Disclaimer: This material is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at the time of publication, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information, and parts may not function in current web browsers. Visit https://espo.nasa.gov for information about our current projects.

 

Tropical mid-tropospheric CO2 variability driven by the Madden–Julian...

Li, K., B. Tian, D. E. Waliser, and Y. L. Yung (2010), Tropical mid-tropospheric CO2 variability driven by the Madden–Julian oscillation, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 107, 19171-19175, doi:10.1073/pnas.1008222107.
Abstract: 

Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) is the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas in the present-day climate. Most of the community focuses on its long-term (decadal to centennial) behaviors that are relevant to climate change, but there are relatively few discussions of its higher-frequency forms of variability, and none regarding its subseasonal distribution. In this work, we report a largescale intraseasonal variation in the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder CO2 data in the global tropical region associated with the Madden– Julian oscillation (MJO). The peak-to-peak amplitude of the composite MJO modulation is ∼1 ppmv, with a standard error of the composite mean <0.1 ppmv. The correlation structure between CO2 and rainfall and vertical velocity indicate positive (negative) anomalies in CO2 arise due to upward (downward) large-scale vertical motions in the lower troposphere associated with the MJO. These findings can help elucidate how faster processes can organize, transport, and mix CO2 and provide a robustness test for coupled carbon–climate models.

PDF of Publication: 
Download from publisher's website.
Research Program: 
Modeling Analysis and Prediction Program (MAP)
Atmospheric Composition
Atmospheric Composition Modeling and Analysis Program (ACMAP)
Tropospheric Composition Program (TCP)
Energy & Water Cycle Program (EWCP)
Climate Variability and Change Program
Atmospheric Dynamics and Precipitation Program (ADP)
Mission: 
AQUA-AIRS
Funding Sources: 
AIRS, NSF