Seasonal and diurnal trend of carbon dioxide in a mountainous Site in Seoul, Korea

Abstract

In this research, the environmental behavior of carbon dioxide (CO2) was investigated in a mountainous site in the proximity of a highly industrialized megacity, Seoul, Korea. The concentration data of CO2 monitored routinely at hourly intervals at Mt. Gwan-Ak (GA), Seoul, Korea throughout 2009 were analyzed in several respects. The mean CO2 value was 405 ±12.1 ppm (median=403 ppm) with a range of 344 to 508 ppm (N=8548). The analysis of its seasonal trend indicated that the CO2 levels peaked in the winter but reached a minimum in fall. If the short-term trend is analyzed, the CO2 values generally peaked during daytime along with the presence of two shoulders; this is suspected to be indicative of strong man-made effects (e.g., traffic activities). It is seen that the general patterns of CO2 distribution in this study area are highly comparable to those typically found in urban areas with strong signals of anthropogenic activities.