Continuous CO 2 and CH 4 Observations in the Coastal Arctic Atmosphere of the Western Taimyr Peninsula, Siberia: The First Results from a New Measurement Station in Dikson

Atmospheric observations of sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) in the pan-Arctic domain are highly sporadic, limiting our understanding of carbon turnover in this climatically sensitive environment and the fate of enormous carbon reservoirs buried in permafrost. Particul...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmosphere
Main Authors: Alexey Panov, Anatoly Prokushkin, Karl Robert Kübler, Mikhail Korets, Anastasiya Urban, Mikhail Bondar, Martin Heimann
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070876
https://doaj.org/article/41ce5672fb3143de995b97958bac491f
Description
Summary:Atmospheric observations of sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) in the pan-Arctic domain are highly sporadic, limiting our understanding of carbon turnover in this climatically sensitive environment and the fate of enormous carbon reservoirs buried in permafrost. Particular gaps apply to the Arctic latitudes of Siberia, covered by the vast tundra ecosystems underlain by permafrost, where only few atmospheric sites are available. The paper presents the first results of continuous observations of atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 dry mole fractions at a newly operated station “DIAMIS” (73.506828° N, 80.519869° E) deployed on the edge of the Dikson settlement on the western coast of the Taimyr Peninsula. Atmospheric mole fractions of CO 2 , CH 4 , and H 2 O are measured by a CRDS analyzer Picarro G2301-f, which is regularly calibrated against WMO-traceable gases. Meteorological records permit screening of trace gas series. Here, we give the scientific rationale of the site, describe the instrumental setup, analyze the local environments, examine the seasonal footprint, and show CO 2 and CH 4 fluctuations for the daytime mixed atmospheric layer that is representative over a vast Arctic domain (~500–1000 km), capturing both terrestrial and oceanic signals.