Abstract. Concern in recent decades about human impacts on Earth's climate has led to the need for improved and expanded measurement capabilities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In this paper we describe in detail an in situ trace gas analyser based on Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy that is capable of simultaneous and continuous measurements of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and 13 C in CO 2 in air with high precision. High accuracy is established by reference to measurements of standard reference gases. Stable water isotopes can also be measured in undried airstreams. The analyser is automated and allows unattended operation with minimal operator intervention. Precision and accuracy meet and exceed the compatibility targets set by the World Meteorological Organisation -Global Atmosphere Watch for baseline measurements in the unpolluted troposphere for all species except 13 C in CO 2 .The analyser is mobile and well suited to fixed sites, tower measurements, mobile platforms and campaign-based measurements. The isotopic specificity of the opticallybased technique and analysis allows its application in isotopic tracer experiments, for example in tracing variations of 13 C in CO 2 and 15 N in N 2 O. We review a number of applications illustrating use of the analyser in clean air monitoring, micrometeorological flux and tower measurements, mobile measurements on a train, and soil flux chamber measurements.

[1] An atmospheric study of C 2 -C 5 dicarboxylic acids was conducted over two years at seven sites located from the Azores to eastern continental European sites. The lowest concentrations of total C 2 -C 5 diacids are observed at the Azores (Portugal) and at 4360 m elevation in the Alps ($50 ng m À3 ), and the highest (400 ng m À3) are observed at the rural K-puszta site (Hungary). Quasi-absent at surface sites, the seasonal cycle of total diacids is characterized by a pronounced summer maximum at elevated sites, the highest summer level (510 ng m À3) being observed at the forested mountain site of Schauinsland (Germany). Whatever site and season, oxalic acid is always the most abundant diacid with a relative abundance higher than 60%. The climatology of C 2 -C 5 diacids in Europe is discussed versus environmental conditions at sites (marine/ continental, rural/forested, boundary layer/free troposphere, and winter/summer). Observations are used to discuss the possible sources of C 2 -C 5 diacids, with special emphasis on their primary versus secondary and natural versus anthropogenic origin. At surface sites in winter, fast secondary productions in wood burning plumes in addition to secondary production from volatile organic carbon (VOC) species emitted by vehicles seem to be important contributors. In summer the impact of anthropogenic sources is weakened and biogenic emissions from vegetation (unsaturated fatty acids, isoprene, oxygenated VOCs, and eventually monoterpenes) likely represent major precursors of diacids. At the Azores, diacids are not only related to long-range transport from continents but also to marine biogenic emissions from phytoplankton, particularly in summer.Citation: Legrand, M., S. Preunkert, T. Oliveira, C. A. Pio, S. Hammer, A. Gelencsér, A. Kasper-Giebl, and P. Laj (2007), Origin of C 2 -C 5 dicarboxylic acids in the European atmosphere inferred from year-round aerosol study conducted at a west-east transect,

No abstract

C values at Schauinsland are considered best suited as input for studies of biospheric carbon cycling in midnorthern latitudes or for dating of organic material of the last half century.

This paper presents a compilation of atmospheric radiocarbon for the period 1950–2019, derived from atmospheric CO2 sampling and tree rings from clean-air sites. Following the approach taken by Hua et al. (2013), our revised and extended compilation consists of zonal, hemispheric and global radiocarbon (14C) data sets, with monthly data sets for 5 zones (Northern Hemisphere zones 1, 2, and 3, and Southern Hemisphere zones 3 and 1–2). Our new compilation includes smooth curves for zonal data sets that are more suitable for dating applications than the previous approach based on simple averaging. Our new radiocarbon dataset is intended to help facilitate the use of atmospheric bomb 14C in carbon cycle studies and to accommodate increasing demand for accurate dating of recent (post-1950) terrestrial samples.

Abstract. The isotopic composition of carbon ( 14 C and δ 13 C) in atmospheric CO 2 and in oceanic and terrestrial carbon reservoirs is influenced by anthropogenic emissions and by natural carbon exchanges, which can respond to and drive changes in climate. Simulations of 14 C and 13 C in the ocean and terrestrial components of Earth system models (ESMs) present opportunities for model evaluation and for investigation of carbon cycling, including anthropogenic CO 2 emissions and uptake. The use of carbon isotopes in novel evaluation of the ESMs' component ocean and terrestrial biosphere models and in new analyses of historical changes may improve predictions of future changes in the carbon cycle and climate system. We compile existing data to produce records of 14 C and δ 13 C in atmospheric CO 2 for the historical period 1850-2015. The primary motivation for this compilation is to provide the atmospheric boundary condition for historical simulations in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) for models simulating carbon isotopes in the ocean or terrestrial biosphere. The data may also be useful for other carbon cycle modelling activities.

[1] Brown carbon is a ubiquitous and unidentified component of organic aerosol which has recently come into the forefront of atmospheric research. This component is strongly linked to the class of humic-like substances (HULIS) in aerosol whose ultimate origin is still being debated. Using a simplified spectroscopic method the concentrations of brown carbon have been determined in aqueous extracts of fine aerosol collected during the CARBOSOL project. On the basis of the results of 2-year measurements of several aerosol constituents at six European sites, possible sources of brown carbon are inferred. Biomass burning (possibly domestic wood burning) is shown to be a major source of brown carbon in winter. At elevated sites in spring, smoke from agricultural fires may be an additional source. Direct comparison of measured brown carbon concentrations with HULIS determined by an independent method reveals that the two quantities correlate well at low-elevation sites throughout the year. At high-elevation sites the correlation is still high for winter but becomes markedly lower in summer, implying different sources and/or atmospheric sinks of brown carbon and HULIS. The results shed some light on the relationships between atmospheric brown carbon and HULIS, two illdefined and overlapping components of organic aerosol.

Abstract. We present inverse modelling (top down) estimates of European methane (CH 4 The hypothesis of significant natural emissions is supported by the finding that several inverse models yield significant seasonal cycles of derived CH 4 emissions with maxima in summer, while anthropogenic CH 4 emissions are assumed to have much lower seasonal variability. Taking into account the wetland emissions from the WETCHIMP ensemble, the top-down estimates are broadly consistent with the sum of anthropogenic and natural bottom-up inventories. However, the contribution of natural sources and their regional distribution remain rather uncertain.Furthermore, we investigate potential biases in the inverse models by comparison with regular aircraft profiles at four European sites and with vertical profiles obtained during the Infrastructure for Measurement of the European Carbon Cycle (IMECC) aircraft campaign. We present a novel approach to estimate the biases in the derived emissions, based on the comparison of simulated and measured enhancements of CH 4 compared to the background, integrated over the entire boundary layer and over the lower troposphere. The estimated average regional biases range between −40 and 20 % at the aircraft profile sites in France, Hungary and Poland.