Trend, seasonal and diurnal variations of atmospheric CO2 in Beijing

Abstract

The concentration of atmospheric CO2 in Beijing increased rapidly at a mean growth rate of 3.7% · a−1 from 1993 to 1995. After displaying a peak of (409.7±25.9) μmol · mol−1 in 1995, it decreased slowly. Both the almost stable anthropogenic CO2 source and increasing biotic CO2 sink contribute to the drop of CO2 concentration from 1995 to 2000. The seasonal variation of CO2 concentration exhibits a clear cycle with a maximum in winter, averaging (426.8±20.6) μmol · mol−1, and a minimum in summer, averaging (369.1±6.1) μmol·mol−1. The seasonal variation of CO2 concentration is mainly controlled by phenology. The mean diurnal variation of atmospheric CO2 concentration for a year in Beijing is highly clear: daily maximum CO2 concentration usually occurs at night, but daily minimum CO2 concentration does in the daytime, with a mean diurnal difference more than 34.7 μmol·mol−1. It has been revealed that the interannual variations of atmospheric CO2 concentration in winter and autumn regulated the interannual trend of atmospheric CO2, whereas the interannual variation of CO2 concentration in summer affected the general tendency of atmospheric CO2 in a less degree.