Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-151
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-151
02 Apr 2025
 | 02 Apr 2025
Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal ESSD.

The flask monitoring program for high-precision atmospheric measurements of greenhouse gases, stable isotopes, and radiocarbon in the central Amazon region

Carlos A. Sierra, Ingrid Chanca, Meinrat Andreae, Alessandro Carioca de Araújo, Hella van Asperen, Lars Borchardt, Santiago Botía, Luiz Antonio Candido, Caio S. C. Correa, Cléo Quaresma Dias-Junior, Markus Eritt, Annica Fröhlich, Luciana V. Gatti, Marcus Guderle, Samuel Hammer, Martin Heimann, Viviana Horna, Armin Jordan, Steffen Knabe, Richard Kneißl, Jost Valentin Lavric, Ingeborg Levin, Kita Macario, Juliana Menger, Heiko Moossen, Carlos Alberto Quesada, Michael Rothe, Christian Rödenbeck, Yago Santos, Axel Steinhof, Bruno Takeshi, Susan Trumbore, and Sönke Zaehle

Abstract. Long-term and high-precision measurements of the mole fraction of greenhouse gases (GHG), together with their isotopic composition, are of fundamental importance to understand land-atmosphere interactions. Current flask monitoring programs have important information gaps in large regions of the Earth, particularly in the southern hemisphere and in continental tropical regions. Here, we report on the initiation of a monitoring program and the resulting dataset of high-precision GHG measurements at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO), located in the central Amazon region of Brazil. In September 2021, we installed an automated flask sampler designed and built by the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) to collect air samples in 3-liter flasks at a height of 324 m above ground level. Samples are collected weekly, during a one-hour integration time between 13:00 and 14:00 h local time (17:00–18:00 UTC). The flasks are shipped to Jena, Germany, for analyses of CO2, CO, CH4, N2O, H2, SF6, 13C–CO2, 14C–CO2, 18O–CO2, 13C–CH4, 2H–CH4, O2/N2, and Ar/N2 at the laboratories of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI-BGC). Measurements from this monitoring program provide reference information for this site and act as an additional independent quality control for other measurements in the region. The record of SF6 and simulations based on a regional atmospheric transport model suggest that the footprint of the measurements is predominantly from the southeasterly and northeasterly directions. The time series of the different gas species measured in this monitoring program are being made publicly available through the ATTO data portal and the atmospheric flask sampling program of the MPI-BGC.

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Carlos A. Sierra, Ingrid Chanca, Meinrat Andreae, Alessandro Carioca de Araújo, Hella van Asperen, Lars Borchardt, Santiago Botía, Luiz Antonio Candido, Caio S. C. Correa, Cléo Quaresma Dias-Junior, Markus Eritt, Annica Fröhlich, Luciana V. Gatti, Marcus Guderle, Samuel Hammer, Martin Heimann, Viviana Horna, Armin Jordan, Steffen Knabe, Richard Kneißl, Jost Valentin Lavric, Ingeborg Levin, Kita Macario, Juliana Menger, Heiko Moossen, Carlos Alberto Quesada, Michael Rothe, Christian Rödenbeck, Yago Santos, Axel Steinhof, Bruno Takeshi, Susan Trumbore, and Sönke Zaehle

Status: open (until 09 May 2025)

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Carlos A. Sierra, Ingrid Chanca, Meinrat Andreae, Alessandro Carioca de Araújo, Hella van Asperen, Lars Borchardt, Santiago Botía, Luiz Antonio Candido, Caio S. C. Correa, Cléo Quaresma Dias-Junior, Markus Eritt, Annica Fröhlich, Luciana V. Gatti, Marcus Guderle, Samuel Hammer, Martin Heimann, Viviana Horna, Armin Jordan, Steffen Knabe, Richard Kneißl, Jost Valentin Lavric, Ingeborg Levin, Kita Macario, Juliana Menger, Heiko Moossen, Carlos Alberto Quesada, Michael Rothe, Christian Rödenbeck, Yago Santos, Axel Steinhof, Bruno Takeshi, Susan Trumbore, and Sönke Zaehle

Data sets

High-precision atmospheric measurements of greenhouse gases, stable isotopes, and radiocarbon in carbon dioxide in flask samples collected at the ATTO Tall Tower. Version 2025.1 C. A. Sierra et al. https://doi.org/10.17871/ATTO.465.13.1902

Carlos A. Sierra, Ingrid Chanca, Meinrat Andreae, Alessandro Carioca de Araújo, Hella van Asperen, Lars Borchardt, Santiago Botía, Luiz Antonio Candido, Caio S. C. Correa, Cléo Quaresma Dias-Junior, Markus Eritt, Annica Fröhlich, Luciana V. Gatti, Marcus Guderle, Samuel Hammer, Martin Heimann, Viviana Horna, Armin Jordan, Steffen Knabe, Richard Kneißl, Jost Valentin Lavric, Ingeborg Levin, Kita Macario, Juliana Menger, Heiko Moossen, Carlos Alberto Quesada, Michael Rothe, Christian Rödenbeck, Yago Santos, Axel Steinhof, Bruno Takeshi, Susan Trumbore, and Sönke Zaehle
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Short summary
We present here a unique dataset of atmospheric observations of greenhouse gases and isotopes that provide key information on land-atmosphere interactions for the Amazon forests of central Brazil. The data show a relatively large level of variability, but also important trends in greenhouse gases, and signals from fires as well as seasonal biological activity.
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