Analyzing temporo-spatial changes and the distribution of the CO2 concentration in Australia from 2009 to 2016 by greenhouse gas monitoring satellites

We comprehensively analyzed the temporo-spatial changes in the CO2 concentrations in Australia from June 2009 to December 2016 using greenhouse gas monitoring satellites, Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2). Regarding the spatial distribution, the CO2 concentration in central Australia was always higher than that of other regions, and the lack of precipitation in this region is thought to be one of the main causes of this increased concentration. By combining the results with the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, a subtle relationship between the spatial distribution of CO2 and various climate types were found. Precipitation, Sea Surface Temperature (SST), phytoplankton around the coastal region, vegetation cover and other factors jointly affected the spatial CO2 concentration in Australia. Moreover, the results indicated that the abnormal SST in the 4 Niño zones would affect the precipitation and vegetation growth in Australia and the total chlorophyll in the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean, which would in turn influence carbon cycling in Australia. According to the Niño-3 and Niño-3.4 indices, two El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events occurred during the study period. The CO2 increase rate decreased during the period of the 2011 La Niña, while the CO2 increase rate increased during the period of the 2015 El Niño. With the global CO2 concentration as the background, the abnormal change of CO2 in Australia was analyzed. Lastly, the results showed that SST around Australia, precipitation, vegetation, ENSO events, oceanic chemical processes and bushfires were assumed to directly or indirectly influence the temporal changes in CO2 in this region.