Radiocarbon in the air of Central Europe: Long-term investigations

Abstract

Regional levels of radiocarbon have been monitored in order to investigate the impact of fossil fuel combustion on the activity of atmospheric 14CO2 in central Europe. Data from atmospheric 14CO2 monitoring stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary for the period 2000-2008 are presented and discussed. The Prague and Bratislava monitoring stations showed a distinct local Suess effect when compared to the Jungfraujoch clean-air monitoring station. However, during the summer period, statistically insignificant differences were observed between the low-altitude stations and the highmountain Jungfraujoch station. 14C data from the Hungarian monitoring locality at Dunaföldvár and the Czech monitoring station at Koöetice, which are not strongly affected by local fossil CO2 sources, indicate similar grouping and amplitudes, typical for a regional Suess effect. © 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona.