Transport pathways of carbon monoxide in the Asian summer monsoon diagnosed from Model of Ozone and Related Tracers (MOZART)

Abstract

Satellite observations of tropospheric chemical constituents (such as carbon monoxide, CO) reveal a persistent maximum in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere (UTLS) associated with the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone. Diagnostic studies suggest that the strong anticyclonic circulation acts to confine air masses, but the sources of pollution and transport pathways to altitudes near the tropopause are the subject of debate. Here we use the Model for Ozone and Related Tracers 4 (MOZART‐4) global chemistry transport model, driven by analyzed meteorological fields, to study the source and transport of CO in the Asian monsoon circulation. A MOZART‐4 simulation for one summer is performed, and results are compared with satellite observations of CO from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder and the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer. Overall, good agreement is found between the modeled and observed CO in the UTLS, promoting confidence in the model simulation. The model results are then analyzed to understand the sources and transport pathways of CO in the Asian monsoon region, and within the anticyclone in particular. The results show that CO is transported upward by monsoon deep convection, with the main surface sources from India and Southeast Asia. The uppermost altitude of the convective transport is ∼12 km, near the level of main deep convective outflow, and much of the CO is then advected in the upper troposphere northeastward across the Pacific Ocean and southwestward with the cross‐equatorial Hadley flow. However, some of the CO is also advected vertically to altitudes near the tropopause (∼16 km) by the large‐scale upward circulation on the eastern side of the anticyclone, and this air then becomes trapped within the anticyclone (to the west of the convection, extending to the Middle East). Within the anticyclone, the modeled CO shows a relative maximum near 15 km, in good agreement with observations.