Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net 1680-7367 1680-7375 8 4 2008 10.5194/acpd-8-13453-2008 http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/8/13453/2008/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/8/13453/2008/acpd-8-13453-2008.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/8/13453/2008/acpd-8-13453-2008.pdf 13453 13478 2008-07-15 Methane plume over South Asia during the monsoon season: satellite observation and model simulation X. Xiong xiaozhen.xiong@noaa.gov S. Houweling J. Wei E. Maddy F. Sun C. Barnet NOAA/NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Res., Camp Springs, Maryland, USA Perot Systems Government Services, Fairfax, Virginia, USA Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands Satellite observations of methane (CH4) using the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS/Aqua platform from 2003–2007 demonstrate a strong, plume-like enhancement of CH4 in the middle to upper troposphere over the South Asia during July, August and September, and its maximum occurs in early September. Simulations using the global tracer model version 3 (TM3) also show similar seasonal enhancement of CH4 in the same region. The model results also suggest that this enhancement is associated with transport process and local surface emissions, thus the observations to tropospheric CH4during the monsoon season may be used to constrain the models for a better estimation of Asian CH4 sources. 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