A new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurements
<p>Radiocarbon (<span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C) is an optimal tracer of methane emissions, as <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C measurements enable distinguishing between fossil methane and...
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Copernicus Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| Online Access: | https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/18/319/2025/amt-18-319-2025.pdf |
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| author | G. Zazzeri G. Zazzeri L. Wacker N. Haghipour P. Gautschi T. Laemmel T. Laemmel S. Szidat S. Szidat H. Graven |
| author_facet | G. Zazzeri G. Zazzeri L. Wacker N. Haghipour P. Gautschi T. Laemmel T. Laemmel S. Szidat S. Szidat H. Graven |
| author_sort | G. Zazzeri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Radiocarbon (<span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C) is an optimal tracer of methane emissions, as <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C measurements enable distinguishing between fossil methane and biogenic methane (CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span>). However, <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C measurements in atmospheric methane are still rare, mainly because of the technical challenge of collecting enough carbon for <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C analysis from ambient air samples. In this study, we address this challenge by advancing the system in Zazzeri et al. (2021) into a much more compact and portable sampler and by coupling the sampler with the MICADAS (MIni CArbon DAting System) accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system at ETH Zurich, using a gas interface.</p>
<p>Here, we present the new sampler setup, the assessment of the system contamination and a first inter-laboratory comparison with LARA (Laboratory for the Analysis of Radiocarbon with AMS) at the University of Bern.</p>
<p>With our sampling line, we achieved a very low blank, 0.7 <span class="inline-formula">µgC</span> compared to 5.5 <span class="inline-formula">µgC</span> in Zazzeri et al. (2021), and a sample precision of 0.9 %, comparable with other measurement techniques for <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span>, while reducing the sample size to 60 L of air. We show that this technique, with further improvements, will enable routine <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span> measurements in the field for an improved understanding of CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span> sources.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-880405595c974b36a2c6be618773fb69 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1867-1381 1867-8548 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| spelling | doaj-art-880405595c974b36a2c6be618773fb692025-01-20T08:19:13ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Measurement Techniques1867-13811867-85482025-01-011831932510.5194/amt-18-319-2025A new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurementsG. Zazzeri0G. Zazzeri1L. Wacker2N. Haghipour3P. Gautschi4T. Laemmel5T. Laemmel6S. Szidat7S. Szidat8H. Graven9Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerlandnow at: Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico - RSE SpA, Milan, ItalyLaboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandGeological Institute, ETH Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandLaboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandOeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandDepartment of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandOeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandDepartment of Physics, Imperial College London, London, UK<p>Radiocarbon (<span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C) is an optimal tracer of methane emissions, as <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C measurements enable distinguishing between fossil methane and biogenic methane (CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span>). However, <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C measurements in atmospheric methane are still rare, mainly because of the technical challenge of collecting enough carbon for <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>C analysis from ambient air samples. In this study, we address this challenge by advancing the system in Zazzeri et al. (2021) into a much more compact and portable sampler and by coupling the sampler with the MICADAS (MIni CArbon DAting System) accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system at ETH Zurich, using a gas interface.</p> <p>Here, we present the new sampler setup, the assessment of the system contamination and a first inter-laboratory comparison with LARA (Laboratory for the Analysis of Radiocarbon with AMS) at the University of Bern.</p> <p>With our sampling line, we achieved a very low blank, 0.7 <span class="inline-formula">µgC</span> compared to 5.5 <span class="inline-formula">µgC</span> in Zazzeri et al. (2021), and a sample precision of 0.9 %, comparable with other measurement techniques for <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span>, while reducing the sample size to 60 L of air. We show that this technique, with further improvements, will enable routine <span class="inline-formula"><sup>14</sup></span>CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span> measurements in the field for an improved understanding of CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span> sources.</p>https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/18/319/2025/amt-18-319-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | G. Zazzeri G. Zazzeri L. Wacker N. Haghipour P. Gautschi T. Laemmel T. Laemmel S. Szidat S. Szidat H. Graven A new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurements Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| title | A new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurements |
| title_full | A new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurements |
| title_fullStr | A new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurements |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurements |
| title_short | A new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurements |
| title_sort | new portable sampler of atmospheric methane for radiocarbon measurements |
| url | https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/18/319/2025/amt-18-319-2025.pdf |
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