1750 1800 1850

0

20

40

60

First 100 Years

1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

Year

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Million Metric Tons C

Total

Solids

Liquids

Gases

Cement

Gas Flaring

Global CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel burning, cement production, and gas flaring.

What’s Inside ...

CDIAC’s Corner . . . . . . . . 2

WDC–A Words . . . . . . . . 3

Trends Online . . . . . . . . . . 4

NARSTO . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Network Upgrade . . . . . . . 5

New NDPs . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

NDPs Updated . . . . . . . . 11

New Databases . . . . . . . . 13

Recent and Relevant . . . . 15

AmeriFlux . . . . . . . . . . . 16

CDIAC’s Bookshelf . . . . 17

Order Form . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Extended and Updated (1751–1995)

CO2 Emission Time Series Available

CDIAC’s database of emissions on

carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel

combustion and cement production

(NDP-030/R8) has been extended and

updated. This database provides

quantitative estimates of annual CO2

emissions from fossil-fuel combustion

and cement production through 1995,

with global total emissions for each year

and some national estimates beginning

in 1751. The global total emissions rose

from 3 million metric tons C in 1751 to

6412 million metric tons C in 1995. 

Estimates of post-1950 emissions are

derived primarily from energy statistics

published by the United Nations (UN)

and are calculated using the methods of

Marland and Rotty (1984). The UN data

have now been supplemented by other

data that provide comprehensive

national estimates on fuel production 

and trade prior to 1950. Cement

production estimates (beginning in

1928) from the U.S. Department of

Interior’s Bureau of Mines are used to

estimate CO2 emitted during cement

production. Emissions from gas flaring

(beginning in 1950) are determined

primarily from UN data, but are

supplemented with data from the

U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy

Information Administration, Rotty

(1974), and a few national estimates

interpolated by Marland.

This database was produced by

CDIAC’s Gregg Marland Tom Boden,

and Antionette Brenkert Bob Andres of

the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and

Cathy Johnston of The University of

Tennessee-Knoxville. It is accessible

via CDIAC’s Web site at http://

cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ndps/ndp030.html.

 Winter 1998

 Issue No. 24

 Visit CDIAC’s Web site at 

 http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/
Winter 1998

2 CDIAC Communications

I

am pleased to present the latest issue in our newsletter series and to

mention a few changes that have occurred at CDIAC.

First, the newsletter, CDIAC Communications, is now being co-edited by

Sonja Jones and Karen Gibson. We thank our outgoing newsletter editor,

Fred O'Hara, who set a standard for excellence that will be a challenge to

maintain. CDIAC Communications received many awards from the Society

for Technical Communications/East Tennessee Chapter (STC/ETC) and the

online version of issue numbers 22 and 23 (edited by Fred, designed and

marked up for the World Wide Web by Karen) won an achievement award in

the STC Atlanta Online Competition. This current issue is the first issue that

has been designed primarily for online distribution and secondarily for

traditional printing and mailing.

Second, Tim Stamm is no longer with our User Services group. Tim was

responsible for maintaining our inventory of printed documents and for

seeing that user requests for them were promptly filled. Tim will be

continuing as a staff member of the University of Tennessee’s Energy and

Environment Resource Center. He will be missed at CDIAC.

Dana Griffith, CDIAC’s capable secretary, has taken maternity leave. We all

wish her and her newly enlarged family the best and hope she returns soon.

But CDIAC also grew over this past year: we welcomed aboard environmental chemist Les Hook and atmospheric scientist Meng-Dawn Cheng to

launch the Quality Systems Science Center, operated by CDIAC, on behalf

of the U.S. Department of Energy, for the North American Research Strategy

for Tropospheric Ozone. The purpose of NARSTO, a United States-CanadaMexico initiative of government agencies, industry, and the academic

research community, is to improve our understanding of the formation and

transport of tropospheric ozone, a serious air pollutant. The QSSC provides

the communications, critical oversight, and constructive assistance necessary

for maintaining consistency and quality of all NARSTO products. 

For a retrospective of Fiscal Year (FY) 1997 at CDIAC

and a description of what we hope to accomplish in

FY 1998, I refer you to our latest annual report

(http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/epubs/cdiac/annintro.htm; 

printed copies are available on request).

Bob Cushman

CDIAC Communications is funded by the U.S.

Department of Energy’s Environmental Sciences

Division, Office of Biological and Environmental

Research. It is published periodically by the Carbon

Dioxide Information Analysis Center,

Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge

National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831-6335,

which is managed for the U.S. Department of

Energy by Lockheed Martin Energy Research

Corp. under Contract No. DE-AC05-96OR22464.

CDIAC Communications is distributed free of

charge. ISSN 1053-1106.

Co-editors: Sonja Jones and Karen Gibson
Winter 1998

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center 3

Life Before and After Kyoto

The Third

Conference of the

Parties to the

United Nations

Framework

Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), held in

Kyoto, Japan is over but discussion surrounding

the proposed emission targets and the impacts

felt here are far from over.

The eleven day Kyoto conference concluded

with the adoption of the “Kyoto Protocol.” The

Protocol calls for

emissions reductions

relative to emissions in

1990, for the

greenhouse gases

carbon dioxide (CO2),

methane (CH4), nitrous

oxide (N2O),

hydrofluorocarbons

(HFCs),

perfluorocarbons

(PFCs), and sulfur

hexafluoride (SF6).

Before Kyoto—The

demand for CDIAC and World Data Center–A

for Atmospheric Trace Gases data products has

risen steadily since we were established in 1982

but the level of demand was unprecedented

preceding the conference in Kyoto (see figure). 

