ACP Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ACP 1680-7324 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/acp-8-6395-2008 Airborne in-situ measurements of vertical, seasonal and latitudinal distributions of carbon dioxide over Europe Gurk Ch. 1 Fischer H. 1 Hoor P. 1 Lawrence M. G. 1 Lelieveld J. 1 Wernli H. 2 Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, POB 3060, 55020 Mainz, Germany Institute for Atmospheric Physics, University of Mainz, Germany 10 11 2008 8 21 6395 6403 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/8/6395/2008/acp-8-6395-2008.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/8/6395/2008/acp-8-6395-2008.pdf

Airborne in-situ observations of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) were made during 7 intensive measurement campaigns between November 2001 and April 2003 as part of the SPURT project. Vertical profiles and latitudinal gradients in the upper troposphere/lowermost stratosphere were measured along the western shore of Europe from the subtropics to high northern latitudes during different seasons. In the boundary layer, CO<sub>2</sub> exhibits a strong seasonal cycle with the maximum mixing ratios in winter and minimum values in summer, reflecting the strength of CO<sub>2</sub> exchange with vegetation. Seasonal variations are strongest in high latitudes and propagate to the free troposphere and lowermost stratosphere, although with reduced amplitude. In the lowermost stratosphere, the CO<sub>2</sub> seasonal cycle is phase-shifted relative to the free troposphere by approximately 3 months, with highest mixing ratios during the summer. Modelling studies support the interpretation that altitude gradients of CO<sub>2</sub> are likely due to stratosphere-troposphere-transport.

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