Spatial distribution of fossil fuel-derived CO₂ using radiocarbon measurement in South Korea influenced by regional characteristics and human activities.

Authors

Seung-Won Lee, Sae-Hoon Park, Yu-Seok Kim

Published in

Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine. Volume 237. Pages 112835. Jul 31, 2026. Epub Jul 31, 2026.

Abstract

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is one of the most precise analytical tools for tracing fossil fuel-derived CO₂ in the atmosphere. In this study, deciduous tree leaves were collected from Gyeongju and neighboring cities in South Korea to analyze the radiocarbon (Δ¹⁴C) characteristics of atmospheric CO₂. The measured Δ¹⁴C values were used to estimate fossil fuel-derived CO₂ concentrations (CO_{2_}ff, ppm) for comparison among the different regions. The sampling locations were expanded incrementally from 2018 to 2024, with 12 sampling sites in 2024. A comparison of Δ¹⁴C and CO_{2_}ff revealed clear spatial differences associated with regional characteristics, such as traffic density, population activity, and industrial emissions. Long-term observations from 2018 to 2024 indicated persistent Δ¹⁴C depletion in densely populated and industrialized areas, highlighting the sensitivity of radiocarbon to changes in human activity levels. Industrial areas exhibited substantially lower Δ¹⁴C values and correspondingly higher (≤23.6 ppm) CO_{2_}ff concentrations than rural areas. These results demonstrate that regional fossil fuel-derived CO₂ distributions are influenced by regional differences in human activity.

PMID:
42543039
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Aug 2026.

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