Demand was particularly intense for current

records of national fossil-fuel CO2 emission

estimates (see page 1), atmospheric levels of

greenhouse gases (see pages 4 and 5) and

emissions from land-use changes. Some

requests were from delegates preparing for the

Kyoto conference, many requests were from

journalists gathering information for articles that

ran before the December meeting, and scores of

requests came from scientists evaluating the

scientific merit of the anticipated targets.

Frankly, I loved the attention and action. I

found the flurry of activity to be invigorating

and fun and the response to our products

gratifying. The wave of attention caused by the

approaching Kyoto meeting also served as a

poignant reminder of the great contributions

made by individual scientists willing to share

their data with a larger audience for the good of

mankind and the responsibility bestowed on

data centers to provide credible, properly

attributed, well-documented data. 

Disseminating data via the Web is only a final,

simple step of a long arduous process to produce

quality scientific databases necessary to

adequately support the processes

leading to the Kyoto Protocol.

After Kyoto—As shown in the

figure, requests for data and

information have slowed since

Kyoto but the number of requests

are still well above previous

monthly values. Demand is still

great for the baseline databases

mentioned above but now

requesters are focusing on Kyoto

Protocol emission targets,

attainment scenarios, and

potential verification efforts. For

us, the Kyoto Protocol reinforces the importance

of several core activities, namely our annual

effort to compile time series of CO2 emissions

from fossil-fuel consumption and our efforts to

maintain current atmospheric trace gas records.

The Protocol also supports our continuing

involvement in projects such as the Global

Emission Inventory Activity (GEIA) and

AmeriFlux. I have always felt that the present

and historic measurements of atmospheric

carbon dioxide, oxygen, and carbon isotopes,

along with terrestrial carbon flux and oceanic

carbon measurements, were critical to carbon

cycle research and we now believe these records

will be even more critical for verification

efforts, should the Kyoto Protocol be ratified. 

Continued on p. 14
Winter 1998

4 CDIAC Communications

Mauna Loa atmospheric CO2 concentration record,

1958–1996. Source: C.D. Keeling and T.P. Whorf (Scripps

Institution of Oceanography)

Trends Online Taking Shape on the Web

CDIAC’s popular

Trends series

continues to be

produced as an

online document

accessible from CDIAC’s Web site. It will no

longer be produced in hard copy. Trends

Online: A Compendium of Data on Global

Change (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/

trends.htm) provides synopses of frequently

used time series of global-change data. Current

contents of Trends Online include sections on:

• historical and modern records (from ice

cores and current monitoring stations) of

atmospheric concentrations of CO2 (some

records current through 1997),

• estimates of global, regional, and national

CO2 emissions from the combustion of

fossil fuels, gas flaring, and the production

of cement, and

• long-term records of atmospheric

temperature.

The data summaries include tables; graphs;

discussions of methods for collecting,

measuring, and reporting the data; trends in the

data; and references to literature providing

further information.

In the future, Trends Online will include

sections detailing information on global

emissions estimates for CFC-11 and CFC-12,

records of atmospheric methane concentrations,

carbon content of the terrestrial biosphere,

carbon fluxes to the atmosphere from land-use

change, and long-term records of precipitation

and cloudiness. In the meantime, links to

CDIAC’s already considerable holdings of such

data (numeric data packages and online

databases) are provided via the Trends Online

Table of Contents.

The following presents a glimpse of two newly

updated, important time series included in

Trends Online.

Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations—Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii,

1958–1996

 (C. D. Keeling and T. P. Whorf) (http//cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/co2/sio-mlo.htm)

The Mauna Loa atmospheric monthly CO2

measurements from Keeling and Whorf constitute the

longest continuous record of atmospheric CO2

concentrations available in the world. The Mauna Loa

site is considered one of the most favorable locations

for measuring undisturbed air because possible local

influences of vegetation or human activities on

atmospheric CO2 concentrations are minimal and any

influences from volcanic vents may be excluded from

the records. The methods and equipment used to obtain

these measurements have remained essentially

unchanged during the 39-year monitoring program.

Because of the favorable site location,

continuous monitoring, and careful selection 

Continued on p. 12
Winter 1998

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center 5

CDIAC Launches the Quality Systems

Science Center (QSSC) for NARSTO

In January 1997, the

U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE),

Environmental

Sciences Division,

announced their

sponsorship of the

North American

Research Strategy for Tropospheric Ozone

(NARSTO) Quality Systems Science Center

(QSSC). The QSSC, located within CDIAC,

administers NARSTO-wide quality systems.

The purpose of NARSTO, a United StatesCanada-Mexico initiative of government

agencies, industry, and the academic research

community, is to improve understanding of the

formation and transport of tropospheric ozone, a

serious air pollutant. If you would like to learn

more about NARSTO, please visit the NARSTO

home page (http://narsto.owt.com/ Narsto/).

NARSTO’s strategy for implementing total

quality management is built around the QSSC.

The QSSC provides the communications,

critical oversight, and constructive assistance

necessary for maintaining consistency and 

quality of all NARSTO products. The QSSC is

an essential and integral part of the NARSTO

program and the operational mechanism for

integration and coordination of all quality

assurance and assessment activities in

NARSTO. A QSSC home page

(http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/programs/NARSTO/

narsto.html) was developed to provide access to

the Quality Systems Management Plan (QSMP),

which establishes NARSTO’s quality assurance

and data management requirements, standards,

specifications, and guidelines.

Les Hook, QSSC Director, is responsible for

NARSTO Quality Assurance Coordination.

