A direct method to measure 14CO2 lost by evasion from surface waters

Citation

Billett M, Garnett MH & Hardie SML (2006) A direct method to measure 14CO2 lost by evasion from surface waters. Radiocarbon, 48 (1), pp. 61-68. https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/2848

Abstract
Recent methodological advances in the use of zeolite molecular sieves for measuring the isotopic signature ofCO2 have provided the opportunity to make direct measurements of 14CO2 in various field situations. We linked a portablemolecular sieve/pump/IRGA system to a floating chamber to demonstrate the potential of the method to quantify the isotopicsignature (d13C and 14C) of CO2 lost by evasion (outgassing) from surface waters. The system, which was tested on a peatlandstream in Scotland, involved 1) an initial period of scrubbing ambient CO2 from the chamber, 2) a period of CO2 build-upcaused by surface water evasion, and 3) a final period of CO2 collection by the molecular sieve cartridge. The field test at 2different sites on the same drainage system suggested that the results were reproducible in terms of d13C and 14C values. Theserepresent the first direct measurements of the isotopic signature of CO2 lost by evasion from water surfaces.

Journal
Radiocarbon: Volume 48, Issue 1