HR: 0800h
AN: B41B-0116    [Abstracts]
TI: Estimating Effects of Brazilian Forest Wildfires on the Carbon Monoxide Concentration
AU: * Bhoi, S
EM: sbhoi@gmu.edu
AF: Center for Earth Observing and Space Research, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 United States
AU: Qu, J
AF: Center for Earth Observing and Space Research, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 United States
AU: Dasgupta, S
AF: Center for Earth Observing and Space Research, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 United States
AB: Forest wildfires have dramatically increased in recent years due to global warming and extreme dry conditions. Forest wildfires spew out a significant amount of atmospheric pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, due to incomplete burning of the biomass. According to United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a high increase of carbon monoxide leads to the formation of carboxyhemoglobin in blood which decreases the oxygen intake capacity of human body and at moderate concentration angina, impaired vision and reduced brain function may occur. As compared to Northern America where significant amount of carbon monoxide released is caused by combustion devices and furnace, the increase of carbon monoxide concentration in Brazilian regions is mainly attributed to the forest fires. In this study, carbon monoxide datasets from the Measurements of pollution in the troposphere (MOPITT) have been analyzed to see the amount of increase in the carbon monoxide concentration after forest wildfires, ire, particularly in summer of 2003. The study reveals that there is a significant increase in the carbon monoxide concentration after forest fires.
DE: 0345 Pollution--urban and regional (0305)
DE: 0933 Remote sensing
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting