The influence of human activity on regional radiocarbon characteristics using accelerator mass spectrometry during the COVID-19 period

Climate change poses severe threats to humanity, necessitating research that analyzes CO₂ emissions. This study analyzed the impact of changes in traffic volume and floating population due to COVID-19 for 2018, 2020, and 2022 to assess the impact of human activity on CO₂ emissions. Notably, 2020 was of particular interest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Radiocarbon dating was employed to examine atmospheric CO₂ emissions and leaf samples were collected for CO₂ emission analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry. The implementation of social distancing in 2020 resulted in a significant increase in the Δ¹⁴C values across Gyeongju, especially in popular tourist destinations, compared to the values recorded in 2018. As COVID-related restrictions were gradually relaxed, a noteworthy decrease in Δ¹⁴C values was observed across Gyeongju. The observed pattern in 2022 was strikingly similar to that of 2018. To determine whether changes in traffic volume influenced the Δ¹⁴C values, we investigated the correlation between human activity and CO₂ emissions.