Atmospheric Radiocarbon Measurements from 14 Stations, 1962-1993

The Radiological Dating Laboratory at the Norwegian Institute of Technology performed 14C measurements in atmospheric CO2 from 1962 to 1993 at a network of ground stations spanning from Spitsbergen (78° N) to Madagascar (21° S). The database includes measurements of 14C excess, fractionation 13C, and corrected 14C excess, with data collected via quantitative absorption of CO2 and analysis in a proportional counter. This dataset provides a record of the bomb pulse perturbation, useful for studying global carbon cycle dynamics.

Use Cases

• Modeling the atmospheric transport and mixing of radiocarbon based on latitudinal station data.
• Studying the temporal decay of the bomb pulse 14C signal after the 1963 Test Ban Treaty.
• Investigating isotopic fractionation in atmospheric CO2 using the provided δ13C measurements.
• Calibrating or validating global carbon cycle models with direct atmospheric 14C observations.

Strengths

• Data spans three decades from 1962 to 1993, capturing the full bomb pulse and decline.
• Spatial coverage includes 14 stations across Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
• Measurements are corrected for isotopic fractionation and radioactive decay, constituting a final research product.
• Sampling avoided stations subject to local industrial CO2 contamination.

Limitations

• Row count and file format are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred from the description.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Radiological Dating Laboratory, Norwegian Institute of Technology (author: Reidar Nydal)

Collection Method

Quantitative absorption of atmospheric CO2 in NaOH solution, with 14C measurements made in a CO2 proportional counter.

Time Range

1962 to 1993

Geography

Fourteen stations from Spitsbergen (78° N) to Madagascar (21° S), including high-altitude aircraft samples in 1965.