Characteristics and source analysis of greenhouse gas concentration changes at Akedala Station in Central Asia

Abstract

Mole fractions of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) have been continuously measured since September 2009 at the Akedala Station (47°06′N, 87°58′E, 563.3 masl) in China. The station is located in the Central Asia and northwest of China, and it is the only station in that region with background conditions for long-term greenhouse gas observations. Characteristics of the mole fractions, growth rates, and influence of long-distance transport were studied considering data from September 2009 to December 2019. The greenhouse gases concentrations at Akedala Station show a trend of year-on-year growth, with CO2 concentrations ranging from 389.80 × 10−6 to 408.79 × 10−6 (molar fraction of substances, same below), CH4 concentrations ranging from 1890.07 × 10−9 to 1976.32 × 10−9, N2O concentrations ranging from 321.26 × 10−9 to 332.03 × 10−9, and SF6 concentrations ranging from 7.04 × 10−12 to 10.07 × 10−12, the growth rate of which is similar to the decadal average growth rate in the Northern Hemisphere. There exist obvious seasonal variations, with CO2 concentrations showing high in winter and low in summer and CH4 showing a distinct “W”-shaped trend while N2O and SF6 showing little difference between the four seasons. A relatively strong correlation and homology exist among the four greenhouse gases except in summer, and the analysis based on backward trajectories model shows that the Akedala Station is influenced by the airflow from northwest or southwest throughout the year. The Akedala Station is an important atmospheric background station in Central Asia, and its greenhouse gas concentration levels and variation characteristics are significantly different from those of the background stations in the monsoon region. Its degree changes are closely related to local source emissions, monsoon transport, and atmospheric photochemical processes.