Impact of biomass burning on pollutant surface concentrations in megacities of the Gulf of Guinea

Laurent Menut, Cyrille Flamant, Solène Turquety, Adrien Deroubaix, Patrick Chazette, Rémi Meynadier
2018 Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics  
<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> In the framework of the Dynamics–Aerosol–Chemistry–Cloud Interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) project, the tropospheric chemical composition in large cities along the Gulf of Guinea is studied using the Weather and Research Forecast and CHIMERE regional models. Simulations are performed for the May–July 2014 period, without and with biomass burning emissions. Model results are compared to satellite data and surface measurements. Using numerical tracer release
more » ... iments, it is shown that the biomass burning emissions in Central Africa are impacting the surface aerosol and gaseous species concentrations in Gulf of Guinea cities such as Lagos (Nigeria) and Abidjan (Ivory Coast). Depending on the altitude of the injection of these emissions, the pollutants follow different pathways: directly along the coast or over land towards the Sahel before being vertically mixed in the convective boundary layer and transported to the south-west and over the cities. In July 2014, the maximum increase in surface concentrations due to fires in Central Africa is ≈<span class="thinspace"></span>150<span class="thinspace"></span>µg<span class="thinspace"></span>m<sup>−3</sup> for CO, ≈ 10 to 20<span class="thinspace"></span>µg<span class="thinspace"></span>m<sup>−3</sup> for O<sub>3</sub> and ≈ 5<span class="thinspace"></span>µg<span class="thinspace"></span>m<sup>−3</sup> for PM<sub>10</sub>. The analysis of the PM<sub>10</sub> chemical composition shows that this increase is mainly related to an increase in particulate primary and organic matter.</p>
doi:10.5194/acp-18-2687-2018 fatcat:wsv77kk4frfnfmeofhntnoa2ee