Carbon monoxide (GC)

Starting date: 1-2-2007
Status: Stopped
Instrumentation and calibration: Carbon monoxide (CO) is measured by using a customized GC-FID (Agilent 6890N ), after reduction to methane thorough a Hot Nikel-Catalizer; separation is performed on a double column system (precolumn/backflush: Unibeads 1s; analytical column: Molecular SIeve 5A), isothemrically. Length of run is 15 minutes. Each ambient air sample is bracketed with calibration runs. The standard are based on WMO-CH4-X2004A scale.
Project affiliation (s) Present: GAW-WMO
Related research programmes

  • Tropospheric background condition
  • Greenhouse gases
  • Polluted air-mass transport
  • Long-range transport

Why is this research important? CO plays an important role in the oxidation/reduction chemistry of the atmosphere. Therefore, the distributions and trends of CO are key variables to our understanding of the Earth's present and future atmosphere. Carbon monoxide has an indirect radiative forcing effect by elevating concentrations of methane and tropospheric ozone through chemical reactions with other atmospheric constituents (e.g., the hydroxyl radical OH) that would otherwise destroy them. Through natural processes in the atmosphere, it is eventually oxidized to carbon dioxide
Quick look

Time serie of CO measured at the ICO-OV (blue dots) and the reproducibility (red dots) of the measurement (calculated by the standard deviation of the recurrent reference gas mixture analysis on a daily basis)
Organization (s): Urbino University Dipartimento di Scienza di Base e Fondamenti piazza Rinascimento 6, I-61029, Urbino ISAC-CNR Via Gobetti 101, I-40129, Bologna www.isac.cnr.it
Contact persons: Prof. Michela Maione e-mail: michela.maione [at] uniurb.it phone: +39 0722 303316
Dr. Jgor Arduini e-mail: jgor.arduini [at] uniurb.it phone: +39 0722 303316
Dr. Paolo Bonasoni e-mail: p.bonasoni [at] isac.cnr.it, phone: +39 051 6399590
Where can I find the data? World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) or by direct request to: michela.maione [at] uniurb.it, jgor.arduini@uni