TITLE:
Temporal Variation of the Concentration of Carbon Monoxide in the Center West of Brazil
AUTHORS:
Amaury de Souza, Flavio Aristones, Gustavo Becker Modesto Silva, Widinei Alves Fernandes, Catia Braga
KEYWORDS:
Carbon Monoxide, MOPITT, Biomass Burning
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.4 No.4,
September
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: South Mato Grosso
has been developing very rapidly in recent decades, and it is clearly leaving
behind the status of being solely an agricultural region to become an important
state in the areas of commerce and industry. Nevertheless, it is still possible
to observe the harmful effects of atmospheric pollution due to biomass burning
activities, even if those actions are being systematically reduced in the state
throughout the past several years. This kind of pollution persists not only due
to local activities but also due to the pollution of other states and even
other border countries. Satellite remote sensing has proven to be an important
tool of environmental control vis-à-vis the ease of data acquisition, accuracy
and wide temporal range. A study has been conducted of spatial and temporal
concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) in the state of South Mato Grosso from
2001 through 2012 using the MOPITT sensor onboard the TERRA satellite. The
carbon monoxide comes principally from the incomplete combustion of vehicles
engines and biomass burnings. A direct correlation of the CO concentration in the
state of South Mato Grosso is observed precisely during the months of drought
(August to October), for which the number of fire outbreaks is the highest of
the year.