Spatial and temporal reconstruction of the dispersion of anthropogenic fossil CO2 by 14C AMS measurements of plant material

AMS 14C measurements of plant material have been used to asses the emission of 14C-depleted carbon dioxide from industrial sources in Southern Italy. The measurements of grass samples have been used to relate the concentration of fossil-derived CO2 to the distance from the emitting sources and to meteorological data such as the direction of the prevalent winds. Measurements of tree ring sequences have been also carried out in order to reconstruct the concentration of radiocarbon depleted carbon dioxide in the time range between 1989 and 1996.