Earth System Research Laboratory Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases Group Flask-Air Sample Measurements of CO2, CH4, CO, N2O, H2, SF6 and isotopic ratios at Global and Regional Background Sites, 1967-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. The CCGG cooperative air sampling network effort began in 1967 at Niwot Ridge, Colorado. Today, the network is an international effort which includes regular discrete samples from the NOAA ESRL/GMD baseline observatories, cooperative fixed sites, and commercial ships. Air samples are collected approximately weekly from a globally distributed network of sites. Samples are analyzed for Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrogen Gas (H2), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), and Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6); and by INSTAAR for the stable isotopes of CO2 and CH4 and for many volatile organic compounds (voc) such as ethane (C2H6), ethylene (C2H4) and propane (C3H8). Measurement data are used to identify long-term trends, seasonal variability, and spatial distribution of carbon cycle gases. 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
21 Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network website https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/about.html
0 NCEI home page with information, data access and contact information. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov
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 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
33 PDF of "ObsPack: a framework for the preparation, delivery, and attribution of atmospheric greenhouse gas measurements" http://www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/6/375/2014/essd-6-375-2014.pdf
0 PDF from Wiley Online Library http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/94JD01951/pdf
0 Landing page for the dataset. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5CN725S
0 Observation Package (ObsPack) Data Products Website Direct Link to Surface Station Data https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/obspack/data.php?id=CCGGSurfaceFlask
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

  • vertical location
  • hfcs
  • troposphere composition
  • esrl
  • united states of america
  • russian federation
  • land surface
  • nesdis
  • flasks
  • biogeochemical modeling
  • sf6 and pfcs)
  • atmospheric chemistry
  • data sets
  • virginia
  • atmosphere
  • continent
  • noaa
  • methane and other greenhouse gases (including n2o
  • carbon and hydrocarbon compounds
  • troposphere chemistry
  • atmospheric - composition - carbon dioxide
  • earth system research laboratory
  • north america
  • noaa earth science research laboratory stations
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • earth science
  • global monitoring division
  • eastern europe
  • earth system research laboratory (noaa)
  • doc/noaa/nesdis/ncei
  • air monitoring stations/networks
  • europe
  • biogeochemical processes
  • esrl stations
  • methane
  • carbon monoxide
  • cfcs
  • hcfcs
  • biogeochemical cycles
  • point resolution
  • oregon
  • carbon dioxide
  • national centers for environmental information
  • doc/noaa/esrl/gmd

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