Retrieval of methanol (CH3OH) above the high-altitude Jungfraujoch station (46.5ºN): preliminary total column time series, long-term trend and seasonal modulation

Methanol (CH3OH) is a key organic compound in the Earth’s troposphere, with reported concentrations of the order of a few ppbv. It is indeed the second most abundant organic atmospheric compound after methane. Its lifetime is estimated to a few days. Natural sources of CH3OH include plant growth, oceans, decomposition of plant matter, oxidation of methane,… They are complemented by anthropogenic (from vehicles, industry) and biomass burning emissions. Oxidation by the hydroxyl radical is the main sink, leading to the formation of carbon monoxide (CO) and formaldehyde (H2CO).

The first reported retrievals of methanol used a microwindow extending from 992 to 999 cm-1 or from 1029 to 1037 cm-1. In both cases, lines of the strong ν8 band of CH3OH were adjusted, accounting for interferences by several isotopologues of ozone and by water vapor.

In this contribution, we present first retrievals of CH3OH from observations recorded at the high-altitude station of the Jungfraujoch (46.5°N, 8°E, 3580 m asl), with a Bruker 120HR spectrometer, in the framework of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC, visit http://www.ndacc.org). A strategy maximizing the information content and combining the 992-999 and 1029-1037 cm-1 domains has been set up and used. A preliminary long-term CH3OH total column time series derived from the Jungfraujoch observational database allows us to investigate the seasonal variation and long-term trend of this species at northern mid-latitudes.