Characteristics Variation of Atmospheric CO2 and CH4 in Yongxing Island, South China Sea

• Published in: Journal of Ocean University of China 2024-04, Vol.23 (2), p.438-446
• Main Authors: Lv, Honggang, Jiang, Yifei, Wang, Haiyan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air flow; Carbon dioxide; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Gases; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; Growth rate; Meteorology; Methane; Oceanography; Temporal variations
• ISSN: 1672-5182; 1993-5021; 1672-5174
• DOI: 10.1007/s11802-024-5528-x

Using the observation data in Yongxing Island, South China Sea (SCS) from December 2013 to November 2018, the multiple time scales variation of atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 were analyzed to understand their temporal variation characteristics and controlling factors. The regional-averaged background mole fractions of CO 2 and CH 4 both show a single-period sinusoidal variation with a lower value at noon and a higher value in the wee hours. In the seasonal scale, they exhibited a significant seasonal difference with higher values in winter and lower values in summer. In the annual scale, CO 2 and CH 4 both show an increasing trend, with an annual growth rate of approximately 3.2 ppm and 12 ppb, respectively. The annual growth rate at this site was higher than the global average. The change in atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 in Yongxing Island was probably caused by the higher emission of the surrounding areas and the airflows driven by monsoon. Hopefully, the long-term and high-resolution greenhouse gases (GHGs) dataset will aid relevent researchers and decision-makers in performing more in-depth studies for GHG sources in order to derive effective strategies.