Tom Boden is responsible for Data Management

Coordination and the QSSC Chief Scientist is

Meng-Dawn Cheng. The QSSC personnel have

expertise and experience in atmospheric science,

environmental engineering, and data

management.

The QSSC envisions its role as scientists

helping scientists do their job better and

working to ensure the credibility, usefulness,

and utility of NARSTO products.

CDIAC Computing System Network (CCSN)

Upgrade

The CCSN has undergone a major upgrade!

Without going into great detail, “cdiac” has

been replaced with a Sun Ultra Enterprise server

and we’ve added almost 100 GB of new RAID

and conventional disk space. The performance

improvement should be significant. We’ve tried 

to make the move as transparent as possible to

users, but if you find that anything has suddenly

“broken”, please send email to cdiac@ornl.gov

describing the problem and we’ll give it our

immediate attention. Thanks for your help and

we hope you enjoy the improved CCSN!
Winter 1998

6 CDIAC Communications

Example of how a Coastal

Vulnerability Index (CVI5) may

be used to identify high-risk

coastlines along the U.S. West

Coast.

New Numeric Data Packages Available

The recently released numeric data packages (NDPs) that are described below have been throughly

checked and documented by CDIAC. The data and documentation files for all NDPs are available from

CDIAC’s Web site (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/), CDIAC’s anonymous FTP area (cdiac.esd.ornl.gov), and

upon request, a variety of media. Technical questions (e.g., methodology or accuracy) should be directed

to the CDIAC staff member who is responsible for the preparation of the NDP.

A Coastal Hazards Data Base for the U.S. West Coast 

Vivien M. Gornitz, NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies; Tammy W. Beaty, Oak Ridge National

Laboratory; and Richard C. Daniels, The University of Tennessee

NDP-043C (1997) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ndps/ndp043c.html)

Completing a three part series, this numeric data

package describes the contents of a

digital database that may be used to

identify coastlines along the U.S.

West Coast that are at risk to

sea-level rise (NDP-043A covered

the U.S. East Coast and NDP-043B

covered the U.S. Gulf Coast).

This database integrates point, line,

and polygon data for the U.S. West

Coast into 0.25( latitude by 0.25(

longitude grid cells and into

1:2,000,000 digitized line segments

that can be used by raster or vector

geographic information systems

(GIS) as well as by non-GIS data

bases. Each coastal grid cell and

line segment contains data variables

from the following seven data sets:

elevation, geology, geomorphology,

sea-level trends, shoreline

displacement (erosion accretion),

tidal ranges, and wave heights. One variable

from each data set was classified according to

its susceptibility to sea-level rise and/or erosion

to form seven relative risk variables. These risk

variables range in value from one to five and

may be used to calculate a Coastal Vulnerability

Index (CVI). Algorithms used to calculate

several CVIs are listed within this text. The data

for these 29 variables (i.e., the 22 original

variables and seven risk variables) are

available as: 

(1) Gridded polygon data for the 22

original data variables. Data include

elevation, geology, geomorphology,

sea-level trends, shoreline

displacement (erosion/accretion),

tidal ranges, and wave heights;

(2) Gridded polygon data for the seven

classified risk variables. The risk

variables are classified versions of:

mean coastal elevation, geology,

geomorphology, local subsidence

trend, mean shoreline displacement, maximum tidal range, and

maximum significant wave height;

(3) 1:2,000,000 line segment data

containing the 29 data variables

(i.e., the 22 original data variables

and the seven classified risk

variables);

(4) Supplemental point data for the stations

used in calculating the sea-level trend and

tidal-range data sets; and

(5) Supplemental line segment data

containing a 1:2,000,000 digitized

coastline of the U.S. West Coast.
Winter 1998

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center 7

1990 Fossil-fuel emissions.

Geographic Patterns of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil-Fuel Burning,

Hydraulic Cement Production, and Gas Flaring on a One Degree by One

Degree Grid Cell Basis: 1950 to 1990 

Robert J. Andres, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska; Gregg Marland, Oak Ridge

National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Inez Fung*, University of Victoria, British Columbia,

Canada; Elaine Matthews*, Columbia University, New York, New York

*National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York,

New York 

Prepared by: Antoinette Brenkert, CDIAC 

NDP-058 (1997) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/ndp058/ndp058.html)

Data sets of 1( latitude by 1( longitude CO2

emissions in units of thousand metric tons of

carbon (C) per year from anthropogenic sources

have been

produced for

1950, 1960, 1970,

1980, and 1990.

Detailed

geographic

information on

CO2 emissions can

be critical in

understanding the

pattern of the

atmospheric and

biospheric

response to these

emissions. Global,

regional, and

national annual

estimates for 1950

through 1992 were

published

previously. Those national annual CO2 emission

estimates were based on statistics about

fossil-fuel burning, cement manufacturing, and

gas flaring in oil fields, as well as energy

production, consumption, and trade data, using

the methods of Marland and Rotty (1984). The

national annual estimates were combined with

gridded 1( data on political units and 1984

human population to create the new gridded CO2

emission data sets. The same population

distribution was used for each of the years as

proxy for the emission distribution within each

country. The implied assumption for that procedure was that per capita energy use and fuel

mixes are uniform over a political unit. The

consequence of

this first-order

procedure is that

the spatial changes

observed over time

are solely due to

changes in national

energy consumption and nationbased fuel mix.

Increases in

emissions over

time are apparent

for most areas; for

example, from

1980 to 1990, a

63% increase in

CO2 emissions

(based on 1980

emissions)

occurred in mainland China and a 95% increase

in India. However, actual decreases from 1980

to 1990 occurred in Western Europe: 30% in

Sweden, 27% in France, and 23% in Belgium.

