ind-haze
Trends in atmospheric haze induced by peat fires in Sumatra Island,
Indonesia and El Nino phenomenon from 1973 to 2003
Wang, Y.1*, R. D. Field1, and O. Roswintiarti2. 2004. Trends in atmospheric
haze induced by peat fires in Sumatra Island, Indonesia and El Nino
phenomenon from 1973 to 2003. Geophysical Research Letters, 31, L04103,
doi: 10.1029/2003GL018853.
ABSTRACT
Visibility was used as a long-term indicator of atmospheric haze caused by peat fires on the peat land area of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.Visibility and the anomalies of sea surface temperature in the Nin~o 3.4 region from 1973 to 2003 were analyzed. A significant linear relationshipexisted between the visibility and time, and the two signals shared two periodic components of 45 months (3.7 yr) and 61 months (5.1 yr),corresponding with the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability.
Visibility decrease occurred about 3 months earlier than peak ENSO, suggesting fires initiated during the ENSO onset stage. The studydemonstrated the connection of inter-annual climate variability, biomass burning, and air quality in the region. The study could facilitate theprediction of change in fire occurrence and air quality from ENSO monitoring data.
CONTACT
1 Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Center, Edmonton, Canada
2 Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautic and Space, Jakarta Timur,
Indonesia
* Corresponding author: ywang@nrcan.gc.ca
