Arcturus Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Baseline Measurements

July 2010 marked the start of continuous atmospheric greenhouse gas monitoring at an inland station near Emerald, Queensland. Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research established this facility to provide a regional baseline for geological carbon dioxide storage projects. The station records data from a site influenced by agriculture and energy activities in the Central Highlands.

Use Cases

• Establishing a regional atmospheric baseline for CO2 storage projects by analyzing continuous GHG concentration time-series.
• Detecting anomalies near geological storage sites by comparing project data against the long-term Arcturus station records.
• Studying the influence of land use (cropping, pasture, cattle, coal/gas activities) on local greenhouse gas signals.
• Field-testing new high-precision atmospheric monitoring technology using data from this operational station.

Strengths

• Monitoring began in July 2010, providing a multi-year baseline record.
• Station location was strategically selected based on atmospheric modeling and stakeholder consultation for a high-priority storage region.

Limitations

• Specific data metrics like row count, measurement frequency, and exact parameters (e.g., CO2, CH4 concentrations) are not provided in the description.
• Data is tied to a single geographic location (Arcturus, QLD), limiting broader spatial representativeness.

Provenance

Source

Collaborative project between Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.

Collection Method

Continuous measurement from a high-precision atmospheric monitoring station.

Time Range

From July 2010 onward.

Freshness

null

Geography

Arcturus, 50 km southeast of Emerald, Queensland, Australia.