Atmospheric CH4 and N2O measurements at Suva, Fiji

• Main Authors: Mani, Francis S., Chand, Deepitika, Nizbat, Zahra, Maata, Matakite
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Q Science (General); Pacific; South Pole; Fid; South pole
• Online Access: http://repository.usp.ac.fj/10127/; http://repository.usp.ac.fj/10127/1/Poster_GGMT_2017.pptx

The researchers from the University of the South Pacific developed the in-house capacity to measure CH4 and N2O using GC-FID and GC-ECD respectively. A series of clean air samples were collected from a coastal site near Suva, Fiji (18°08’S, 178°26’E). The precision for CH4 measurements is 4 ppbv and for N2O measurements is approximately 2 ppbv. The seasonal cycles of both greenhouse gases observed are similar with a seasonal amplitude of approximately 30 ppbv. However some variability is observed during the summer months in the methane dataset which demands further investigation. Unfortunately the N20 data set is very recent and does not extend back to the previous summer months. The datasets obtained at this site will be compared to other sites such as South Pole and Samoa. The dataset looks very appreciable although it needs to be verified through inter-laboratory comparisons. This site is quite interesting due to complex tropical meteorology in the region affecting transport of methane from the Northern into Southern Hemisphere.