Concentration variations of atmospheric CO2 over Syowa Station, Antarctica and their interpretation

Abstract

Aircraft and ground-based measurements of the atmospheric CO2 concentration have been made at Syowa Station, Antarctica since January 1983. The CO2 concentration increases with height during most of the year, but from late winter to spring this height dependency is minimal. To examine the contribution of the atmospheric transport processes a 3-dimensional traectory analysis was performed. From the results obtained, it is postulated that northern hemispheric air with relatively high CO2 concentration is transported to the antarctic region through the upper troposphere from late fall to winter, while air with low CO2 concentration is transported from the southern hemisphere middle latitudes into the antarctic region through the lower troposphere in the remaining seasons. -from Authors