There, in a region of balmy ocean called the Tropical Warm Pool, the team found the chemical equator thousands of miles north of the ITCZ. Flying on a research plane from south to north, they saw carbon monoxide levels jump from 40 parts per billion to 160 parts per billion in the space of just 30 miles. "It's a really striking boundary," Hamilton said, adding that the high concentrations of carbon monoxide in the north are the result of biomass burning in Thailand and Sumatra, as well as general pollution from across the hemisphere, where most of the world's industry and population reside. Carbon monoxide and other pollutants that remain in the atmosphere for a few months all display this kind of separation between hemispheres. Tracking them is important because carbon monoxide is a chemical precursor to low-level ozone, a greenhouse gas that is hazardous if breathed in. Aerosols from fires and incompletely combusted gasoline can also cause health problems and absorb heat from the sun, increasing the effects of global warming. "I never noticed anything like a 'chemical equator' before," John Gilles of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said. Gille, who leads an ongoing study to track carbon monoxide circulation across the globe, said seasonal variation in atmospheric conditions is probably behind the phenomenon. "It's something I'd like to go back and look for in our eight years of data." Related Links: |
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