Spectroscopic measurements of total CFC-11 freon in the atmosphere near St. Petersburg

On the basis of ground based measurements of the infrared spectra of solar radiation with a high spectral resolution, estimates of total CFC-11 freon content in the atmosphere near St. Petersburg in January and May 2009 have been yielded in Russia for the first time. These data are conformed to various independent measurements within the limits of spectroscopic measurement errors.     

Time variations of the total CO content in the atmosphere near St. Petersburg

We analyzed measurements of the total carbon monoxide (CO) content in the atmosphere in the region of St. Petersburg (59.88°N, 29.83° E; 20 m above sea level) in the period from 1995 to 2009. The average annual behavior for the entire measurement period has a maximum in February–March and a minimum in July with an amplitude of ～20%. In the absence of strong forest fires in the European part of the Russian Federation and Siberia, the annual minimum of the total CO content is usually recorded in August–September. In winter 1995–2009 (November–January), there was a decrease in the total CO content with a gradual shift in the maximum of the annual behavior from January (1995–1999) to February (2000–2004) and March (2005–2009). The total CO content in January–February 2009 was ～20% lower than the multiyear average level. Estimates of the linear trend for the maximum, minimum, and average values for the period of 1996–2009 showed an absence of statistically significant long-term changes in the total CO content. A spectral analysis of data showed that the spectral components with periods of 12, 14, 17, 24, and 46 months are extracted with 80% confidence. It is shown that the irregular component of the time series of the total CO content (calculated for the period from May to September) agrees well with data on the areas of the forest fires and on the volume of the burnt forest and that 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2009 can be considered “background” years with the least numbers of forest fires.     

Estimates of CO2 Anthropogenic Emission from the Megacity St. Petersburg

Doklady Earth Sciences - The estimates of anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the megacity of St. Petersburg per square kilometer and for the entire area of the city (integral emissions), obtained on...     

Ground-Based Measurements of the Total Column of Freons in the Atmosphere near St. Petersburg (2009–2017)

The results of the first long-term (2009–2017) ground-based spectroscopic measurements of the total content (TC) of a number of freons in Russia are presented. According to measurements in Peterhof, TCs of CFC-11 and CFC-12 decrease at a rate of ~0.6% per year and TC of HCFC-22 grows at a rate of ~2.7% per year, which is in good agreement with independent measurements. The seasonal course of freon TC in the area of St. Petersburg is registered: highs of CFC-11 and CFC-12 are observed in summer and lows are in late winter and spring. For the HCFC-22 TC, the opposite seasonal course is observed, with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer.     

NO<Subscript>2</Subscript> content variations near St. Petersburg as inferred from ground-based and satellite measurements of scattered solar radiation

An automatic spectral complex developed at the Institute of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, is described. This complex is used for regular ground-based spectroscopic measurements of the total NO₂ content in the vertical column of the atmosphere during the twilight and daylight hours of the day near St. Petersburg (Petrodvorets). In 2004–2006, a number of ground-based twilight measurements of the total NO₂ content were obtained near St. Petersburg, and variations in the NO₂ content in the troposphere were estimated from the results of daytime ground-based measurements. An example of the spatial annual mean distribution of the NO₂ content (central and northern Europe, northwestern Russia) based on the data of satellite measurements over the period 2003–2005 is presented. This example demonstrates the main sources of anthropogenic pollution. An increase in the mean annual contents of tropospheric NO₂ near Moscow and St. Petersburg is preliminarily estimated for the entire period of satellite observations with the GOME instrument at about 30–40% over ten years.     

Study of the formation of the methane field in the atmosphere over northwestern Russia

Major processes of generation of the methane field in the atmosphere over northwestern Russia have been studied on the basis of measured surface concentration and total content of methane in the environs of St. Petersburg, air-mass trajectories, and a three-dimensional regional pollution transport model. It is shown that the contribution of methane emission from an industrial center to the total column amount of methane is no more than 2% of its average value. At the same time, because of this emission, the surface methane concentration in the environs of St. Petersburg varies by as much as 50%. The origin of air masses arriving at the site of measurements influences both the total content and the surface concentration of methane. The air masses that passed over the continental part of western and eastern Europe are characterized by the values of total content and surface concentration of methane that are about 4% higher than those in the air masses formed over the ocean, which come to the region from the northwest. The regional transport model for greenhouse gases satisfactorily describes the results of surface measurements and adequately simulates observed tendencies in the change of total methane content. An estimate of the integral emission of methane into the atmosphere from St. Petersburg and its industrial suburbs is about 100 kt per year.     

Nitrogen dioxide in the air basin of St. Petersburg: Remote measurements and numerical simulation

The results of ground-based and satellite spectroscopic measurements of the tropospheric NO₂ content near St. Petersburg in January–March 2006 are presented. It is shown that the increased concentrations of NO₂ observed in St. Petersburg and its vicinities in this period were caused by NO₂ accumulation due to unfavorable weather conditions, which is confirmed by an analysis of meteorological data and the results of a numerical simulation of the dispersion of urban air pollutants. Data from satellite and ground-based measurements agree with each other satisfactorily (a correlation coefficient of 0.5) and with model calculations of tropospheric NO₂ conducted for the coordinates of a station of ground-based measurements (a correlation coefficient of 0.6). The HYSPLIT dispersion model also made it possible to estimate the scale of the NO₂ spatial-temporal variability in the near-surface layer in the vicinities of St. Petersburg.     

Comparison of Ground-Based Measurement Results of Total Ozone near St. Petersburg

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - This paper compares the results of ground-based measurements of the total ozone content (TOC) near St. Petersburg for the period of 2009–2020. The...