24 h Evolution of an Exceptional HONO Plume Emitted by the Record-Breaking 2019/2020 Australian Wildfire Tracked from Space
Résumé
Megafires occurred in Australia during the 2019/2020 bushfire season, leading to enhanced concentrations of many tropospheric pollutants. Here, we report on a fire plume with unusually high and persistent nitrous acid (HONO) levels that we could track during one day at free tropospheric levels over the Tasman Sea on 4 January 2020 using IASI and CrIS satellite observations. HONO concentrations up to about 25 ppb were retrieved during nighttime. Persistent HONO concentrations (>10 ppb) were still observed at sunrise, likely due to large aerosol concentrations within the plume, preventing HONO photodissociation. In addition, comparison with carbon monoxide (CO) measurements suggest a secondary production during the plume transport. Model simulations confirm that the plume is transported in the lower free troposphere with concentrations as high as 30 ppb at about 4 km. However, many uncertainties and unknowns remain in the plume aerosol load and in the chemical processes which may explain the model inability to reproduce elevated HONO concentrations at sunrise.
Domaines
Sciences de l'environnementOrigine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
---|