Increase in carbon monoxide (CO) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) observed by satellites in the Northern Hemisphere over the summers of 2008–2023, linked to an increase in wildfires

Ehret, Antoine; Turquety, Solène; George, Maya; Hadji-Lazaro, Juliette; Clerbaux, Cathy

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6365-2025

Articles | Volume 25, issue 12

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6365-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6365-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 25, issue 12

Research article

|

26 Jun 2025

Research article |

| 26 Jun 2025

Increase in carbon monoxide (CO) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) observed by satellites in the Northern Hemisphere over the summers of 2008–2023, linked to an increase in wildfires

Antoine Ehret, Solène Turquety, Maya George, Juliette Hadji-Lazaro, and Cathy Clerbaux

Data sets

IASI Carbon Monoxide Profiles FORLI-CO Climate Data Record Release 1 - Metop-A and -B AC SAF https://doi.org/10.15770/EUM_SAF_AC_0047

MOD14 MODIS/Terra Thermal Anomalies/Fire 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V006 L. Giglio and C. Justice https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD14.006

MCD64A1 MODIS/Terra+Aqua Burned Area Monthly L3 Global 500m SIN Grid V006 L. Giglio et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD64A1.006

MODIS Atmosphere L2 Aerosol Product R. Levy et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD04_L2.061

MODIS Atmosphere L2 Aerosol Product R. Levy et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MYD04_L2.061

Complete ERA5 from 1940: Fifth generation of ECMWF atmospheric reanalyses of the global climate H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.143582cf

Short summary

Biomass burning has a considerable effect on the chemical composition of the atmosphere and climate, due to the emission of trace gases and aerosols. We examine the relationship between fire variability and the values of carbon monoxide and aerosol optical depth observed by satellites. The observed increase in wildfires has led to a corresponding rise in the mean and extreme values of carbon monoxide and aerosol optical depth during the summer and early autumn across the Northern Hemisphere.