37 research outputs found
Simulations of atmospheric methane for Cape Grim, Tasmania, to constrain southeastern Australian methane emissions
This study uses two climate models and six scenarios of prescribed methane emissions to compare modelled and observed atmospheric methane between 1994 and 2007, for Cape Grim, Australia (40.7° S, 144.7° E). The model simulations follow the TransCom-CH4 protocol and use the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) and the CSIRO Conformal-Cubic Atmospheric Model (CCAM). Radon is also simulated and used to reduce the impact of transport differences between the models and observations. Comparisons are made for air samples that have traversed the Australian continent. All six emission scenarios give modelled concentrations that are broadly consistent with those observed. There are three notable mismatches, however. Firstly, scenarios that incorporate interannually varying biomass burning emissions produce anomalously high methane concentrations at Cape Grim at times of large fire events in southeastern Australia, most likely due to the fire methane emissions being unrealistically input into the lowest model level. Secondly, scenarios with wetland methane emissions in the austral winter overestimate methane concentrations at Cape Grim during wintertime while scenarios without winter wetland emissions perform better. Finally, all scenarios fail to represent a~methane source in austral spring implied by the observations. It is possible that the timing of wetland emissions in the scenarios is incorrect with recent satellite measurements suggesting an austral spring (SeptemberâOctoberâNovember), rather than winter, maximum for wetland emissions. © Author(s) 2015
Radon: a universal baseline indicator at sites with contrasting physical settings
The primary goal of World Meteorological Organisation Global Atmosphere Watch (WMOâGAW) baseline stations is systematic global monitoring of chemical composition of the atmosphere, requiring a reliable, consistent and unambiguous approach for the identification of baseline air. Premier stations in the GAW baseline network span a
broad range of physical settings, from remote marine to highâaltitude continental sites, necessitating carefully tailored
siteâspecific requirements for baseline sampling, data selection, and analysis. Radonâ222 is a versatile and unambiguous terrestrial tracer, widelyâused in transport and mixing studies. Since the majority of anthropogenic pollution sources also have terrestrial origins, radon has become a popular addition to the âbaseline selection
toolkitâ at numerous GAW stations as a proxy for âpollution potentialâ. In the past, detector performance and postprocessing
methods necessitated the adoption of a relaxed (e.g. 100 mBq mâ3) radon threshold for minimal terrestrial influence, intended to be used in conjunction with other baseline criteria and analysis procedures, including wind speed, wind direction, particle number, outlier rejection and filtering. However, recent improvements in detector sensitivity, stability and postâprocessing procedures have reduced detection limits below 10 mBq mâ3 at Cape Grim and to ïŸ25 mBq mâ3 at other baseline stations. Consequently, for suitably sensitive instruments (such as the ANSTO designed and built twoâfilter dualâflowâloop detectors), radon concentrations alone can be used to unambiguously identify air masses that have been removed from terrestrial sources (at altitude or over ice), or in equilibrium
with the ocean surface, for periods of >2â3 weeks (radon †40 mBq mâ3). Potentially, radon observations alone can thus provide a consistent and universal (site independent) means for baseline identification. Furthermore, for continental sites with complex topography and meteorology, where true âbaselineâ conditions may never
occur, radon can be used to indicate the least terrestriallyâperturbed air masses, and provide a means by which to apply limits to the level of âacceptable terrestrial influenceâ for a given application. We demonstrate the efficacy of the radonâbased selection at a range of sites in contrasting physical settings, including: Cape Grim (Tasmania), Cape Point (South Africa), Mauna Loa (Hawaii), Jungfraujoch (Switzerland) and Schneefernerhaus (Germany).Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere,Climate Science Centre
Natural and anthropogenic changes in atmospheric greenhouse gases over the past 2 millennia
Millennial changes in atmospheric trace gas composition are best determined from air enclosed in ice sheets. Air extracted from the open pores in firn and the bubbles in ice is measured to derive the past concentrations and isotopic ratios of the long lived trace gases. The significant increases observed in CO2, CH4 and N2O since about 1750 and the more recent appearance of synthetic gases such as the CFCs in the atmosphere are a key feature of the anthropocene. The millennia preceding the anthropocene, the Late Pre-Industrial Holocene (LPIH), show evidence of natural changes in trace gases that can be used to constrain models and improve their ability to predict future changes under scenarios of anthropogenic emissions and climate change. Precise measurements and ice core air samples that are accurately dated and highly resolved in time are required to record the small and rapid trace gas signals of this period. The atmospheric composition records produced by CSIRO and collaborators using the Law Dome, Antarctica ice cores are widely used in models of climate, atmospheric chemistry and the carbon cycle over the anthropocene and the LPIH. Results from these studies have been influential in informing global policies, including the Montreal and Kyoto Protocols. We will present the recently revised trace gas records from Law Dome and new measurements of tracers from these and other ice sites that reveal the causes of atmospheric changes over the anthropocene and the LPIH
