We examined potential interferences from water vapor and atmospheric backgroundgases (N2, O2, and Ar), and biases by isotopologues of target species, on accuratemeasurement of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 by means of wavelength-scanned cavity5 ring-down spectroscopy (WS-CRDS). Variations in the composition of the backgroundgas substantially impacted the CO2 and CH4 measurements: the measured…

The NorthGRIP ice core chronology GICC05modelext is composed of the annual-layercounted GICC05 chronology to 60 kyr before 2000 AD (b2k), and an ice flow model dating the deepest part of the ice core to 123 kyr b2k. Determination of annual strata in ice5 beyond 60 kyr b2k has been challenged by the thinning of annual layers to < 1 cm andthe appearance of microfolds in some early glacial…

Long-term time series of the atmospheric composition are essential for environmental research and thus require compatible, multi-decadal monitoring activities. However,the current data quality objectives of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for5 carbon monoxide (CO) in the atmosphere are very challenging to meet with the measurement techniques that have been used until recently.…

The D/H isotope ratio is used to attribute boundary layer humidity changes to the set of contributing fluxes for a case following a snowstorm in which a snow pack of about 10 cm vanished. Profiles of H₂O and CO₂ mixing ratio, D/H isotope ratio, and several thermodynamic properties were measured from the surface to 300 m every 15 min during four winter days near…

A one hour integrated flask sampling system to collect air in automated NOAA/ESRL12-flask packages is described. The integrating compressor system uses a mass flowcontroller to regulate the flow of air through a 15 l volume, thus providing a mixture of air5 collected over an hour-long period. By beginning with a high flow rate of 3800 standardliters per minute and gradually decreasing the flow…

 In this paper we report vertical profiles of CO₂ measured with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS, Picarro, Inc., 2301-m) on a research aircraft from near ground level to 8 km above mean sea level (a.m.s.l.). The airborne platform employed in this study is an Alpha Jet aircraft operated from NASA Ames Research Center. Flights were undertaken to…

A new technique for the satellite remote sensing of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere via the absorption of short-wave infrared laser signals transmitted between counter-rotating satellites in low earth orbit has recently been proposed; this would enable the acquisition of a stable, global set of altitude-resolved concentration measurements. We present the first ground-based…

The traditional hypothesis that old-growth forests are carbon neutral is under debate as recent studies show evidence of net carbon sequestration. Here, we present a decade (1998–2008) of carbon dioxide, water and energy fluxes from an old-growth stand in the American Pacific Northwest to identify ecosystem-level responses to climate variability, including teleconnection patterns.…

The effects of sheep urine and dung patches on methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]) fluxes were investigated during the summer-autumn in 2010, to evaluate their contribution to climate change in a desert grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. Results indicate that the cumulative C[H.sub.4] emissions for dung patches, urine patches and control plots were -0.076, -0.084, and -0.…

Mountain–plain transitional landscapes are especially important as groundwater recharge zones. In this study, the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O and δD) of water and hydrochemical information were employed to quantify contribution ratios of different sources of groundwater recharge in the Ashikaga area…

The presence of aqueously altered, olivine-rich rocks along with carbonate on Mars suggest that serpentinization may have occurred in the past and may be occurring presently in the subsurface, and possibly contributing methane (CH₄) to the martian atmosphere. Serpentinization, the hydration of olivine in ultramafic rocks, yields ultra-basic fluids (pH ⩾…

Model-based interpolation, prediction, and approximation are contingent on the choice of model: since multiple alternative models typically can reasonably be entertained for each of these tasks, and the results are correspondingly varied, this often is a considerable source of uncertainty. Several statistical methods are illustrated that can be used to assess the contribution that…

Accurate measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) in humid air have been made usingthe cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) technique. The measurements of CO molefractions are determined from the strength of its spectral absorption in the near infraredregion (∼ 1.57 µm) after removing interferences from adjacent carbon dioxide (CO25 )and water vapor (H2O) absorption lines. Water correction…

Melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is accelerating and will contribute signifi-cantly to global sea level rise during the 21st century. Instrumental data on GrIS melting only cover the last few decades, and proxy data extending our knowledge into5 the past are vital for validating models predicting the influence of ongoing climatechange. We investigated a potential meltwater proxy in…

Deep saline aquifers are considered as the most promising option for geologic disposal of CO₂. One of the main concerns, however, is the integrity of the caprocks between and above the storage formations. Here, a hydrogeochemical and isotopic investigation is presented, using ionic chemistry, stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δ²H and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶…

A 141 m-long ice core was recovered from Combatant  Col (51.385°N, 125.258°W, 3000 m a.s.l.), Mount Waddington, Coast Mountains, British Columbia, Canada.  Records of black carbon, dust, lead, and water stable-isotopes demonstrate that unambiguous seasonality is preserved throughout the core, despite summer surface snowmelt and temperate ice. High accumulation…

