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This is a collaborative project led by Dr. Britt Stephens of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The overall project is called the Regional Atmospheric Continuous CO2 Network in the Rocky Mountains (Rocky RACCOON). Much of what we know about atmospheric CO2 comes from either NOAA/GMD's Cooperative Air Sampling Network, which samples air in flasks from lots of locations around the world, or from long-term measurements at baseline observatories such as Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. Most of the sampling stations in these programs are intentionally located at locations (such as in the marine boundary layer or the South Pole) which are remote relative to major sources and sinks of CO2. There is currently significant effort being expended to add new sampling stations over the continents, including networks of tall towers and mountaintop observatories.
Scientists associated with the Rocky RACCOON project have recently begun making high-quality CO2 measurements at continental mountaintop locations such as Niwot Ridge and the Storm Peak Lab at Steamboat Ski Area, both in Colorado. These measurements complement our own Niwot Ridge research, so we are helping out the RACCOON project by maintaining a CO2 system at the top of Hidden Peak (HDP) at the Snowbird Ski Area in the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City. Data for HDP and other sites in the RACCOON network can be found here. There is also a network of CO2 observing stations within the Salt Lake Valley that are run by Dr. Jim Ehleringer's group in our Biology department.
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