Latitudinal summations of emissions show a

slow southerly shift (in the Northern Hemisphere) in the bulk of emissions over time. The

large increases, from 1950 to 1990, in China’s

and India’s contributions to anthropogenic CO2

emissions compared to those by the United

States are, for example, very apparent at the

latitudinal band around 25.5( N. 
Winter 1998

8 CDIAC Communications

 Sampling depths at all hydrographic stations occupied during R/V

 Thomas Washington TUNES-1 Expedition.

Carbon Dioxide, Hydrographic, and Chemical Data Obtained During the R/V

Thomas Washington Cruise TUNES-1 in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean

(WOCE Section P17C) 

Catherine Goyet, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Robert M. Key,

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; Kevin F. Sullivan, Rosensteil School of Marine and

Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida; Mizuki Tsuchiya, Scripps Institution of

Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, California 

Prepared by: Alexander Kozyr, CDIAC 

NDP-062 (1997) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/oceans/ndp_062/ndp062.html)

Conducted as part of the World Ocean

Circulation Experiment (WOCE), this database

presents measurements of total carbon dioxide

(TCO2), total alkalinity

(TALK), and

radiocarbon (14C), as

well as hydrographic

and chemical data,

taken during the

Research Vessel

Thomas Washington

Expedition TUNES-1

in the Equatorial

Pacific Ocean (Section

P17C). The cruise

began in San Diego,

California, on May 31,

1991, and ended in

Papeete, Tahiti, on

July 11, 1991. WOCE

Meridional Section

P17C, along 135(W

and between ~5(S and

36(N, was completed during the 42-day

expedition. All 123 hydrographic stations

(including nine large-volume stations) were

completed to the full water column depth.

Spacing between stations was 30 nautical miles,

except between 3(N and 3(S, where it was 10

nautical miles. At 30 stations, CO2

measurements were provided for the

U.S. Department of Energy’s carbon dioxide

research. Hydrographic and chemical

measurements made along WOCE Section P17C

included pressure, temperature, salinity and

oxygen (measured by conductivity, temperature,

and depth sensor), as well as bottle

measurements of salinity, oxygen, phosphate,

nitrate, nitrite, silicate, chlorofluorocarbon

(CFC)-11, CFC-12,

14C, TCO2, and

TALK. In addition,

potential temperatures

were calculated from

the measured

variables.

The TCO2

concentration in 1022

seawater samples was

determined by

semiautomated

coulometry using an

improved version of

the instrument. The

precision of these

measurements was

estimated to be better

than ±0.01%. The

desired accuracy was better than 4 )mol/kg. 

The TALK concentration in 323 seawater

samples was determined by an automated

potentiometric acid titration system. The

precision of the measurements was estimated to

be better than 0.1%. 

Fifty replicate samples were also collected for

later shore-based reference analyses of TCO2

and TALK by vacuum extraction and

manometry in the laboratory of C. D. Keeling of

Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 
Winter 1998

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center 9

The location of hydrographic stations occupied during R/V Akademik Ioffe Expedition

along the WOCE Section S4P.

Carbon Dioxide, Hydrographic, and Chemical Data Obtained During the R/V

Akademik Ioffe Cruise in the South Pacific Ocean (WOCE Section S4P,

February-April 1992) 

David W. Chipman, Taro Takahashi, Stephany Rubin, and Stewart C. Sutherland, Lamont-Doherty Earth

Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York; Mikhail H. Koshlyakov, Shirshov Institute of

Oceanography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia 

Prepared by: Alexander Kozyr, CDIAC 

NDP-063 (1997) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/oceans/ndp_063/ndp063.html)

This data base presents measurements of total

carbon dioxide (TCO2) and partial pressure of

CO2 (pCO2) taken from discrete water samples

during the Research Vessel (R/V) Akademik

Ioffe Expedition

in the South

Pacific Ocean.

Conducted as

part of the

World Ocean

Circulation

Experiment

(WOCE), the

cruise began in

Montevideo,

Uruguay, on

February 14,

1992, and ended

in Wellington,

New Zealand,

on April 6,

1992. WOCE Section S4P, located along ~67(S

between 73(W and 172(E, was completed

during the 51-day expedition. One hundred

thirteen hydrographic stations were occupied.

Hydrographic and chemical measurements made

along WOCE Section S4P included pressure,

temperature, salinity, and oxygen measured by a

conductivity, temperature, and depth sensor; 

bottle salinity; bottle oxygen; phosphate; nitrate;

nitrite; silicate; TCO2; and pCO2 measured at

4(C. 

The TCO2

concentration in

~1290 seawater

samples was

determined with

a coulometric

analysis system;

the pCO2 in

~1273 water

samples was

determined with

an equilibratorgas chromatograph system. In

addition, 172

coulometric

measurements

for the Certified Reference Material (batch no.

7) were made at sea for 62 bottles and yielded a

mean value of 1927.5 ± 1.8 )mol/kg. This mean

value agrees within one standard deviation of

the 1926.6 ± 0.7 )mol/kg (N = 6) value

determined with the manometer of

C. D. Keeling of Scripps Institution of

Oceanography.
Winter 1998

10 CDIAC Communications

WOCE Indian Ocean Leg I9N cruise track and data plot. (A)

Cruise track with points indicating where CO2 measurements

were collected and tick marks showing location on indicated

day (with respect to Jan. 1, 1995). (B) Plot of xCO2 in air as a

function of time for leg I9N.

