Drivers of variability of atmospheric carbon monoxide in Australia

There remains much uncertainty in estimating and characterising the Southern Hemisphere’s atmospheric composition compared to the better explored Northern Hemisphere. This poses significant challenges for analysing and modelling short-lived tropospheric trace gases, especially carbon monoxide (CO). Due to limited influence from anthropogenic emissions, compared to the Northern Hemisphere, sites studied in the southern hemisphere show that carbon monoxide tends to be affected by a balance of long-range transport, secondary organic production and removal via its primary sink, the hydroxyl radical (OH). This PhD thesis is focused on using a combination of ground-based and satellite-based measurements and chemical transport modelling to investigate the variability of carbon monoxide in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in the Australian region.