Abstract

A particular concern in tropospheric chemistry is the abundance of carbon monoxide (CO). Increasing levels of CO may lead to a decrease in the abundance of atmospheric hydroxyl (OH), which would reduce the atmosphere’s ability to scavenge other trace gases. While recent results indicate the abundance of CO has been decreasing since 1987 [Kahil and Rasmussen, 1994], prior to that time, the CO abundance was increasing. Most previous CO measurements have been limited to the boundary layer, i.e. ground stations. While widely distributed, these ground stations lack the global coverage and temporal resolution necessary to accurately assess and model the effects of CO on global tropospheric chemistry.

© 1995 Optical Society of America