Surface Water and Atmospheric Underway Carbon Data Obtained During

the World Ocean Circulation Experiment Indian Ocean Survey Cruises (R/V

Knorr, December 1994–January 1996) 

Christopher L. Sabine and Robert M. Key, Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton,

New Jersey 

Prepared by: Alexander Kozyr and Linda Allison, CDIAC 

NDP-064 (1997) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/oceans/ndp_064/ndp064.html)

This database presents the

results of the surface water

and atmospheric underway

measurements of mole

fraction of carbon dioxide

(xCO2), sea surface

salinity, and sea surface

temperature, obtained

during the World Ocean

Circulation Experiment

(WOCE) Indian Ocean

survey cruises (December

1994–January 1996).

Discrete and underway

carbon measurements were

made by members of the

CO2 survey team. The

survey team is a part of the

Joint Global Ocean Flux

Study supported by the

U.S. Department of Energy

to make carbon-related

measurements on the

WOCE global survey

cruises. 

Approximately 200,000

surface seawater and

50,000 marine air xCO2

measurements were

recorded. Seawater values ranged from 310 ppm

to greater than 610 ppm. The lowest values (~50

ppm below atmospheric) were measured in the

southwestern Indian Ocean, south of

Madagascar. The highest values (more than 250

ppm higher than atmospheric) were found in the

Arabian Sea associated with the southwest

monsoon upwelling.

All measurements were

made using the new fully

automated system,

designed by the scientists

of the Princeton University

Ocean Tracers Laboratory.

This system was

continuously running

during all nine Indian

Ocean cruises aboard the

Research Vessel Knorr.

The system had a response

time of ~1 min and a

long-term precision and

accuracy of ~0.4 and 1

ppm, respectively. The

equilibrator design is a

modification of a

counterflow disk stripper

that has been used in the

past to extract soluble

gases from seawater. The

detector is a dual-beam

infrared spectrometer.

Calibration and operation

of the instrument as well

as data logging are

computer controlled and

require minimal attention.

The design is such that

other instrumentation can be easily added.

Details of the instrument control, calibration,

and efficiency tests for this instrument are given

to assist others interested in building

similar-type systems.
Winter 1998

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center 11

Numeric Data Packages Updated

Annual and Seasonal Global Temperature Anomalies in the Troposphere and

Low Stratosphere, 1958–1996 (NDP-008/R4) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ndps/ndp008r4.html)

J. K. Angell of the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration Air Resources

Laboratory has used surface temperatures and

thickness-derived temperatures from a global

network of 63 radiosonde stations to estimate

annual and seasonal temperature anomalies over

the globe and several zonal regions from 1958

through 1996. These estimates are calculated

relative to a 1958–1977 reference period mean

and pertain to the surface and the following

atmospheric layers: troposphere (850-300 mb),

tropopause (300-100 mb), low stratosphere 

(100-50 and 100-30 mb), and from the surface

up to 100 mb. 

Individual data sets containing the above

measurements are provided for the globe, the

Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and the

following latitudinal zones: North (60-90(N)

and South (60-90(S) Polar; North (30-60(N)

and South (30-60(S) Temperate; North

(10-30(N) and South (10-30(S) Subtropical;

Tropical (30(N-30(S); and Equatorial

(10(N-10(S).

Two Long-Term Instrumental Climatic Data Bases of the People’s Republic

of China (NDP-039/R1) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/ndp039/ndp039.html)

Two long-term instrumental databases containing meteorological observations from the

People’s Republic of China (PRC) are presented

in this NDP. The first version of this database

extended through 1988 and was made available

in 1991 as NDP-039. This update includes data

through 1993. These data sets were compiled in

accordance with a joint research agreement

signed by the U.S. Department of Energy and

the PRC Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

on August 19, 1987. CAS has provided records

from 270 stations, partitioned into two networks

of 65 and 205 stations. The 65-station-network

data contain monthly means, extremes, or totals 
Winter 1998

12 CDIAC Communications

of pressure, air temperature, precipitation

amount, relative humidity, sunshine duration,

cloud amount, dominant wind direction and

frequency, wind speed, and number of days with

snow cover. Station histories are available from

59 of the 65 stations. The 205-station-network

data contain monthly mean temperatures and 

monthly precipitation totals; however, station

histories are not currently available. Sixteen

stations from these data sets (13 from the 65-

station, 3 from the 205-station) have temperature and/or precipitation records beginning

before 1900, whereas the remaining stations

began observing in the early to mid-1900s.

Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations

Continued from p. 4

and scrutiny of the data, the Mauna Loa record

is considered to be a precise record and a

reliable indicator of the regional trend in the

concentrations of atmospheric CO2 in the middle

layers of the troposphere. The Mauna Loa 

record shows a 14.8% increase in the mean

annual atmospheric CO2 concentration, from

315.83 parts per million by volume (ppmv) of

dry air in 1959 to 362.57 ppmv in 1996. 

Global and Hemispheric Temperature Anomalies—Land and Marine

Instrumental Records, 1856–1997

(P. D. Jones et al.) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/temp/jonescru/jones.html)

These temperature anomaly time series are

derived from a global database of corrected

land and marine temperature data. The land

portion of the database is comprised of surface

air temperature data (land-surface

meteorological data and fixed-position weather

ship data) that have been corrected for

nonclimatic errors, such as station shifts and/or

instrument changes. The marine data consist of

sea surface temperatures that incorporate in situ

measurements from ships and buoys. These

data have been used extensively in various 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC) reports.

