• \
    Start Submission Become a Reviewer

    Reading: Inferring high-resolution fossil fuel CO2 records at continental sites from combined 14CO2 a...

    Download

     A- A+
    Alt. Display

    Original Research Papers

    Inferring high-resolution fossil fuel CO2 records at continental sites from combined 14CO2 and CO observations

    Authors:

    Ingeborg Levin ,

    Institut für Umweltphysik, University of Heidelberg, DE
    X close

    Ute Karstens

    Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie, DE
    X close

    Abstract

    Anuncertainty estimate of a purely observational approach to derive hourly regional fossil fuel CO2 offsets (ΔCO2(foss)) at continental CO2 monitoring sites is presented.Weekly mean 14C-based fossil fuel CO2 mixing ratios and corresponding regional CO offsets (ΔCO) are proposed to determine weekly mean ΔCO/ΔCO2(foss) ratios in order to derive hourly ΔCO2(foss) mixing ratios from hourly ΔCO measurements. Respective regional model estimates of CO and CO2(foss) are applied to test this approach and obtain root mean square errors of the correspondingly determined regional hourly fossil fuel CO2 component. The method is further validated with campaign-based observations in Heidelberg. The uncertainty of the proposed method turns out to increase with decreasing fossil fuel CO2 fraction ranging from about 15% up to 40% for continental Europe. Together with the uncertainty of the ΔCO/ΔCO2(foss) ratio, which is determined by the precision of the 14CO2 measurement, this method is still more accurate and precise than any model-based approach.

    How to Cite: Levin, I. and Karstens, U., 2007. Inferring high-resolution fossil fuel CO2 records at continental sites from combined 14CO2 and CO observations. Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology, 59(2), pp.245–250. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0889.2006.00244.x
    1
    Views
      Published on 01 Jan 2007
    Peer Reviewed
     CC BY 4.0
     Accepted on 27 Nov 2006            Submitted on 14 Aug 2006

    References

    1. Chevillard , A. , Karstens , U. , Ciais , P. , Lafont , S. and Heimann , M . 2002 . Simulation of atmospheric CO2 over Europe and western Siberia using the regional scale model REMO . Tellus 54B , 872 – 894 .  

    2. Gamnitzer , U. , Karstens , U. , Kromer , B. , Neubert , R. E. M. , Meijer , H. A. J. and co-authors. 2006. Carbon Monoxide: A quantitative tracer for fossil fuel CO2 J. Geophys. Res . 111.  

    3. Geels , C. , Gloor , M. , Ciais , P. , Bousquet , P. , Peylin , P. and co-authors 2006. Comparing atmospheric transport models for future regional inversions over Europe. Part 1: Mapping the CO2 atmospheric signals. Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss . 6 , 3709 – 3756 .  

    4. Granier , C. , Petron , G. , Muller , J . -E and Brasseur, G. 2000. The impact of natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbons on the tropospheric budget of carbon monoxide. Atmos. Environ . 34 , 5255 – 5270 .  

    5. Levin , I. and Karstens , U . 2007 . Quantifying fossil fuel CO2 over Europe . In: A. J. Dolman , A. Freibauer and R. Valentini (Eds.) Observing the Co ntinental Scale Greenhouse Gas Balance of Europe. Springer-Verlag , Heidelberg .  

    6. Levin , I. , Kromer , B. , Schmidt , M. and Sartorius , H. 2003. A novel approach for independent budgeting of fossil fuels CO2 over Eu-rope by 14CO2 observations. Geophys. Res. Lett. 30 ( 23 ), 2194, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL018477 .  

    7. Olivier , J. G. J. , Van Aardenne , J. A. , Dentener , F. , Ganzeveld , L. and Peters , J. A. H. W . 2005. Recent trends in global greenhouse gas emissions: regional trends and spatial distribution of key sources. In: “Non-0O2 Greenhouse Gases (NCGG-4)”. A. van Amstel (coord.), pp. 325-330. Millpress, Rotterdam, ISBN 9059660439. Information available online at www.rivm.nl.  

    8. Potosnak , M. J. , Wofsy , S. C. , Denning , A. S. , Conway , T. J. , Munger , J. W. and co-authors. 1999. Influence of biotic exchange and combustion sources on atmospheric CO2 concentrations in New England from observations at a forest flux tower. J. Geophys. Res . 104 , 9561 – 9569.  

    9. Rivier , L. , Ciais , P. , Hauglustaine , D. A , Bakwin , P. , Bousquet, P. and co-authors. 2006. Evaluation of SF6, C2C14 and CO to approximate fossil fuel CO2 in the Northern Hemisphere using a chemistry transport model. J. Geophys. Res . 111 , D16311, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JDO06725 .  

    10. Suess , H. E . 1955 . Radiocarbon concentration in modern wood . Science 122 , 415 .  

    11. Turnbull , J. C. , Miller , J. B. , Lehman , S. J. , Tans , P. P. , Sparks, R. J. and co-authors. 2006. Comparison of 14CO2, CO, and SF6 as tracers for recently added fossil fuel CO2 in the atmosphere and implications for biological CO2 exchange. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L01817, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL024213 .  

    12. UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) , 2005. Greenhouse gases database. Bonn, Germany. Available online at ghg.unfccc.int, Download on 10. Feb. 2005.  

    Jump to Discussions Related content
    comments powered by Disqus