A reconstruction of the past trend of atmospheric CO based on firn air samples from Berkner Island, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Assonov, S. S., Brenninkmeijer, C. A. M., Jöckel, P., Mulvaney, R., Bernard, Serge
• Other Authors: Atmospheric Chemistry Department MPIC, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft-Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2005
• Subjects: [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; Antarctic; Berkner Island; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00327978; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00327978/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00327978/file/acpd-5-10259-2005.pdf

International audience Although for several atmospheric trace gases trends over the past 100 year have been reconstructed using firn air analyses, little is known about one of the chemically most significant trace gases, namely CO. Among the 3 Antarctic drilling expeditions reported, the one from Berkner Island appears to have given results of sufficient analytical quality to warrant a modelling with the aim to reconstruct past changes in atmospheric CO. Based on our reconstructions, CO in high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere has been increasing since beginning of the 20th century from ~38 ppbv to a recent value of about 52.5 ppbv. The increase in CO is mainly explained by the known increase in CH 4 , with biomass burning output being most likely responsible for an additional increase. Which, if any, role changes in OH have played cannot be derived.