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Observational Evidence of Large Contribution from Primary Sources for Carbon Monoxide in the South Asian Outflow
- Source :
- Environmental Science and Technology, 56(1), 165. American Chemical Society, Environmental Science & Technology
- Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- South Asian air is among the most polluted in the world, causing premature death of millions and asserting a strong perturbation of the regional climate. A central component is carbon monoxide (CO), which is a key modulator of the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere and a potent indirect greenhouse gas. While CO concentrations are declining elsewhere, South Asia exhibits an increasing trend for unresolved reasons. In this paper, we use dual-isotope (δ13C and δ18O) fingerprinting of CO intercepted in the South Asian outflow to constrain the relative contributions from primary and secondary CO sources. Results show that combustion-derived primary sources dominate the wintertime continental CO fingerprint (fprimary ∼ 79 ± 4%), significantly higher than the global estimate (fprimary ∼ 55 ± 5%). Satellite-based inventory estimates match isotope-constrained fprimary-CO, suggesting observational convergence in source characterization and a prospect for model–observation reconciliation. This “ground-truthing” emphasizes the pressing need to mitigate incomplete combustion activities for climate/air quality benefits in South Asia.<br />Mitigation of incomplete-combustion activities in South Asia would curtail the rising regional carbon monoxide levels benefiting air quality/human health.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0013936X
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Environmental Science and Technology, 56(1), 165. American Chemical Society, Environmental Science & Technology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....77919ea9c8cbb97576e3f80de44265ed