The five warmest years of the global record

have all occurred since 1990, and are, in

descending order, 1997, 1995, 1990, 1991, and

1994. The record shows that the average surface

air temperature of the globe has warmed ~0.5(C

since the middle of the nineteenth century. 
Winter 1998

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center 13

New Databases Available

Typically, CDIAC checks all files that it receives and fully documents these files in the form of numeric

data packages or computer model packages (NDPs and CMPs) before making them available to the

general public. CDIAC also offers databases (DBs) that have not been subjected to the normal CDIAC

quality-control procedures, in order to make them available more quickly. The abstracts that follow

describe the most recent databases available from CDIAC. These databases are available from CDIAC’s

Web site (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/), CDIAC’s anonymous FTP area (cdiac.esd.ornl.gov) and upon

request, a variety of media. Files describing the contents of each database are provided, but no

additional documentation is available from CDIAC. Questions about accessing the databases should be

directed to CDIAC; technical questions (e.g., methodology or accuracy) should be directed to the CDIAC

staff member who is responsible for the preparation of the database.

A Comprehensive Database of Woody Vegetation Responses to Elevated

Atmospheric CO2

 

Peter S. Curtis, The Ohio State University

Prepared by: Antoinette L. Brenkert, CDIAC

DB1018 (1997) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/epubs/db/db1018/db1018.html)

This multi-parameter database was compiled by

Peter Curtis to perform a statistically rigorous

synthesis of research results on the response by

woody plants to increased atmospheric CO2

levels. Eighty-four independent CO2-enrichment

studies, covering 65 species and 35 response

parameters, met the necessary criteria for

inclusion in the database, reporting mean

response, sample size, and variance of the

response (either as standard deviation or

standard error). The data were retrieved from

published literature and, in a few instances,

from unpublished reports. Meta-analytical

methods have been applied to part of this

database. 

This database allows the exploration of the

effects of environmental factors (e.g., nutrient

levels, light intensity, temperature), stress treatments (e.g., drought, heat, ozone, ultraviolet-B

radiation), and the effects of experimental

conditions (e.g., duration of CO2 exposure, pot

size, type of CO2 exposure facility) on plant

responses to elevated CO2 levels. 

Physiological “acclimation” or “downward

regulation” of photosynthetic rates, stomatal

conductance, dark respiration, and water-use

efficiency of plants exposed to elevated CO2

levels can be analyzed, keeping the following

definitions in mind. “Acclimation” is in general

defined as “diminishing enhancement of

photosynthesis by elevated CO2 with time”.

“Downward regulation” can be defined as “the

initial stimulation of enhanced photosynthesis

and growth by atmospheric enrichment eroding

with time”. The phenomenon is also called

“downward acclimation” (i.e., “following

prolonged exposure to high CO2, photosynthetic

capacity measured at either elevated or ambient

CO2 partial pressure falls to below that of plants

exposed only to ambient CO2”). Only the

longest lasting exposure experiment results on

photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance, dark

respiration, and water use efficiency are

included, however, multiple measurements over

time from the same plant, are not included. Only

plant responses of ambient CO2-level grown

plants and plant responses of elevated CO2-level
Winter 1998

14 CDIAC Communications

grown plants, measured at elevated CO2-level

concentrations are included for evaluate of

acclimation. Durations of experimental

exposures are always reported.

This database is meant to be expanded in the

future with the plant responses of non-woody

vegetation to elevated atmospheric CO2.

The Environmental Measurements Laboratory’s Stratospheric Radionuclide

(RANDAB) and Trace Gas (TRACDAB) Databases

Robert Leifer and Nita Chan, U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Measurements 

Laboratory (EML)

DB1019 (1997) (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/epubs/db/db1019/db1019.html)

In recent years there have been requests from

the atmospheric modeling community for a

complete computer database of all stratospheric

and upper tropospheric radioactivity

measurements. Up to the present time there did

not exist a usable database encompassing the

vast number of measurements of radionuclides

made between the years 1957–1993 in the

troposphere and lower stratosphere. Almost

50% of the data is published in reports that are

not readily available to the scientific community

nor in a form that can easily be used. These data

are useful for development and verification of

large-scale transport models and climate models, 

understanding tropospheric and stratospheric

transport processes, and modeling the future

atmospheric impact of a projected new fleet of

stratospheric flying aircraft. 

To this end, EML has completed phase one of

the stratospheric radionuclide database

(RANDAB) program. The RANDAB represents

the world’s largest collection of stratospheric

and upper tropospheric radionuclide data ever

compiled for computer analysis. These data 

represent measurements obtained from Projects

ASHCAN, STARDUST, AIRSTREAM, and the

High Altitude Sampling Program (HASP) for

the years 1957 through 1983. More than 20,000

filters were collected during this period and

analyzed for up to 40 different radionuclides.

All the available data associated with each filter

are included in the database. 

Because of the lack of filter identification

numbers, a separate database of plutonium

isotopic ratio data for the years 1959 thru 1970

was formed. This database contains more than

500 samples.

In addition to the radionuclide database, EML’s

stratospheric database of trace gases

(TRACDAB), collected during Project

AIRSTREAM has been completed and is

presently available through EML. This database

contains information on more than 1000

samples. Each sample was analyzed for one or

more of the following gases: CCl3F, CCl2F2,

CCl4, N2O, SF6, CO2, CH4, CH3CCl3, and COS.

Kyoto

Continued from p. 3

In light of the Kyoto outcome, I will now need

to consider adding additional HFC, PFC, and

sulfur hexaflouride measurements to the

WDC–A for Atmospheric Trace Gases data

collection. Regardless, the future promises to

be fun and challenging and I encourage readers

to look to the WDC–A for Atmospheric Trace

Gases for key global-change data sets,

particularly those germane to Kyoto Protocol

analyses and assessments.

