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Title: Atmospheric carbon dioxide at Mauna Loa Observatory 2. Analysis of the NOAA GMCC data, 1974--1985

Journal Article · · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

The first 12 years (1974--1985) of continuous atmospheric CO/sub 2/ measurements from the NOAA GMCC programs at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii are analyzed. Hourly and daily variations in the concentration of CO/sub 2/ due to local sources and sinks are described, with subsequent selection of data representing background concentrations. A digital filtering technique using the fast Fourier transform and low-pass filters was used to smooth the selected data and to separate the seasonal cycle from the long-term increase in CO/sub 2/. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle was found to be increasing at a rate of 0.05/plus minus/0.02 ppm yr/sup /minus/1/. The average growth rate of CO/sub 2/ was 1.42/plus minus/0.02 ppm yr/sup /minus/1/, and the fraction of CO/sub 2/ remaining in the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion was 59%. A comparison between the Mauna Loa continuous CO/sub 2/ data and the CO/sub 2/ flask sample data from the sea level site at Cape Kumukahi, Hawaii, showed that the amplitude of the seasonal cycle at Cape Kumakahi was 23% larger than at Mauna Loa, with the phase of the cycle at Mauna Loa lagging the cycle at Cape Kumukahi by about 1-2 weeks. /copyright/ American Geophysical Union 1989

Research Organization:
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder (US); Air Resources Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, Colorado
OSTI ID:
5882739
Journal Information:
J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Vol. 94:D6
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English