Nitrous Oxide (N2O)

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of an oxygen atom with polar bonds to two nitrogen atoms. It is a significant greenhouse gas responsible for roughly 5% of human emissions (in 2015). Nitrous oxide plays a critical role in the natural nitrogen cycle, formed primarily as a byproduct of terrestrial and oceanic bacterial processes. Atmospheric nitrous oxide may be broken down by other bacteria, UV radiation, or certain chemical reactions.

Atmospheric concentrations of nitrous oxide were stable prior to the industrial revolution. They have since risen dramatically, with 75% of emissions coming from agriculture practices (in 2015), followed by fossil fuel combustion. In these practices, nitrogen is used for enrichment of soils, where biological processes convert it partly into nitrous oxide. Due to agriculture’s vital role in food production, precisely measuring nitrous oxide is an important part of understanding anthropogenic forces on our changing climate.

Picarro has designed and produced several gas concentration analyzers that precisely measure nitrous oxide for laboratory and field studies.

Analyzers

Product Measurements Applications

G2308 Gas Concentration Analyzer

The Picarro G2308 gas concentration analyzer provides simultaneous, precise measurement of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and water (H2O) vapor at parts-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity with negligible drift for agriculture soil science, ecology, and emissions quantification.

G2508 Gas Concentration Analyzer

The Picarro G2508 gas concentration analyzer provides simultaneous, precise measurement of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonia (NH3), and water (H2O) vapor at parts-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity with negligible drift for agriculture soil science, ecology, and emissions quantification.

G5102-i Concentration Analyzer

The Picarro G5102-i isotopic and gas concentration analyzer enables measurements of site specific and bulk δ15N in N2O. It is an ideal solution for discerning and measuring the source of N2O emissions real-time in the field or through grab-sample measurements in the lab. The isotopomers of N2O can be used to probe sources and sinks in the global nitrogen cycle by identifying nitrification and denitrification processes in soils and water.

G5131-i Isotope and Gas Concentration Analyzer

The Picarro G5131-i isotopic and gas concentration analyzer enables simultaneous measurements of site specific and bulk δ15N and δ18O in N2O. It is an ideal solution for discerning and measuring the source of N2O emissions real-time in the field or through grab-sample measurements in the lab.

G5310 Gas Concentration Analyzer

The Picarro G5310 gas concentration analyzer provides simultaneous, precise measurement of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon monoxide (CO), and water (H2O) vapor at parts-per-trillion (ppt) sensitivity with negligible drift for atmospheric science, air quality, and emissions quantification.

Peripherals

G5102-i Concentration Analyzer

The Picarro G5102-i isotopic and gas concentration analyzer enables measurements of site specific and bulk δ15N in N2O. It is an ideal solution for discerning and measuring the source of N2O emissions real-time in the field or through grab-sample measurements in the lab. The isotopomers of N2O can be used to probe sources and sinks in the global nitrogen cycle by identifying nitrification and denitrification processes in soils and water.
G5102-i