributions from Central America (20%) northern boreal regions (10%), and South America (south of the equator; 10%) were also critically important in terms of explaining observed atmospheric trace gas anomalies. Globally, total carbon emissions from fires were 2 Pg C/yr higher in 1998 than in 2000, and accounted for ~2/3 of the CO2 growth rate anomaly during late 1997 and early 1998.
DE: 0315 Biosphere/atmosphere interactions
DE: 0330 Geochemical cycles
DE: 1610 Atmosphere (0315, 0325)
DE: 1615 Biogeochemical processes (4805)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting