Impact of ENSO on Spatial Patterns of CO2 Variability from GOSAT and AIRS

Most researches of impacts of CO₂ on global climate changes have been focusing on the significant increasing global CO₂ concentration which is mainly due to the human activities. Satellite observations show that the spatial distribution of CO₂ exists at various temporal scales. Using both GOSAT data and AIRS data for the period 200907-201104, this paper analyzed the spatial pattern of CO₂ and the impact of El Nino -Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the CO₂ spatial patterns. The CO₂ temporal variability is in agree with the single-site record of CO₂ at Mauna Loa. An EOF decomposition of CO₂ spatial patterns is consistent with the previous study, but the ENSO signal is not clear. By analyzing the differences in the spatial variation of detrended CO₂ concentrations during ENSO different episodes, our results showed the center of Northeastern of North America, Central Pacific, Australia and North parts of Asia have higher CO₂ values in warm episode. Significant spatial variations of CO₂ occur over high latitudes in the onset phase of ENSO. The centers of CO₂ variations shift to middle and low latitudes during ENSO prevail stage, especially in the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, with more remarkable larger variations in warm period. In the ENSO decay phase, the difference between warm episodes and cold episodes is small. Our study demonstrates that the impacts of ENSO on CO₂ spatial patterns are significant which require further investigate.