Standard names: tendency_of_atmosphere_mass_content_of_carbon_dioxide_expressed_as_carbon_due_to_all_fluxes

[ckoven]

Before submitting an issue be sure you have read and understood the rules for vocabulary changes and review the guidance for constructing standard names

Please note that it is fine to group together a number of proposals in a single GitHub issue (i.e. it is not necessary to open a separate issue for each vocabulary term). Change proposals should include the following information as applicable.

Proposer's name Charlie Koven

Date Apr. 14, 2026

For each term please try to give the following:

- Term tendency_of_atmosphere_mass_content_of_carbon_dioxide_expressed_as_carbon_due_to_all_fluxes

- Description Tendency of atmospheric CO2 due to all fluxes. All fluxes includes land, ocean, and river fluxes, as well as anthropogenic emissions.

- Units kg m-2 s-1

[github-actions]

Thank you for your proposal. These terms will be added to the cfeditor (http://cfeditor.ceda.ac.uk/proposals/1) shortly. Your proposal will then be reviewed and commented on by the community and Standard Names moderator.

[taylor13]

Not sure "due_to_all_fluxes" is necessary; think it is implied. Right?

[ckoven]

Not sure "due_to_all_fluxes" is necessary; think it is implied. Right?

The intention here is to distinguish this from the existing partial flux/tendency terms of atmospheric CO2, which are:

• tendency_of_atmosphere_mass_content_of_carbon_dioxide_expressed_as_carbon_due_to_anthropogenic_emission (CMIP variable fco2antt)
• tendency_of_atmosphere_mass_content_of_carbon_dioxide_expressed_as_carbon_due_to_emission_from_fossil_fuel_combustion (CMIP variable fco2fos)
• surface_upward_mass_flux_of_carbon_dioxide_expressed_as_carbon_due_to_emission_from_natural_sources (CMIP variable fco2nat)

But if "due_to_all_fluxes" is implied, then fine with me to drop it.

[japamment]

Dear Charlie, @ckoven

Thank you for your proposal. I agree with Karl that we don't need due_to_all_fluxes. In CF standard names, a term is always assumed to include all possible components and processes unless stated otherwise.

The proposal would then be:

Term: tendency_of_atmosphere_mass_content_of_carbon_dioxide_expressed_as_carbon

Units: kg m-2 s-1

Description: The phrase "tendency_of_X" means derivative of X with respect to time. "Content" indicates a quantity per unit area. The "atmosphere content" of a quantity refers to the vertical integral from the surface to the top of the atmosphere. For the content between specified levels in the atmosphere, standard names including "content_of_atmosphere_layer" are used. The phrase "expressed_as" is used in the construction "A_expressed_as_B", where B is a chemical constituent of A. It means that the quantity indicated by the standard name is calculated solely with respect to the B contained in A, neglecting all other chemical constituents of A. The chemical formula for carbon dioxide is CO2.

The description was generated from text used in existing standard names.

I've added this to the cfeditor: https://cfeditor.ceda.ac.uk/proposal/5828.

Since this proposal is similar to existing names, the units are fine, and the description follows existing text I think this name is unlikely to require a lengthy discussion. Unless further comments are received in the next seven days it will be accepted for publication in the standard name table.

Best wishes,
Alison