Articles | Volume 19, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2837-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2837-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 28 Apr 2026
| 28 Apr 2026
Deployment and evaluation of a low-cost sensor system for atmospheric CO2 monitoring on a sea–air interface buoy
Jialu Liu
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction, Key Laboratory of Polar Atmosphere-Ocean-Ice System for Weather and Climate of Ministry of Education, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Boundary Dynamics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Extreme Meteorology, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China
Huiling Ouyang
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
Observation and Research Station of Huaniaoshan East China Sea Ocean-Atmosphere Integrated Ecosystem, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai, 200136, China
Ning Zeng
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
Zhenfeng Wang
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
Jian Wang
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
Weiwei Fu
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction, Key Laboratory of Polar Atmosphere-Ocean-Ice System for Weather and Climate of Ministry of Education, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Boundary Dynamics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
Honggang Lv
Key Laboratory of Marine Hazards Forecasting, National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center, Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Beijing, 100081, China; National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center, Beijing, 100081, China
Wenhao Lin
Zhejiang Environmental Monitoring Engineering, Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, 310013, China
Zheng Xia
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
Zhejiang Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Hangzhou, 310012, China
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Ecological and Environmental Monitoring, Forewarning and Quality Control, Hangzhou, 310012, China
Bo Yao
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction, Key Laboratory of Polar Atmosphere-Ocean-Ice System for Weather and Climate of Ministry of Education, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Boundary Dynamics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
National Observation and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Shanghai, 201112, China
Data sets
CO2 Observation Data (v1.0) Jialu Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19631437
Short summary
This study deployed a buoy equipped with three low-cost sensors in the northern South China Sea to continuously monitor atmospheric CO2 at the sea surface. After correcting for environmental factors and sensor drift, the measurement accuracy improved. CO2 levels were generally stable with small daily changes, while local fluctuations reflected air from land. This affordable approach enables reliable ocean CO2 monitoring and helps study the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle.
This study deployed a buoy equipped with three low-cost sensors in the northern South China Sea...
Special issue