Annual atmospheric carbon monoxide concentration and isotopic ratio measurements have been collected at Arrival Heights, Ross Island since June 1991. Large whole air samples (1000-1400L) are gathered from a compressor system and analyzed for CO concentrations and isotopic ratios of 14C and 13C. The data is produced by SCIOPS to assess the characteristics and fluxes of CO sources and sinks.
Use Cases
- Analyze trends in CO concentration over time to assess anthropogenic impact on Antarctic air.
- Correlate 14C isotopic ratios with hydroxyl radical activity to model atmospheric oxidative capacity.
- Use 13C/12C isotopic ratios to differentiate between natural and anthropogenic sources of carbon monoxide.
- Compare annual isotopic ratio measurements to study long-term changes in CO source distribution.
- Model the transport of CO from the northern hemisphere to Antarctica using concentration time-series data.
Strengths
- Data collection spans over 30 years, providing a long-term time-series.
- Samples are large (1000-1400L), likely improving measurement accuracy.
- Collection targets the clean sector of the sky, reducing local contamination.
Limitations
- Annual sampling frequency may miss seasonal or intra-annual variability.
- Data is geographically limited to one site (Arrival Heights, Ross Island).
- Specific sample count, row count, and data completeness metrics are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- SCIOPS via NASA EarthData.
- Collection Method
- Large whole air samples collected via a compressor system, with CO extracted as CO2 by selective combustion and isotopic ratios determined.
- Time Range
- Since June 1991.
- Freshness
- Annual updates.
- Geography
- Arrival Heights, Ross Island, Antarctica.