Source quantification of carbon dioxide and methane
Carbon dioxide and methane contribute substantially to global warming as anthropogenic greenhouse gases. Radiocarbon measurements of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 can be used to evaluate the proportion of fossil sources (e.g. fossil-fuel combustion, natural gas) and contemporary sources (e.g. biogenic emissions and agriculture). We developed a new preconcentration and purification setup for 14CO2 and 14CH4 measurements of atmospheric air. We currently investigate different strategic sites in Switzerland in the SNSF-Sinergia project “Radiocarbon Inventories of Switzerland (RICH)”.
