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Interannual variability of mid‐tropospheric CO 2 from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
Author(s) -
Jiang Xun,
Chahine Moustafa T.,
Olsen Edward T.,
Chen Luke L.,
Yung Yuk L.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2010gl042823
Subject(s) - atmospheric infrared sounder , troposphere , environmental science , climatology , northern hemisphere , atmospheric sciences , southern hemisphere , atmospheric circulation , latitude , geology , geodesy
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) offers a unique opportunity to investigate the variability of mid‐tropospheric CO 2 over the entire globe. In this paper, we use AIRS data to examine the interannual variability of CO 2 and find significant correlations between AIRS mid‐tropospheric CO 2 and large‐scale atmospheric dynamics. During El Niño events, mid‐tropospheric CO 2 over the central Pacific Ocean is enhanced whereas it is reduced over the western Pacific Ocean as a result of the change in the Walker circulation. The variation of AIRS CO 2 in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere is closely related to the strength of the northern hemispheric annular mode. These results contribute to a better understanding of the influence of large‐scale dynamics on tracer distributions.