Earth System Research Laboratory Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases Group Flask-Air Sample Measurements of CO2, CH4, CO, N2O, H2, and SF6 from the Aircraft Program, 1992-Present

Description

The Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network for the Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases (CCGG) Group is part of NOAA'S Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, CO. The Reference Network measures the atmospheric distribution and trends of the three main long-term drivers of climate change, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), as well as carbon monoxide (CO) which is an important indicator of air pollution. The Reference Network measurement program includes continuous in-situ measurements at 4 baseline observatories (global background sites) and 8 tall towers, as well as flask-air samples collected by volunteers at over 50 additional regional background sites and from small aircraft. The air samples are returned to ESRL for analysis where measurements of about 55 trace gases are done. NOAA's Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network maintains the World Meteorological Organization international calibration scales for CO2, CH4, CO, N2O, and SF6 in air. The measurements of the Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network serve as a comparison with measurements made by many other international laboratories, and with regional studies. They are widely used in studies inferring space-time patterns of emissions and removals of greenhouse gases that are optimally consistent with the atmospheric observations. They serve as an early warning for climate "surprises". The measurements are also helpful for the ongoing evaluation of remote sensing technologies. Aircraft Program Measurements: Since its inception in 1992, the Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network's aircraft program has been dedicated to collecting air samples in vertical profiles over North America. The program's mission is to capture seasonal and inter-annual changes in trace gas mixing ratios throughout the boundary layer and free troposphere. Data collected by the aircraft program provide a view of how the large-scale horizontal and vertical distribution of the measured trace gases change throughout a given year over the continent. The measured data are baseline levels, trends, and causes of variability of atmospheric gases that have the potential to affect global climate. The historical data set contains measurements from 31 aircraft program missions. The ongoing data set is contingent upon the aircraft program missions that are still in use going forward. At present, most aircraft program flights collect 12 flask samples at different altitudes via a portable, automated sampling system. At a predetermined altitude, the sampling system is simply activated by a toggle switch that is easily accessible to the pilot. Time, location and auxiliary variables such as temperature and relative humidity are logged with each sample and downloaded into the NOAA/ESRL database when the samples are returned to the laboratory. Sampling frequency and height distribution varies at each site, but samples are collected from 500 m above ground to 8000 m above sea level at the majority of aircraft sites. While sampling flights have been conducted at some sites as often as two to three times per week, sample flights at most sites are only carried out once every two to three weeks. Through the Big Earth Data Initiative (BEDI), ESRL/GMD has taken their data collection and converted files into NetCDF-4, a self-describing format.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 Project page with dataset information. https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/aircraft/
0 NCEI home page with information, data access and contact information. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov
0 Landing page for the dataset. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5N58JMF
33 PDF of ObsPack Paper http://www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/6/375/2014/essd-6-375-2014.pdf
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords
0 Direct download for dataset files. https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/obspack/data.php?id=CCGGAircraftFlask
0 Overview of the GCOS Essential Climate Variables. https://public.wmo.int/en/programmes/global-climate-observing-system/essential-climate-variables
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords
0 PDF from Wiley Online Library http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014JD022591/epdf
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords

Tags

  • indiana
  • vertical location
  • hfcs
  • south america
  • troposphere composition
  • 1 km
  • alaska
  • esrl
  • united states of america
  • saskatchewan
  • halocarbons
  • mongolia
  • colorado
  • hydrogen compounds
  • nesdis
  • flasks
  • beechcraft king air
  • canada
  • aircraft
  • halocarbons and halogens
  • biogeochemical modeling
  • sf6 and pfcs)
  • nitrogen compounds
  • atmospheric chemistry
  • data sets
  • atmosphere
  • continent
  • noaa
  • methane and other greenhouse gases (including n2o
  • carbon and hydrocarbon compounds
  • hawaii
  • cessna 206
  • brazil
  • troposphere chemistry
  • eastern asia
  • north dakota
  • south carolina
  • atmospheric - composition - carbon dioxide
  • troposphere
  • earth system research laboratory
  • north america
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • earth science
  • texas
  • global monitoring division
  • new jersey
  • ocean
  • earth system research laboratory (noaa)
  • doc/noaa/nesdis/ncei
  • california
  • asia
  • biogeochemical processes
  • polynesia
  • nitrous oxide
  • cessna 172 skyhawk
  • boundary layer
  • wisconsin
  • iowa
  • methane
  • cook islands
  • british columbia
  • carbon monoxide
  • oklahoma
  • cfcs
  • hcfcs
  • sulfur compounds
  • pacific ocean
  • biogeochemical cycles
  • illinois
  • carbon dioxide
  • massachusetts
  • national centers for environmental information
  • nebraska
  • doc/noaa/esrl/gmd
  • south pacific ocean

Topics

Categories