Towards a universal âbaselineâ characterisation of air masses for high- and low-altitude observing stations using Radon-222
We demonstrate the ability of atmospheric radon concentrations to reliably and unambiguously identify local and
remote terrestrial influences on an air mass, and thereby the potential for alteration of trace gas composition by
anthropogenic and biogenic processes. Based on high accuracy (lower limit of detection 10â40 mBq mâ3), high temporal
resolution (hourly) measurements of atmospheric radon concentration we describe, apply and evaluate a simple two-step
method for identifying and characterising constituent mole fractions in baseline air. The technique involves selecting a
radon-based threshold concentration to identify the âcleanestâ (least terrestrially influenced) air masses, and then
performing an outlier removal step based on the distribution of constituent mole fractions in the identified clean air
masses. The efficacy of this baseline selection technique is tested at three contrasting WMO GAW stations: Cape Grim (a
coastal low-altitude site), Mauna Loa (a remote high-altitude island site), and Jungfraujoch (a continental high-altitude
site). At Cape Grim and Mauna Loa the two-step method is at least as effective as more complicated methods employed to
characterise baseline conditions, some involving up to nine steps. While it is demonstrated that Jungfraujoch air masses
rarely meet the baseline criteria of the more remote sites, a selection method based on a variable monthly radon threshold
is shown to produce credible ânear baselineâ characteristics. The seasonal peak-to-peak amplitude of recent monthly
baseline CO2 mole fraction deviations from the long-term trend at Cape Grim, Mauna Loa and Jungfraujoch are estimated
to be 1.1, 6.0 and 8.1 ppm, respectively
Speculation on the origin of sub-baseline excursions of CH4 at Cape Grim
The Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) program has historically measured in situ
methane (CH4
) at Cape Grim via gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) in 40 minutely
grab samples. By adding continuous, high precision in situ measurements of CH4
(Picarro cavity ring-down
spectroscopy [CRDS]) at both Cape Grim, Tasmania, and Casey, Antarctica, a new feature has become apparent
in the Cape Grim CH4
record. During the austral summer (December to February), the Cape Grim CH4
record
periodically drops below baseline. For example, in Figure 1, a number of sustained episodes of depressed CH4
concentration can be seen below the baseline selected data shown in red. Notably, these episodes are also seen
in the GC-FID record.
In this presentation, we examine these sub-baseline excursions of CH4
. In conjunction with meteorology and a
variety of other chemical species measured at Cape Grim, including radon, ozone, hydrogen and ethane, we speculate on a number of possible mechanisms that might be responsible for these dips in CH4 mixing ratio
Composition of Clean Marine Air and Biogenic Influences on VOCs during the MUMBA Campaign
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important precursors to the formation of ozone and fine particulate matter, the two pollutants of most concern in Sydney, Australia. Despite this importance, there are very few published measurements of ambient VOC concentrations in Australia. In this paper, we present mole fractions of several important VOCs measured during the campaign known as MUMBA (Measurements of Urban, Marine and Biogenic Air) in the Australian city of Wollongong (34°S). We particularly focus on measurements made during periods when clean marine air impacted the measurement site and on VOCs of biogenic origin. Typical unpolluted marine air mole fractions during austral summer 2012-2013 at latitude 34°S were established for CO2 (391.0 ± 0.6 ppm), CH4 (1760.1 ± 0.4 ppb), N2O (325.04 ± 0.08 ppb), CO (52.4 ± 1.7 ppb), O3 (20.5 ± 1.1 ppb), acetaldehyde (190 ± 40 ppt), acetone (260 ± 30 ppt), dimethyl sulphide (50 ± 10 ppt), benzene (20 ± 10 ppt), toluene (30 ± 20 ppt), C8H10 aromatics (23 ± 6 ppt) and C9H12 aromatics (36 ± 7 ppt). The MUMBA site was frequently influenced by VOCs of biogenic origin from a nearby strip of forested parkland to the east due to the dominant north-easterly afternoon sea breeze. VOCs from the more distant densely forested escarpment to the west also impacted the site, especially during two days of extreme heat and strong westerly winds. The relative amounts of different biogenic VOCs observed for these two biomes differed, with much larger increases of isoprene than of monoterpenes or methanol during the hot westerly winds from the escarpment than with cooler winds from the east. However, whether this was due to different vegetation types or was solely the result of the extreme temperatures is not entirely clear. We conclude that the clean marine air and biogenic signatures measured during the MUMBA campaign provide useful information about the typical abundance of several key VOCs and can be used to constrain chemical transport model simulations of the atmosphere in this poorly sampled region of the world. © 2019 The Author