Correlation between smoke and tropospheric ozone concentration in Cuiabá during Smoke, Clouds, and Radiation-Brazil (SCAR-B)

Abstract

Ozone soundings launched from Cuiabá between August 16 and September 10, 1995, during the Smoke, Clouds, and Radiation-Brazil (SCAR-B) experiment show an enrichment of tropospheric ozone when compared with average wet season values and also present a great variability in concentrations depending on the dominant circulation pattern. Smoke tracers, such as aerosol optical thickness, measured from a Sun photometer installed at the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais-Cuiabá site, and black carbon ground measurements, also show an enhancement of smoke during the same period. Although there is a connection between the enrichment of the tropospheric ozone around Cuiabá during the dry season and smoke from biomass burning, the correlation between ozone and smoke indicates different behavior in different periods. Trajectory analyses suggest that the strong ozone peak measured in the period between August 26 and 29, 1995, may be associated not only with direct biomass-burning emissions but also with urban/industrial emissions from big cities on the coast of Brazil and recirculation of old smoke. This view is confirmed by measurements made from the Cloud Lidar System instrument aboard the ER-2 aircraft.