Abstract
Over the past few decades, concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), a key greenhouse gas, have risen at a global rate of approximately 2 ppm/a. China is the largest CO2 emitter and is the principle contributor to the increase in global CO2 levels. Based on a satellite-retrieved atmospheric carbon dioxide column average dry air mixing ratio (XCO2) dataset, derived from the greenhouse gas observation satellite (GOSAT), this paper evaluates the spatial and temporal variations of XCO2 characteristics in China during 2009–2016. Moreover, the factors influencing changes in XCO2 were investigated. Results showed XCO2 concentrations in China increased at an average rate of 2.28 ppm/a, with significant annual seasonal variations of 6.78 ppm. The rate of change of XCO2 was greater in south China compared to other regions across China, with clear differences in seasonality. Seasonal variations in XCO2 concentrations across China were generally controlled by vegetation dynamics, characterized by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). However, driving factors exhibited spatial variations. In particular, a distinct belt (northeast–southwest) with a significant negative correlation (r < −0.75) between XCO2 and NDVI was observed. Furthermore, in north China, human emissions were identified as the dominant influencing factor of total XCO2 variations (r > 0.65), with forest fires taking first place in southwest China (r > 0.47). Our results in this study can provide us with a potential way to better understand the spatiotemporal changes of CO2 concentration in China with NDVI, human activity and biomass burning, and could have an enlightening effect on slowing the growth of CO2 concentration in China.
Highlights
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ) is an important element of the global carbon cycle and a major greenhouse gas due to its extensive contributes to global warming
Due to the temporal coverage of the gas observation satellite (GOSAT) observation data, we focused on atmospheric XCO2 concentrations during the vegetation growing season (GS, April–October each year)
(1) Atmospheric XCO2 concentrations exhibited clear seasonal changes, with the highest concentrations observed in spring and the lowest in summer; (2) during 2009–2016, the average growth rate of XCO2 concentration over China reached 2.28 ppm/a, and the average amplitude of seasonal variation was 6.78 ppm/a
Summary
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ) is an important element of the global carbon cycle and a major greenhouse gas due to its extensive contributes to global warming. CO2 concentrations have increased by more than 40% since the Industrial Revolution [1]. A warmer climate with adverse consequences, such as rising sea levels and an increase in extreme weather conditions, mean that further increases in CO2 levels are expected [2]. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global CO2 concentration increased from. 368.84 ppm in 2000 to 402.86 ppm in 2016, with an average growth rate of 2.06 ppm/a [3]. 2006, China has been the world’s largest emitter of CO2 [4,5].
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