Tom Boden, Director, World Data Center–A for

Atmospheric Trace Gases
Winter 1998

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center 15

Recent and Relevant

Quantities of the many CO2 related proceedings, reports, and other documents that are available from

CDIAC are now limited. A complete list of these publications can be requested with the order form at the

back of this newsletter or viewed online. Documents that are no longer available from CDIAC may be

purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) (703-487-4650 or

http://www.ntis.gov/) in microfiche or hard copy; prices may vary with the number of pages. DOE and

DOE contractors should request copies from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)

(423-576-8401 or http://www.osti.gov/), P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831.

Publications, Presentations, and Awards of the Carbon Dioxide Information

Analysis Center and World Data Center-A for Atmospheric Trace Gases

Compiler: Robert Cushman, CDIAC

ORNL/CDIAC-101 (1997)

This online bibliography lists CDIAC’s journal

articles, book and proceedings chapters, numeric

data packages and online data bases, other

ORNL and DOE reports published by CDIAC,

presentations by CDIAC staff, and awards

presented to CDIAC since its establishment in

1982. 

The bibliography is available from CDIAC’s

Web site (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/epubs/cdiac/

cdiac101/pubslist.htm).

Environmental Sciences Division: Summaries of Research in FY 1996 

Compilers: Bobbi Parra, Karen Carlson, David Henderson, Jannean Elliott, Fred O’Hara, Eoin O’Hara,

and Linda O’Hara

DOE/ER-0701T (1997)

The Fiscal Year (FY) 1996 report is once again

a consolidated report containing all of the

research sponsored by the Environmental

Sciences Division (ESD) of the DOE’s Office of

Energy Research (ER). The areas of research

supported by ESD were in global change and

environmental remediation. 

The global-change activities cover process

research and modeling efforts in the areas of

climate and hydrology, atmospheric chemistry

and carbon cycle, ecological processes, human

interactions, and the National Institute for

Global Environmental Change (NIGEC). 
Winter 1998

16 CDIAC Communications

The environmental-remediation research focuses

on programs in bioremediation, cleanup

research, facility operations, and subsurface

science.

The report includes two appendices which

provide contact information for all principal

investigators and definitions of acronyms used

within the research programs. Copies of the

written report are available from CDIAC.

The data are accessible from the DOE’s Web

site (http://www.doe.gov/waisgate/er.html). 

AmeriFlux, Part of CDIAC’s Effort

AmeriFlux (Longterm flux

measurement

network of the

Americas) is the

measurement and

modeling of net

ecosystem carbon

dioxide fluxes from

major terrestrial

biomes, using continuous, long-term flux

measurements at the ecosystem scale. A full

description of the program is contained in the

Ameriflux Science Plan

(http://www.esd.ornl.gov/programs/NIGEC/

scif.htm), authored by Steve Wofsy (Director,

NE Regional Center of National Institute for

Global Environmental Change (NIGEC),

Harvard University) and David Hollinger

(AmeriFlux Science Team Chair, USDAForest Service). AmeriFlux’s intent is to

contribute critical new information to help

define the current global carbon dioxide

budget, to enable improved predictions of

future carbon dioxide concentrations, and

enhance the understanding of net ecosystem

productivity (NEP) and carbon sequestration

of the terrestrial biosphere.

CDIAC’s commitment entails the integration

of the long-term carbon dioxide, water vapor,

and energy flux measurements with

meteorological and ecological data into

consistent, quality assured, and documented

data sets. The Science Plan lists the core and

desired measurements for each site. Each site

will have an eddy-covariance flux system

mounted on a tower to measure the net

carbon dioxide fluxes between the biosphere

and atmosphere. A fundamental goal of

AmeriFlux is to establish and maintain longterm comparability of results from the sites.

This will be achieved by consistency in

technique, strict attention to calibration, software processing, and comparison of the flux

response systems to a roving standard. The

Science Plan lists 15 participating sites with a

minimum of one year of data. The AmeriFlux

Web site (http://www.esd.ornl.gov/

programs/NIGEC/) lists, in addition, the

planned-study-sites. AmeriFlux is

participating in FLUXNET, a world-wide

effort with the same goals as AmeriFlux.
Winter 1998

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center 17

CDIAC’s Bookshelf

In the course of our work at CDIAC, many books and announcements cross our desks. Many of these are

highly specialized and may not get a broad announcement to the worldwide scientific community, so

we’d like to share our familiarity with them in this feature of CDIAC Communications. CDIAC does not

stock or distribute these publications.

A Better Future for the Planet Earth:

Lectures by the Winners of the Blue Planet

Prize (The Asahi Glass Foundation, Japan,

1997, 282 + xvii pp.)

This book includes profiles, essays, lectures,

and lists of publications of recipients of the Blue

Planet Prize, the international environmental

award of the Asahi Glass Foundation. The Prize

was first awarded in 1992. Included among the

ten winners, whose works are presented in this

book, are Syukuro Manabe (1992: “Model

Assessment of Observed Global Warming

Trend” and “Future Projection of Global

Warming by Climate Models”), Charles Keeling

(1993: “A Brief History of Atmospheric Carbon

Dioxide Measurements and Their Impact on

Thoughts About Environmental Change”),

Bert Bolin (1995: “What We Know and What

We Don't Know about Human-Induced Climate

Change and What Should Be Done?” and

“Biogeochemical Cycles and Climate Change”),

and Wallace S. Broecker (1996: “Our Burden of

Responsibility” and “Will Our Ride into the

Greenhouse Future Be a Smooth One?”).

