Variation of the Atmospheric CO Column Amount over Beijing Urban Area in the Fall

CO, water vapor and other trace gases have been measured in Beijing during the transition period of heating in the fall of 1999, using an infrared grating spectrometer of moderate resolution. The measurements show that the CO column amount over Beijing urban area after heating is larger than that before heating. The CO column amount before heating is smaller, the daily average is 0.147 atm-cm, while that after heating is larger, the daily average of the first 7 days is 0.205 atm-cm, and the daily variation is larger as well. However, the variation of CO column amount is closely dependent on meteorological condition, mainly including atmospheric stability, wind speed and wind direction.