Air Quality — Carbon Dioxide

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Responsible:Niccolò Calandri

Air Quality — Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)

Overview

The Air Quality — Carbon Dioxide indicator shows the daily mean CO₂ concentration in the atmospheric column. CO₂ is the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas, responsible for approximately 64% of total radiative forcing. Monitoring is essential for assessing site-level emission contributions and the effectiveness of carbon sequestration strategies.

Atmospheric CO₂ exceeded 420 ppm in 2024, increasing at approximately 2.5 ppm/year. Elevated CO₂ levels stimulate photosynthesis in some plant species (fertilisation effect) but alter plant community composition, reduce crop nutritional value, and contribute to ocean acidification.

Calculation Methodology

Data come from the Open-Meteo Air Quality API (CAMS model). The variable used is carbon_dioxide (atmospheric CO₂ concentration). For each day, the average of hourly values is calculated. Data are interpolated to the site's geographic position.

Data Sources

Code	Name	Provider	Type	Coverage	Availability
`WRD_OPNAQ_99`	Open-Meteo Air Quality API	Open-Meteo / CAMS	db	Global (Europe: 11 km)	From 2013 to present

References

IPCC (2021). "Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis". AR6.
Friedlingstein, P. et al. (2023). Earth System Science Data, 15, 5301-5369.
Open-Meteo Air Quality API

Data Sources & References

Sources

WRD_OPNAQ_99

Methodology

Daily average concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmospheric column. Open-Meteo variable: carbon_dioxide. Daily average of hourly values. Source: Open-Meteo Air Quality API (CAMS). Unit: ppm.