Biomass burning is an important source of atmospheric
CO2, aerosols and chemically important gases. It is as important to
global chemistry as industrial activities in the developed world [Crutzen
and Andreae, 1990]. Biomass burning is a key component of the global carbon
budget, currently releasing 2.6 GtC from fires in the tropical and subtropical
ecosystems (van der Werf et al. [2003], to be compared to the 5.6 GtC
released from fossil fuels) to the atmosphere each year, most of it being
emitted in the form of carbon dioxide, although there is important spread
amongst various estimates. Biomass burning contributes up to 40% of gross
atmospheric CO2 (IPCC, 2001), 38% of tropospheric O3, and
10 % of CH4.
Author: A. Chédin, S. Serrar, N. A. Scott, C. Pierang, and P. Ciais (chedin at lmd dot polytechnique dot fr)
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