Combined measurements of salinity and the oxygen/hydrogen stable isotope composition of marine
waters can characterise processes such as freshwater mixing, evaporation, precipitation and sea-ice formation.
However, stable isotope data with high spatial and temporal resolution are necessary for a detailed understanding
of mixed water bodies with multiple inputs. So far analysis of…

With the emergence of wide-spread application of cavity ring-down spectrometers (CRDS) to monitor δ¹³C in atmospheric CO₂ there is a growing need to ensure well calibrated measurements. We characterized a cavity ring-down spectrometer system used for continuous in-situ monitoring of atmospheric ¹³CO…

The dynamics of rapid changes in carbon (C) partitioning within forest ecosystems are not well understood, which limitsimprovement of mechanistic models of C cycling. Our objective was to inform model processes by describing relationshipsbetween C partitioning and accessible environmental or physiological measurements, with a special emphasis on short-termC flux through a forest ecosystem.…

By employing chemical and isotopic tracers (¹⁵N and ¹⁸O in NO₃⁻), we investigated the main processes controlling nitrate distribution in the unsaturated zone and aquifer. Soil water was extracted from two soil cores drilled in a typical agricultural cropping area of the North China Plain (NCP),…

The use of isotope ratio infrared spectroscopy (IRIS) for the stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopeanalysis of water is increasing. While IRIS has many advantages over traditional isotope ratio massspectrometry (IRMS), it may also be prone to errors that do not impact upon IRMS analyses. Ofparticular concern is the potential for contaminants in the water sample to interfere with…

To monitor the continental carbon cycle, a fullyautomated low maintenance measurement system is installedat the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory in Central Siberia(ZOTTO, 60◦480N, 89◦210E) since April 2009. A cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) analyzer continuouslymeasures carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fromsix heights up to 301 m a.g.l. Buffer volumes in each airline remove short…

Direct quantification of fossil fuel CO2(CO2ff) in atmospheric samples can be used toexamine several carbon cycle and air quality questions. We collected in-situ CO2, CO,and CH4 measurements and flask samples in the boundary layer and free troposphere5 over Sacramento, California, USA, during two aircraft flights over and downwind ofthis urban area during spring of 2009. The flask samples were…

The quantification of greenhouse gas emissions requireshigh precision measurements made with high spatial resolution.Here we describe measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2)and methane(CH4) conducted using Purdue University’s AirborneLaboratory for Atmospheric Research (ALAR), aimed at thequantification of the “footprints” for these greenhouse gasesfor Indianapolis, IN. A cavity ring-down…

We present a new mobile environmental reaction chamber for the simulation of the atmospheric aging of aerosols from different emissions sources without limitation from the instruments or facilities available at any single site. The chamber can be mounted on a trailer for transport to host facilities or for mobile measurements. Photochemistry is simulated using a set of 40 UV lights (…

Chemical weathering of rocks or sediments is extremely important for the generation of soils, for the evolution of landscape, and as a main source of inorganic nutrients for plant growth and therefore for life. Temporal trends in weathering mechanisms, plant succession and nutrients availability in cold environments can be successfully studied in soil chronosequences along a glacier…

The stable isotopic compositions of nitrate dissolved in 49 types of bottled drinkingwater collected worldwide were determined, to trace the fate of atmospheric nitrate(NO−3 atm) that had been deposited into subaerial ecosystems, using the17O anomalies(∆175 O) of nitrate as tracers. The use of bottled water enables collection of groundwaterrecharged at natural, background watersheds. The…

Depth profiles were sampled at different locations throughout Lake Geneva on a monthly and seasonal basis over the course of two years and analyzed for their stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions. The isotopic composition indicates an isotopic stratification in the metalimnion during summer and fall. This is related to mixing of Rhône River water, which in summer is…

Groundwater-fed gravel pit lakes (GPLs) affect the biological, organic, and inorganic parameters of inflowing groundwater through combined effects of bank filtration at the inflow, reactions within the lake, and bank filtration at the outflow. GPLs result from wet dredging for sand and gravel and may conflict with groundwater protection programs by removing the protective soil…

Efforts to extract a Greenland ice core with a complete record of the Eemian interglacial (130,000 to 115,000 years ago) have until now been unsuccessful. The response of the Greenland ice sheet to the warmer-than-present climate of the Eemian has thus remained unclear. Here we present the new North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (‘NEEM’) ice core and show only a modest ice-sheet…

The contribution of old soil C (SOM) to total soil respiration (R_S) in forest has been a crucial topic in global change research, but remains uncertain. Isotopic methods, such as natural variations in carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) of soil respiration, are more frequently being applied, and show promise in separating heterotrophic and autotrophic…