Airplane measurements of carbon dioxide distribution on Iriomote Island in Japan

Airplane measurements were carried out over the subtropical island of Iriomote (20 kha). The uptake of carbon dioxide (CO 2) due to activity of the subtropical vegetation was estimated to be 0.55–1.1 gC m −2 h −1 during the day. The uptake was roughly proportional to solar insolation. Assuming this value to be representative of the whole island, the total uptake of CO 2 due to vegetation in Iriomote was estimated between 110 and 220 tC h −1 However, this value was for daytime under fine weather conditions. For estimating the uptake of CO 2 for the whole year, the uptake and emission of CO 2 at night and on cloudy days should be measured continuously from a tower.