Carbon annual variation

Figure 8.1 Annual variation in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration as recorded at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii.

Murayama S. Yamamoto S. Saigusa N. Kondo H. and Takamura C. (2005). Long-term carbon exchange at a Takayama, Japan forest Statistical analyses of inter-annual variations in the vertical profile of atmospheric C02 mixing ratio and carbon budget in a cool-temperate deciduous forest in Japan. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 134(1-4), 17-26. 

Since Phaeocystis plays a key role in element fluxes relevant to climate the results presented here have implications for biogeochemical models of cycling of carbon and sulphur. Sea-to-air exchange of C02 and dimethyl sulphide (DMS) has been calculated on the basis of measurements during single-year cruises. The considerable annual variation in phytoplankton and in its Phaeocystis component reported here does not warrant extrapolation of such figures. 

It is well known that, after its absorption, NOz forms nitric acid and nitrous acid in water. There is some indication that nitrite produced in this way is oxidized by dissolved 03 (Penkett, 1972). If neutralizing agents (ammonia, calcium carbonate etc.) are present, some nitrate salt is finally formed. It follows from this discussion that both S02 and N02 are oxidized in cloud water by atmospheric ozone. If this speculation is true a correlation should be found between the concentration of sulfate and nitrate ions in precipitation waters. Such a correlation was found in precipitation samples by Gambell and Fisher (1964) among others. However, correlations between any two species in rainwater must be considered with caution because the level of all ions is affected in a similar way by the precipitation intensity or quantity (see Subsection 5.4.1). Nevertheless the identical annual variations of the two ions in precipitation water (see Subsection 5.4.5) suggests that the two species are formed by some similar processes. 

We can thus conclude that the spring maximum cannot be explained either by the annual variation of source intensity at the Earth s surface or by the variation of the quantity of precipitation. It has been postulated (E. Meszaros, 1974a) that this maximum is due to the oxidation effects of tropospheric ozone, the concentration of which also has a maximum during the spring (see Fig. 13). Ozone oxidizes S02 and N02 in atmospheric liquid water (see Subsection 5.3.2) which leads to the lowering of the pH. The increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions promotes the absorption of ammonia gas from the air, as well as the transformation of insoluble mineral components (e.g. calcium carbonate) into water-soluble materials. If this speculation is correct, this process provides a non-negligible ozone sink in the... 

In the period before direct observations of Pb in the ocean, the response of oceanic Pb to earlier changes in emissions are documented by the Pb content of reef-building corals. Corals precipitate calcium carbonate skeletons with annual variations in their density that can be counted in the same way... 

FIGURE 8.2 Levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide as a function of time. The inset shows the annual variation in the Northern Hemisphere due to photosynthesis. The great acceleration marks a point at which atmospheric carbon dioxide levels began rising at a very rapid rate. 

Fig. 10-15 Organic carbon fluxes with depth in the water column normalized to mean annual primary production rates at the sites of sediment trap deployment. The undulating line indicates the base of the euphotic zone the horizontal error bars reflect variations in mean annual productivity as well as replicate flux measurements during the same season or over several seasons vertical error bars are depth ranges of several sediment trap deployments and uncertainities in the exact depth location. (Reproduced with permission from E. Suess (1980). Particulate organic carbon flux in the oceans - surface productivity and oxygen utilization, Nature 288 260-263, Macmillan Magazines.)...

Organic acid fluorescence. In a similar manner to trace constituents, such as Mg, Sr and P, concentrations of organic acids present in speleothem calcite are sufficient to observe variation at temporal scales of less than annual in some cases (e.g.. Baker et al. 1993, Shopov et al. 1994). Organic acids (humic and fulvic) are formed in the soil by humification, and transported to the cave void by percolating waters where they are entrapped in precipitating carbonates. Under certain circumstances, where precipitation patterns are strongly seasonal and the nature of vadose percolation is such that seasonal mixing is incomplete, bands with different luminescent intensities can be differentiated after excitation with UV radiation. In other cases, bands are not observable but secular... 

A logical explanation for the global nature of these correlations is that they are all related to variations of the sun, which cause variations in the temperature of the sea surface, thus causing variations in the isotopic composition of water vapor which distills off the sea and is stored as wood in trees and also forms the annual layers of the ice cap. The variations of the sun are furthermore related to the flux of solar neutrons in the earth s atmosphere and so cause small variations in the carbon-14 content of the bristle cones. During times of a quiet sun the average carbon-14 production is about 25 percent larger than when solar activity is high [43]. 

Grosjean, D. Helsler, S. Fung, K. Mueller, P. Hldy, G. "Particulate organic carbon in urban air concentrations, size distribution and temporal variations", presented at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers 72nd Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, November 1979. 

Atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements as Manna Loa, Hawaii. These measurements show annual cycles resulting from seasonal variation in carbon dioxide fixation by the Calvin cycle in terrestrial plants. Much of this fixation takes place in rain forests, which account for approximately 50% of terrestrial fixation. [Dennis Potokar/Photo Researchers.]... 

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