Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O), a highly climate‐relevant trace gas, is mainly derived from microbial denitrification and nitrification processes in soils. Apportioning N2O to these source processes is a challenging task, but better understanding of the processes is required to improve mitigation strategies. The N2O site‐specific 15 N signatures from denitrification and nitrification have been shown to be clearly different, making this signature a potential tool for N2O source identification. We have applied for the first time quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS) for the continuous analysis of the intramolecular 15 N distribution of soil‐derived N2O and compared this with state‐of‐the‐art isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS).
METHODS
Soil was amended with nitrate and sucrose and incubated in a laboratory setup. The N2O release was quantified by FTIR spectroscopy, while the N2O intramolecular 15 N distribution was continuously analyzed by online QCLAS at 1 Hz resolution. The QCLAS results on time‐integrating flask samples were compared with those from the IRMS analysis.
RESULTS
The analytical precision (2σ) of QCLAS was around 0.3 ‰ for the δ15Nbulk and the 15 N site preference (SP) for 1‐min average values. Comparing the two techniques on flask samples, excellent agreement (R2 = 0.99; offset of 1.2 ‰) was observed for the δ15Nbulk values while for the SP values the correlation was less good (R2 = 0.76; offset of 0.9 ‰), presumably due to the lower precision of the IRMS SP measurements.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings validate QCLAS as a viable alternative technique with even higher precision than state‐of‐the‐art IRMS. Thus, laser spectroscopy has the potential to contribute significantly to a better understanding of N turnover in soils, which is crucial for advancing strategies to mitigate emissions of this efficient greenhouse gas.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 216-222 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
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Keywords
- laser spectroscopy
- nitrous oxide
Cite this
}
Novel laser spectroscopic technique for continuous analysis of N2O isotopomers : Application and intercomparison with isotope ratio mass spectrometry. / Köster, Jan Reent (Corresponding Author); Well, Reinhard; Tuzson, Béla; Bol, Roland; Dittert, Klaus; Giesemann, Anette; Emmenegger, Lukas; Manninen, Albert; Cárdenas, Laura; Mohn, Joachim.
In: Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, Vol. 27, No. 1, 2013, p. 216-222.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Novel laser spectroscopic technique for continuous analysis of N2O isotopomers
T2 - Application and intercomparison with isotope ratio mass spectrometry
AU - Köster, Jan Reent
AU - Well, Reinhard
AU - Tuzson, Béla
AU - Bol, Roland
AU - Dittert, Klaus
AU - Giesemann, Anette
AU - Emmenegger, Lukas
AU - Manninen, Albert
AU - Cárdenas, Laura
AU - Mohn, Joachim
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - RATIONALE Nitrous oxide (N2O), a highly climate‐relevant trace gas, is mainly derived from microbial denitrification and nitrification processes in soils. Apportioning N2O to these source processes is a challenging task, but better understanding of the processes is required to improve mitigation strategies. The N2O site‐specific 15 N signatures from denitrification and nitrification have been shown to be clearly different, making this signature a potential tool for N2O source identification. We have applied for the first time quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS) for the continuous analysis of the intramolecular 15 N distribution of soil‐derived N2O and compared this with state‐of‐the‐art isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS).METHODSSoil was amended with nitrate and sucrose and incubated in a laboratory setup. The N2O release was quantified by FTIR spectroscopy, while the N2O intramolecular 15 N distribution was continuously analyzed by online QCLAS at 1 Hz resolution. The QCLAS results on time‐integrating flask samples were compared with those from the IRMS analysis.RESULTSThe analytical precision (2σ) of QCLAS was around 0.3 ‰ for the δ15Nbulk and the 15 N site preference (SP) for 1‐min average values. Comparing the two techniques on flask samples, excellent agreement (R2 = 0.99; offset of 1.2 ‰) was observed for the δ15Nbulk values while for the SP values the correlation was less good (R2 = 0.76; offset of 0.9 ‰), presumably due to the lower precision of the IRMS SP measurements.CONCLUSIONSThese findings validate QCLAS as a viable alternative technique with even higher precision than state‐of‐the‐art IRMS. Thus, laser spectroscopy has the potential to contribute significantly to a better understanding of N turnover in soils, which is crucial for advancing strategies to mitigate emissions of this efficient greenhouse gas.
AB - RATIONALE Nitrous oxide (N2O), a highly climate‐relevant trace gas, is mainly derived from microbial denitrification and nitrification processes in soils. Apportioning N2O to these source processes is a challenging task, but better understanding of the processes is required to improve mitigation strategies. The N2O site‐specific 15 N signatures from denitrification and nitrification have been shown to be clearly different, making this signature a potential tool for N2O source identification. We have applied for the first time quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS) for the continuous analysis of the intramolecular 15 N distribution of soil‐derived N2O and compared this with state‐of‐the‐art isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS).METHODSSoil was amended with nitrate and sucrose and incubated in a laboratory setup. The N2O release was quantified by FTIR spectroscopy, while the N2O intramolecular 15 N distribution was continuously analyzed by online QCLAS at 1 Hz resolution. The QCLAS results on time‐integrating flask samples were compared with those from the IRMS analysis.RESULTSThe analytical precision (2σ) of QCLAS was around 0.3 ‰ for the δ15Nbulk and the 15 N site preference (SP) for 1‐min average values. Comparing the two techniques on flask samples, excellent agreement (R2 = 0.99; offset of 1.2 ‰) was observed for the δ15Nbulk values while for the SP values the correlation was less good (R2 = 0.76; offset of 0.9 ‰), presumably due to the lower precision of the IRMS SP measurements.CONCLUSIONSThese findings validate QCLAS as a viable alternative technique with even higher precision than state‐of‐the‐art IRMS. Thus, laser spectroscopy has the potential to contribute significantly to a better understanding of N turnover in soils, which is crucial for advancing strategies to mitigate emissions of this efficient greenhouse gas.
KW - laser spectroscopy
KW - nitrous oxide
U2 - 10.1002/rcm.6434
DO - 10.1002/rcm.6434
M3 - Article
VL - 27
SP - 216
EP - 222
JO - Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
JF - Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
SN - 0951-4198
IS - 1
ER -