| Summary: | Air samples were collected from five sites in the Main Geophysical Observatory air sampling network to monitor the atmospheric CO2 from 1983 - 1993. Airwas collected generally four times per month in pairs of 1.5-L stainless steel electropolished flasks with one greaseless stainless steel stopcock. Sampling was performed by opening the stopcock of the flasks, which have been evacuated at the central laboratory at the Main Geophysical Observatory (MGO). The air was not dried during sample collection. Attempts were made to obtain samples when the wind speed was >5 m/s and the wind direction corresponded to the predetermined "clean air" sector. The period of record at Bering Island is too short to identify any long-term trends in atmospheric CO2 concentrations; however, the yearly mean atmospheric CO2 concentration at Bering Island rose from approximately 346 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in 1986 to 362.6 ppmv in 1993. Measurements from this station are considered indicative of maritime air masses. The period of record at Kotelny Island is too short to identify any long-term trends in atmospheric CO2 concentrations; however, the yearly mean atmospheric CO2 concentration at Kotelny Island rose from 356.08 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in 1988 to 358.8 ppmv in 1993. Because Kotelny Island is the northernmost Russian sampling site, measurements from this site serve as a useful comparison to other northern sites (e.g., Alert, Northwest Territories). In late 1989, air sampling began at the Russian site of Kyzylcha, located in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Unfortunately, the desert site at Kyzylcha has been out of operation since mid-1991 due to financial difficulties in Russia. The annual mean value of 359.02 parts per million by volume (ppmv) for 1990, the lone full year of operation, is higher than measurements from other monitoring programs at this latitude [e.g., Niwot Ridge (354.7 ppmv in 1990) and Tae-ahn Peninsula]. Station "C," an open ocean site, in the North Atlantic, east of Greenland, was established in 1968 and was operated in cooperation with NOAA's National Weather Service through 1973. The Main Geophysical Observatory collected flask samples at the site from January 1983 through October 1990. The yearly mean atmospheric CO concentration at Station "C" rose from 348.15 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in 1985 to 354.33 ppmv in 1989. The period of record at Teriberka Station is too short to identify any long-term trends in atmospheric CO2 concentrations; however, the yearly mean atmospheric CO2 concentration at Teriberka Station rose from 354.8 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in 1989 to 358.7 ppmv in 1993. For access to the data files, click this link to the CDIAC data transition website: http://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/trends/co2/main.html
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