Asian Monsoon Transport of Pollution to the Stratosphere

Riding the Monsoon Most air transport from the troposphere to the stratosphere occurs in the tropics, but additional transport may occur in areas of strong upward convection. Randel et al. (p. 611, published online 25 March) report satellite measurements of atmospheric hydrogen cyanide over the region where the Asian summer monsoon occurs, which indicate that air is transported from the surface to deep within the stratosphere. This mechanism represents a pathway for pollutants to enter the global stratosphere, where they might affect ozone chemistry, aerosol characteristics, and radiative properties. Satellite observations of atmospheric hydrogen cyanide reveal that the Asian monsoon transports air deep into the stratosphere. Transport of air from the troposphere to the stratosphere occurs primarily in the tropics, associated with the ascending branch of the Brewer-Dobson circulation. Here, we identify the transport of air masses from the surface, through the Asian monsoon, and deep into the stratosphere, using satellite observations of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), a tropospheric pollutant produced in biomass burning. A key factor in this identification is that HCN has a strong sink from contact with the ocean; much of the air in the tropical upper troposphere is relatively depleted in HCN, and hence, broad tropical upwelling cannot be the main source for the stratosphere. The monsoon circulation provides an effective pathway for pollution from Asia, India, and Indonesia to enter the global stratosphere.

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