Copies of A Better Future

for the Planet Earth are

available from The

Asahi Glass Foundation,

2F, Science Plaza Bldg.

5-3, Yonbancho,

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102,

Japan.

Multi-Hazard Identification and Risk

Assessment (Federal Emergency Management

Agency (FEMA), Washington, D.C. 20472,

1997, 369 + xxiii pp. and appendices)

This report summarizes hazards both natural

(atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, seismic, and

other) and technological (dam failures, fires,

hazardous materials events, and nuclear

accidents). The report also introduces FEMA’s

recently developed risk assessment

methodology, Hazards United States (HAZUS),

and summarizes the National Mitigation

Strategy. Future updates are planned by FEMA

for the report, which is intended to be a resource

for state and local specialists.

Copies of MultiHazard Identification

and Risk Assessment

are available from

FEMA’s Publications

Warehouse

(+1-800-480-2520)
Winter 1998

18 CDIAC Communications

Bits of Power: Issues in Global Access to

Scientific Data (National Research Council

(NRC), Washington, D.C., 1997, 235 + xii pp.)

This book reports on a National Research

Council study to understand the effects of

changing technical, economic, and legal issues

on the exchange (especially international) of

digital data among scientists and to learn what

actions are necessary to ensure the full and open

exchange of scientific data worldwide. The

Committee on Issues in the Transborder Flow of

Scientific Data, U.S. National Committee for

Committee on Data for Science and Technology

(ICSU) (CODATA), provides specific

recommendations on data issues in the natural

sciences, issues in information technology,

economic aspects of scientific data, and legal

developments affecting access to data, under the

following overarching principle “The value of

data lies in their use. Full and open access to

scientific data should be adopted as the

international norm for the exchange of scientific

data derived from publicly funded research. The

public-good interests in the full and open access

to and use of scientific data need to be balanced

against legitimate concerns for the protection of

national security, individual privacy, and

intellectual property.”

Copies of Bits of

Power are available

from the National

Academy Press, 2101

Constitution Ave.,

N.W., Box 285,

Washington, DC

20055

 (+1-800-824-6242,

http://www.nap.edu/)

Assessing Climate Change: Results from the

Model Evaluation Consortium for Climate

Assessment (Gordon and Breach Science

Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1997,

418 + xxiv pp.)

The Model Evaluation Consortium for Climate

Assessment (MECCA) was established in 1991

as an international global climate research

consortium of universities, government, and

industry, with the goal of providing insight into

the uncertainties in model projections of

greenhouse climate change. This book, edited by

Wendy Howe and Ann Henderson-Sellers,

represents the final product of the MECCA

Analysis Team. It consists of nineteen chapters

that describe the MECCA project (Part 1),

climate and the atmosphere (Part 2), oceans and

climate (Part 3), sensitivity studies (Part 4),

impacts of climate change (Part 5), and lessons

learned (Part 6). According to the book's 

Foreword, by George M. Hidy, MECCA has

been a success, especially with respect to the

incorporation of MECCA findings into the 1992

and 1995 reports of the Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change.

Copies of Assessing

climate change are

available from Fine

Arts Press, Tower A,

112 Talavera Road,

North Ryde, NSW

2113, Australia

(+61-2-9878-8222,

fax +61-2-9878-8122)
CDIAC Order Form

Name 

(Last) (First) (M.I.)

Organization 

Mailing Address 

City State Postal Code Country 

Telephone 

 (Voice) (FAX) (e-mail)

Note: Your name, address, telephone, fax number, and e-mail address WILL BE included in CDIAC's

online directory UNLESS you tell us not to include:

 Address  Fax number  DO NOT include me in online directory

 Telephone number  E-mail address

Please indicate your preference for receiving information from CDIAC:

 Hard copy mailing  E-mail  No longer desire to receive information

Many of CDIAC’s materials are available online from our Web site (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/) or

through our anonymous FTP area (cdiac.esd.ornl.gov). A complete list of available materials is contained

in CDIAC’s catalog (http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/cdiac/epubs/catalog/index.htm). If you would like to

receive hard copies of any our materials, including the catalog, please indicate your selection below and

return the form to CDIAC.

 Trends ’93 (hard copy)*

 Catalog of Databases and Reports (ORNL/CDIAC-34/R8)

 Our newsletter, CDIAC Communications, in hard copy form (latest issue)

 Other reports: 

Requests for Numeric Data Packages (NDPs), Databases (DBs), or Computer Model Packages

(CMPs):

NDP/DB/CMP

number

(e.g., NDP-041) _______

_______

_______

Documentation

only







Documentation

and media**







 *For the latest data from Trends Online: A Compendium of Data on Global Change, contact CDIAC or see 

 http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/trends.htm.

**When ordering, please specify media (e.g., floppy diskette, 8mm tape, or CD-ROM)_______________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________
NO POSTAGE

NECESSARY

IF MAILED

IN THE 

UNITED STATES

BUSINESS REPLY MAIL

FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 3 OAK RIDGE, TN

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center

World Data CenterA for Atmospheric Trace Gases

CDIAC is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Environmental Sciences Division

Office of Biological and Environmental Research

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp.,

for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-96OR22464.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6335, USA

Telephone: 423-574-0390 FAX: 423-574-2232

e-mail: cdiac@ornl.gov

WWW URL: http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/

-------------------- (Please remove order form, fold here and tape closed before returning.) --------------------

POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE

OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Attention: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Building 1000

P. O. Box 2008, MS-6335

Oak Ridge, TN 37831–9984