Luana S. Basso; Luciana V. Gatti; A. Martinewski; L.G. Domingues; C.S.C. Correia; V.F. Borges; J.B. Miller, M. Gloor.

16th WMO/IAEA Meeting on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases, and Related Measurement Techniques (GGMT)

25 - 28 October, 2011

Sulphur Hexafluoride (SF6)

• Lifetime: 3,200 years;

• Global Warming Potencial: 23,900;

• The mole fractions of SF6 in 2009 was double that in the mid-1990s, increasing nearly linearly with a rate of 0.24ppt/year.

(WMO, 2010). (WMO, 2010).

GAW global network of SF6, Halocarbons and other Halogenated species

SF6 Brazilian Emissions

Gas1990 1994 2000 2005

Variation1990-2005

(t) (%)

SF6

Electrical equipments 4.18 4.08 4.97 6.13 47Magnesium production 5.75 9.87 10.30 19.05 231SF6 total 9.93 13.95 15.25 25.18 153

• Brazil isn’t a producer of this gas;• is used as insulation in electrical equipment and in the

magnesium´s production process.

• SF6 emissions were estimated at 25.2 tons in 2005 (MCT – Ministry of Science and Technology, 2010).

• EDGAR Data Base to 2005:• Global total emissions: 6,033.7 tons;• Brazilian total emissions: 51.2tons (0.8% of global total emissions);

• Production of metals: 3.8 tons;• Electrical equipments: 44.9 tons;• Other uses: 2.5 tons.

Sampling sites

Aircraft Vertical Profiles Flask sampling in surface NOAA Global Stations

Sampling with Aircraft Vertical Profiles in Amazon Basin

MAGICC System

PFP and PCP

Flask sampling in surface in Brazilian coast sites

Back trajectories Amazon Basin sites

500m

2000m

4000m

Back trajectories Brazilian coast sites

4.00

4.50

5.00

5.50

6.00

6.50

7.00

7.50

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

SF

6(p

pt)

YearsASC RPB SAN RBA ALF TAB ABP SAL NAT

SF6 concentrations all sites

Between 2000 and 2010 have increased by 56% (2.6ppt);

the growth rate was 0.25ppt/year.

6.75

6.85

6.95

7.05

7.15

7.25

7.35

7.45

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

SF 6

(ppt

)

Months

2010

4.4

4.9

5.4

5.9

6.4

6.9

7.4

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

SF

6 M

ixin

g R

atio

(pp

t)

Flona Tapajós after aug 2008

Linear (Flona Tapajós) Linear (after aug 2008)

2000 - 2010: 0.24 ppt/year

2008 - 2010: 0.29 ppt/year

Influence of NH in SF6 concentrations

IntercomparisonIPEN x NOAA

Using SF6 as a tracer of air masses

t

dzCC

F

km

z

bkggassitegas

gas

∫=

−=

5,4

0

])()[(SF6 – tracer of air masses

ASCRPB

RPBASC

RPBSANASC

ff

CC

CCf

−=−−=

1

ASCASCRPBRPBbggás CfCfC +=)(

Fractions

Background concentration

No emissions

CO2, CH4 and N2O background concentrations

CO2

CH4 N2O

Final considerations

• The mixing ratio of SF6 measured in the Brazilian sites have asignificant increase between 2000 and 2010 (56%), following theobserved increase in the global mixing ratio.

• 2000-2010 : 0.24ppt/year

• 2008-2010: 0.29ppt/year

• The SF6 concentrations measured in our sites (Brazilian AmazonBasin and coast sites) show concentrations between NOAA stationsASC and RPB.