title: Enhanced Methane Emissions during Amazonian Drought by Biomass Burning.
abstract: The Amazon is a significant source of atmospheric methane, but little is known about the source response to increasing drought severity and frequency. We investigated satellite observations of atmospheric column-averaged methane for the 2010 drought and subsequent 2011 wet year in the Amazon using an atmospheric inversion scheme. Our analysis indicates an increase in atmospheric methane over the southern Amazon region during the drought, representing an increase in annual emissions relative to the wet year. We attribute the increase to emissions from biomass burning driven by intense drought, combined with carbon monoxide showing seasonal variations corresponding to methane variations. We show that there is probably a strong correspondence between drought and methane emissions in the Amazon.
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Heon-Sook
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.affiliation: Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Shamil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maksyutov
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D018533:Biomass; D001938:Brazil; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D055864:Droughts; D005390:Fires; D006802:Human Activities; D008697:Methane / Q000032:analysis*; D017215:Satellite Communications; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D008697:Methane