Measurements
of the radiocarbon content of atmospheric carbon dioxide are a potentially
powerful, yet relatively unexplored method of improving the understanding of
natural carbon dynamics and verifying fossil fuel emissions. Development of 14CO2
as a tracer has been limited by measurement capabilities given that seasonal
and spatial variation in D14C is
currently of the same order as traditional instrument precision: 3-5 per mil.
We have demonstrated 1-2 per mil reproducible measurement precision at the
Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry of Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory. Here we present preliminary measurements of the natural variability
of 14CO2 from the SIO network of background air sampling
stations.
Author: H.D. Graven, T.P. Guilderson, R.F. Keeling, and C.D. Keeling (hgraven at ucsd dot edu)
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