gov.noaa.ncdc:C00361 National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Unknown tabular digital data http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/documentlibrary/datasets.html#TD3271 http DSI-3271 Documentation NCDC Dataset Documentation for DSI-3271 information This data set represents the most comprehensive carbon dioxide flask data set available in the world. The data set contains carbon dioxide mixing ratio in parts per million (ppm) based on measurements from the NOAA/CMDL Cooperative Flask Sampling Network from 1967-1991. There are 34 worldwide sites of which 32 were still active in 1991. These data are updated periodically as part of a cooperative effort between CMDL and NCDC which is supported as a core project by NOAA's Climate and Global Change Program. These data are also available on-line via internet on a CMDL workstation. Surface flask samples were made to ensure that the collected sample was not contaminated from local sources of carbon dioxide. The observer was instructed to take an air sample only when the wind was in excess of 2 meters per second blowing from the clean air sector near the site. All flask samples were shipped form the station to the NOAA/CMDL laboratory located in Boulder, CO and analyzed for carbon dioxide. The air samples were collected by two general methods: by flushing and then pressurizing the glass flasks with a pump or by opening a stopcock on an evacuated glass flask. Normally, the collection involved the connecting of two flasks in series. The time between sample collection and analysis usually ranged from several days to about 1 month. However, for some remote sites such as Amsterdam Island and all Antarctica sites, the time period between collection analysis averages 6 months. Some flask samples from these remote sites were stored for more than one year. Extensive quality checks are performed at the CMDL laboratory on all flask samples. Samples are occasionally found to be contaminated by local sources of carbon dioxide which do not represent the background concentration. In other cases, flask samples were found not to be adequately pressurized or not adequately flushed before pressurization. Since samples are collected in pairs, the pair difference is calculated, and samples with a pair difference greater than 0.5 ppm are flagged. Through 1988, one member of a bad pair was sometimes retained if it fell within +/- 3 sigma from a fitted curve. From 1989 to the present, both members of bad pairs have been automatically rejected. All original observations have been retained in this data set but have been designated with various quality flags if problems were found. To make a wide range of climatic data available to researchers and the public. data set C00361 FLASKS CMDL > NOAA Climate Monitoring Diagnostics Laboratory Stations CMDL > Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/documentlibrary/datasets.html#TD3271 19680101 19911231 Ground Condition Complete As Needed -180.0 -180.0 82.0 -90.0 ISO 19115 Topic Category climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere 004 environment 007 DIF Discipline Keyword Thesaurus Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Meteorology Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Climatology Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Weather GCMD Sciences Keyword Valids EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY > TRACE GASES EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY/CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS > CARBON DIOXIDE GCMD Location Valids GLOBAL GCMD Location Valids TROPOSPHERE LAND SURFACE CMDL > Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (NOAA) NOAA Climate Monitoring Diagnostics Laboratory Stations CMDL FLASKS 1 None None Not provided Unknown Completeness information not available. Not derived from another source. Unknown Positions 1-3: STATION-ID - This is a 3-character alphanumeric representing a station identifier assigned by CDML. Allowable values are listed under topic STATION: Network participation, along with station name and other identifier information. Positions 4-9: Collection Date - This is a 6-character integer representing the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) date (year, month, day) that the flask sample was collected at the cooperative station. Allowable values range from 680101 to current. Positions 10-11: Collection Hour - This is a 2-character integer representing the GMT hour that the sample was collected at the cooperative station. Allowable values are 00 to 23 and 99, where 99 represents a missing value. Positions 12-13: Collection Minute - This is a 2-character alphanumeric integer representing the GMT minute that the sample was collected at the cooperative station. Allowable values are 00 to 59 and 99, where 99 represents a missing value. Positions 14-21: Flask ID - This is an 8 character alphanumeric representing the flask-id assigned to each flask. The code may be used to aid in combining the carbon dioxide measurement data with methane data obtained from the same flask. The Flask ID, Collection Data and Time uniquely identify each flask observation. Position 22: Collection Method - This is a 1-character alphanumeric representing the method that was used in collecting the flask sample. Allowable values are: P - Portable, battery-powered suitcase sampler. Two flasks normally connected tin series, flushed with air, then pressurized to 1.25-1.5 ambient atmospheric pressure. T - Filling of an evacuated 3-liter glass flask by opening the single O-ring sealed stopcock. S - Filling of 0.5 liter glass flasks (in pairs) at the NOAA/CMDL observatory sites. Flasks are filled and pressurized by diverting air from continuous in-situ CO2 analysis systems. N - Before 1981, flasks filled using a hand-held aspirator bulb. After 1981, filling and pressurizing of 0.5 liter glass flasks (in pairs) by a pump different from that supplied by NOAA/CMDL (used with collection method P). In most cases (eg. at NWR and CGO) the pump is a Metal Bellows pump. In addition, the flasks filled by this method at the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station (site code CGO) are filled with air that has been dried chemically. F - Filing of an evacuated 5-liter glass flask by opening the single ground- glass greased stopcock. Positions 23-28: CO2 concentration - This is a 6 character real number representing the carbon dioxide mixing ratio in parts per million (ppm). An example of a value for this field is 328.44 ppm. Missing values are denoted by 999.99. Positions 29-30: Instrument Type - This is a 2 character alphanumeric identifying the instrument used for the CO2 flask measurement. Valid codes are S1, U1, U2, U3, L1, and L2. Positions 31-36: Analysis Date - This is a 6 character integer representing the (local Boulder CO time) date (year, month, day) that the flask sample was analyzed at CMDL. Allowable values range from 680101 to current. Positions 37-38: Quality Flag 1 and 2 - These are 1-character alphanumeric fields representing the corresponding quality flag assigned to each carbon dioxide mixing ratio. One must utilize both quality flags 1 and 2 to determine weather or not the CO2 mixing ratio has been accepted or rejected. Since samples are collected in pairs, the pair difference is calculated, and samples with a pair difference greater than 0.5 ppm are flagged. Through 1988, one member of a bad pair was sometimes retained if it fell within +/- 3 sigma from a fitted curve. Form 1989 to the present, both members of bad par is have been automatically rejected. A simple rule to follow in determining rejected and accepted values: if the first of these two characters is blank, then the CO2 flask sample is accepted; if the first character is not blank, then the flask sample is rejected. Retained and rejected flasks are flagged as follows, where blanks are denoted by the letter "b": Flag 1 and 2 Description Retained bb good pair (simple difference less than 0.5ppm) bH high member of a bad pair; retained bL Low member of a bad pair; retained bS single flask; retained Rejected +b high member of a bad pair; rejected -b low member of a bad pair; rejected Xb rejected as not a representative of background (greater than 3 sigma from a fitted curve) Rd single flask; rejected *b off scale or broken flask; rejected Nb error in sampling or analysis; rejected None National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Customer Services Branch Mailing and physical

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