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

• 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: climate; Arctic; Siberia; atmospheric composition; carbon dioxide; methane; Meteorology. Climatology; QC851-999; Dikson; permafrost; Taimyr; Tundra
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070876; https://doaj.org/article/41ce5672fb3143de995b97958bac491f

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.