Atmospheric CO 2 , δ(O 2 /N 2 ) and δ 13 CO 2 measurements at Jungfraujoch, Switzerland: results from a flask sampling intercomparison program

Abstract. We present results from an intercomparison program of CO2, δ(O2/N2) and δ13CO2 measurements from atmospheric flask samples. Flask samples are collected on a bi-weekly basis at the High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch in Switzerland for three European laboratories: the University of Bern, Switzerland, the University of Groningen, the Netherlands and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany. Almost 4 years of measurements of CO2, δ(O2/N2) and δ13CO2 are compared in this paper to assess the measurement compatibility of the three laboratories. While the average difference for the CO2 measurements between the laboratories in Bern and Jena meets the required compatibility goal as defined by the World Meteorological Organization, the standard deviation of the average differences between all laboratories is not within the required goal. However, the obtained annual trend and seasonalities are the same within their estimated uncertainties. For δ(O2/N2) significant differences are observed between the three laboratories. The comparison for δ13CO2 yields the least compatible results and the required goals are not met between the three laboratories. Our study shows the importance of regular intercomparison exercises to identify potential biases between laboratories and the need to improve the quality of atmospheric measurements.

[1]  John B. Miller,et al.  Impact of CO2 measurement bias on CarbonTracker surface flux estimates , 2011 .

[2]  T. Coplen.  Guidelines and recommended terms for expression of stable-isotope-ratio and gas-ratio measurement results. , 2011, Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM.

[3]  Ralph F. Keeling,et al.  Evolution of natural and anthropogenic fluxes of atmospheric CO2 from 1957 to 2003 , 2011 .

[4]  C. Gerbig,et al.  CO2, δO2/N2 and APO: Observations from the Lutjewad, Mace Head and F3 platform flask sampling network , 2010 .

[5]  U. Karstens,et al.  Observation-based estimates of fossil fuel-derived CO2 emissions in the Netherlands using Δ14C, CO and 222Radon , 2010 .

[6]  R. Thompson,et al.  In-situ measurements of oxygen, carbon monoxide and greenhouse gases from Ochsenkopf tall tower in Germany , 2009 .

[7]  M. Heimann,et al.  Measurements of greenhouse gases and related tracers at Bialystok tall tower station in Poland , 2009 .

[8]  H. Meijer,et al.  A single gas chromatograph for accurate atmospheric mixing ratio measurements of CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6 and CO , 2009 .

[9]  R. Neubert.  A single gas chromatograph for accurate atmospheric mixing ratio measurements of CO 2 , 2009 .

[10]  P. Ciais,et al.  Final report on CarboEurope 'Cucumber' intercomparison programme , 2009 .

[11]  M. Heimann,et al.  Seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal‐scale variability of biogeochemical trace gases and O2 from a 300‐m tall tower in central Siberia , 2008 .

[12]  C. Rödenbeck,et al.  Atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide observations from two European coastal stations 2000-2005: continental influence, trend changes and APO climatology , 2008 .

[13]  M. Leuenberger,et al.  Comparison between real time and flask measurements of atmospheric O2 and CO2 performed at the High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch, Switzerland. , 2008, The Science of the total environment.

[14]  J. Randerson,et al.  An atmospheric perspective on North American carbon dioxide exchange: CarbonTracker , 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[15]  A. Manning,et al.  On the long‐term stability of reference gases for atmospheric O2/N2 and CO2 measurements , 2007 .

[16]  A. Manning,et al.  On the long-term stability of reference gases for atmospheric O 2 / N 2 and CO 2 measurements , 2007 .

[17]  A. Manning,et al.  Atmospheric potential oxygen: New observations and their implications for some atmospheric and oceanic models , 2006 .

[18]  A. Manning,et al.  Global oceanic and land biotic carbon sinks from the Scripps atmospheric oxygen flask sampling network , 2006 .

[19]  M. Leuenberger,et al.  Measurements of CO 2 , its stable isotopes, O 2 /N 2 , and 222 Rn at Bern, Switzerland , 2005 .

[20]  W. Brand,et al.  Trace gases, δ13C and δ18O of CO2-in-air samples: Storage in glass flasks using PCTFE seals and other effects , 2005 .

[21]  H. Meijer,et al.  N2O influence on isotopic measurements of atmospheric CO2. , 2004, Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM.

[22]  W. Brand,et al.  Permeation of atmospheric gases through polymer O-rings used in flasks for air sampling , 2004 .

[23]  W. Brand,et al.  Technical Report: MPI-BGC, Germany , 2003 .

[24]  W. Brand,et al.  Extraction of CO2 from air samples for isotopic analysis and limits to ultra high precision delta18O determination in CO2 gas. , 2001, Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM.

[25]  E. Dlugokencky,et al.  NOAA/CSIRO Flask Air Intercomparison Experiment: A strategy for directly assessing consistency among atmospheric measurements made by independent laboratories , 2001 .

[26]  Schwander,et al.  CO(2) concentration measurements on air samples by mass spectrometry , 2000, Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM.

[27]  Huber,et al.  A new gas inlet system for an isotope ratio mass spectrometer improves reproducibility , 2000, Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM.

[28]  P. Tans,et al.  Global Carbon Sinks and Their Variability Inferred from Atmospheric O2 and δ13C , 2000 .

[29]  Philippe Ciais,et al.  Partitioning of ocean and land uptake of CO2 as inferred by δ13C measurements from the NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory Global Air Sampling Network , 1995 .

[30]  P. Tans,et al.  A high precision isotope ratio mass spectrometry method for measuring the O2N2 ratio of air , 1994 .

[31]  Raymond P. Najjar,et al.  What atmospheric oxygen measurements can tell us about the global carbon cycle , 1993 .

[32]  Ralph F. Keeling,et al.  Measuring correlations between atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide mole fractions: A preliminary study in urban air , 1988 .