Atmospheric trace gas measurements at Palmer Station, Antarctica: 1982?83

Abstract

In early 1982 a station capable of sampling atmospheric trace gas constituents on a continuous basis was established at Palmer Station, Anvers Island, adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula (64° 46′S 64° 04′W). Sampling operations began about 1 February 1982. This is an initial report on this station, its location, equipment and general research objectives along with some initial sampling results. The constituents being measured and recorded were: ozone, methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, CCl3F (fluorocarbon-11), CCl2F2 (fluorocarbon-12), carbontetrachloride, methylchloroform, nitrous oxide, and Aitken nuclei (CN). Data storage, data processing, and sampling system control is handled by a Hewlett-Packard 85 system. Preliminary analyses of about the first 20–22 months of data are presented and show not only the expected long-term trends but also shorter period concentration cycles that seem to be related to synoptic meteorology.