CO₂ spatio-temporal analysis in the Iberian Peninsula.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Atmospheric Science
• Geophysics

Background:

• Accurate monitoring of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is crucial for understanding climate change.
• Previous studies have focused on global CO2 trends, with less emphasis on regional variations within specific peninsulas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare regional CO2 concentrations and growth rates in the Iberian Peninsula with localized measurements.
• To analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of CO2 using different kernel smoothing techniques.
• To assess the agreement between modeled and observed CO2 data.

Main Methods:

• Monthly CO2 values were calculated using Gaussian and Epanechnikov kernels on gridded data for the Iberian Peninsula.
• A six-year dataset (starting October 2010) of in-situ CO2 measurements from the region's upper plateau was used for comparison.
• Temporal analysis incorporated linear evolution for growth rate and sinusoidal functions for annual cycles.

Main Results:

• Calculated CO2 concentration and growth rate showed spatial uniformity across the Iberian Peninsula.
• Gaussian kernel produced smoother band borders for CO2 distribution compared to the Epanechnikov kernel.
• While regional and local temporal patterns agreed, measurements were approximately 7 ppm higher than regional calculations.
• The regional growth rate was 2.39 ppm/yr with a decreasing amplitude sinusoidal annual cycle.

Conclusions:

• Regional CO2 modeling provides a good approximation of temporal patterns, but localized measurements indicate higher concentrations.
• Kernel smoothing methods effectively represent CO2 spatial and temporal dynamics, with Gaussian kernels offering smoother transitions.
• Discrepancies between modeled and measured data highlight the importance of high-resolution, localized monitoring for climate studies.