Carbon monoxide: A quantitative tracer for fossil fuel CO2?

Gamnitzer, U.; Karstens, U.; Kromer, B.; Neubert, R. E. M.; Meijer, H. A. J.; Schroeder, H.; Levin, I.

doi:10.1029/2005JD006966

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Carbon monoxide: A quantitative tracer for fossil fuel CO₂?

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Karstens, U.
Regional Scale Modelling of Atmospheric Trace Gases, Dr. U. Karstens, Department Biogeochemical Systems, Prof. M. Heimann, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Society;

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2005JD006966
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Citation

Gamnitzer, U., Karstens, U., Kromer, B., Neubert, R. E. M., Meijer, H. A. J., Schroeder, H., et al. (2006). Carbon monoxide: A quantitative tracer for fossil fuel CO₂? Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 111(22), D22302. doi:10.1029/2005JD006966.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-000E-D419-6

Abstract

Carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and radiocarbon ((CO₂)-C-14) measurements have been made in Heidelberg from 2001 to 2004 in order to determine the regional fossil fuel CO₂ component and to investigate the application of CO as a quantitative tracer for fossil fuel CO₂ (CO₂(foss)). The observations were compared with model estimates simulated with the regional transport model REMO at 0.5 degrees x 0.5 degrees resolution in Europe for 2002. These estimates are based on two available emissions inventories for CO and CO₂(foss) and simplified atmospheric chemistry of CO. Both emissions inventories appear to overestimate fossil fuel emissions in the Heidelberg catchment area, in particular in summer and autumn by up to a factor of 2. Nevertheless, during meteorological conditions with high local source influence the CO/CO₂(foss) emission ratios compared well with the observed atmospheric CO/CO₂(foss) ratios. For a larger catchment area of several 100 km the observed CO/CO₂(foss) ratio compared within better than 25% with the ratios derived from model simulations that take the transport from the sites of emission to the measurement station into account. Non-fossil-fuel CO emissions, production by volatile organic compounds, and oxidation, as well as soil uptake, turned out to add significant uncertainty to the application of CO as a quantitative fossil fuel CO₂ surrogate tracer, so that (CO₂)-C-14 measurements seem to be indispensable for reliable estimates of fossil fuel CO₂ over the European continent. [References: 53]