Biomass burning and global change

Abstract

The burning of living and dead biomass, including forests, savanna grasslands and agricultural wastes is much more widespread and extensive than previously believed and may consume as much as 8700 teragrams of dry biomass matter per year. The burning of this much biomass releases about 3940 teragrams of total carbon or about 3550 teragrams of carbon in the form of CO2, which is about 40% of the total global annual production of CO2. Biomass burning may also produce about 32% of the world’s annual production of CO, 24% of the nonmethane hydrocarbons, 20% of the oxides of nitrogen, and biomass burn combustion products may be responsible for producing about 38% of the ozone in the troposphere. Biomass burning has increased with time and today is overwhelmingly human‐initiated.