A new method of extracting regional background concentration of CO₂ in Yangtze River Delta was established based on the observations of both black carbon concentration and meteorological parameters. The concentrations of CO₂ and black carbon were observed at Lin'an regional background station from 2009 to 2011. The regional background concentration of CO₂ in Yangtze River Delta was obtained by means of this new method, and the impact of human activities on CO₂ concentration in this area was also assessed.

Chemical and stable isotopic compositions (δD, δ¹⁸O, and δ³⁴S) of non-volcanic hot spring waters around the Miocene Kofu granitic complex surrounding the Kofu basin in the South Fossa Magna region of central Honshu, Japan, were analyzed in order to investigate water–rock interactions and to determine the origin and sulfur isotopic characteristics of their trace amounts of SO₄ ^2–ion.

Background and aims

Positive relationships between temperature and soil respiration rate are widely observed, but it remains unclear if the relationships are due to increases in soil organic matter mineralisation (R _om), or in root and rhizosphere respiration (R _roots), or increases in both. This study aims to determine the relative sensitivity of R _om and R _roots to temperature in soils with differing properties.

Scarcity of mercury species records in the Southern Hemisphere is a critical weak point for the development of appropriate modeling and regulation scenarios. Under the framework of the “Global Mercury Observation System” (GMOS) project, a monitoring station has been set up on Amsterdam Island (37_480 S, 77_340 5 E) in the remote southern Indian Ocean. For the first time in the Southern Hemisphere, a 2 year record of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) and particle-bound mercury (PBM) is presented.

Changes in atmospheric circulation over the past five decades have enhanced the wind-driven inflow of warm ocean water onto the Antarctic continental shelf, where it melts ice shelves from below. Atmospheric circulation changes have also caused rapid warming

Development of cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) has enabled real-time monitoring of carbon stable isotope ratios of carbon dioxide and methane in air. Here we demonstrate that CRDS can be adapted to assess aquatic carbon cycling processes from microbial to ecosystem scales.

Obtaining the d-excess parameter from oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope composition of meteoric waters has the potential power to reconstruct changes in atmospheric water pools (e,g. sources, origins and overall balance) and the climatic conditions that prevail during surface evaporation. Recently, plant and ecosystem scientists turned their attention using d-excess information to inform questions at these scales.

RATIONALE:

Low-budget rain collectors for water isotope analysis, such as the 'ball-in-funnel type collector' (BiFC), are widely used in studies on stable water isotopes of rain. To date, however, an experimental quality assessment of such devices in relation to climatic factors does not exist.

METHODS:

The destructive effects of sulfate attack on concrete structures are well known, but the reaction paths and mechanisms that cause the deterioration are still under debate. The aim of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding on investigating concrete damage by introducing a novel and promising multi proxy approach method. The methodology comprises advanced mineralogical and hydro-geochemical methods as well as stable isotope signals.

The groundwater flow systems and chemistry in the deep part of the coastal area of Japan have attracted attention over recent decades due to government projects such as geological disposal of radioactive waste. However, the continuous groundwater flow system moving from the shallow to deep parts of the sedimentary soft rock has not yet been characterized.

Accumulation is a key parameter governing the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet. Several studies have documented the spatial variability of accumulation over wide spatial scales, primarily using point data, remote sensing or modeling. Direct measurements of spatially extensive, detailed profiles of accumulation in Greenland, however, are rare. We used 400 MHz ground-penetrating radar along the 1009 km route of the Greenland Inland Traverse from Thule to Summit during April and May of 2011, to image continuous internal reflecting horizons.

Extra-tropical cyclones, such as 2012 Superstorm Sandy, pose a significant climatic threat to the northeastern United Sates, yet prediction of hydrologic and thermodynamic processes within such systems is complicated by their interaction with mid-latitude water patterns as they move poleward. Fortunately, the evolution of these systems is also recorded in the stable isotope ratios of storm-associated precipitation and water vapor, and isotopic analysis provides constraints on difficult-to-observe cyclone dynamics.

The addition of pyrogenic carbon (C) in the soil is considered a potential strategy to achieve direct C sequestration and potential reduction of non-CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, we investigated the long term effects of charcoal addition on C sequestration and soil physico-chemical properties by studying a series of abandoned charcoal hearths in the Eastern Alps of Italy established in the XIX century. This natural setting can be seen as an analogue of a deliberate experiment with replications.

We present CH₄ concentration [CH₄] and the partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) in bulk sea ice from subarctic, land-fast sea ice in the Kapisillit fjord, Greenland. The bulk ice [CH₄] ranged from 1.8 to 12.1 nmol L⁻¹, which corresponds to a partial pressure range of 3 to 28 ppmv. This is markedly higher than the average atmospheric methane content of 1.9 ppmv. Most of the trapped methane within the sea ice was evidently contained inside bubbles, and only a minor portion was dissolved in the brine.

Weekly samples from surface waters, springs, soil water and rainfall were collected in a 76.9 km2 mountain rain forest catchment and its tributaries in southern Ecuador. Time series of the stable water isotopes δ18O and δ2H were used to calculate mean transit times (MTTs) and the transit time distribution functions (TTDs) solving the convolution method for seven lumped parameter models.

Atmospheric concentration measurements are used to adjust the daily to monthly budget of CO₂ emissions from the AirParif inventory of the Paris agglomeration. We use 5 atmospheric monitoring sites including one at the top of the Eiffel tower. The atmospheric inversion is based on a Bayesian approach, and relies on an atmospheric transport model with a spatial resolution of 2 km with boundary conditions from a global coarse grid transport model.

The identification and quantification of methane emissions from natural gas production has become increasingly important owing to the increase in the natural gas component of the energy sector. An instrumented aircraft platform was used to identify large sources of methane and quantify emission rates in southwestern PA in June 2012. A large regional flux, 2.0–14 g CH₄ s⁻¹ km⁻², was quantified for a ∼2,800-km² area, which did not differ statistically from a bottom-up inventory, 2.3–4.6 g CH₄ s⁻¹ km⁻².

This paper presents the initial results of a scientific drilling project to recover core and pressurized fluid samples from a natural CO₂ reservoir, near the town of Green River, Utah. The drilling targeted a stacked sequence of CO₂-charged Jurassic sandstone reservoirs and caprocks, situated adjacent to a CO₂-degassing normal fault. This site has actively leaked CO₂ from deep supercritical CO₂ reservoirs at depth > 2 km within the basin for over 400,000 years.

The Gunt River catchment in the Central Pamirs is a representative of the headwater catchments of the Aral Sea Basin. It covers 14,000 km², spanning altitudes between 2000 and 6700 m a.s.l. In a monitoring network, water samples were taken at 30 sampling points every month and analysed for the stable water isotopes (¹⁸O and ²H). Our first results show δ²H values in the range from−131.2 to−94.9 ‰ and δ¹⁸O values from−18.0 to−14.0 ‰.

A stratigraphy-based chronology for the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) ice core has been derived by transferring the annual layer counted Greenland Ice Core Chronology 2005 (GICC05) and its model extension (GICC05modelext) from the NGRIP core to the NEEM core using 787 match points of mainly volcanic origin identified in the electrical conductivity measurement (ECM) and dielectrical profiling (DEP) records.

Sixteen groundwater samples collected from production wells tapping Lower Cretaceous Nubian Sandstone and fractured basement aquifers in Sinai were analyzed for their stable isotopic compositions, dissolved noble gas concentrations (recharge temperatures), tritium activities, and ¹⁴C abundances.

Statistical study of analyses of water from 43 samples from geothermal wells, three groundwater wells, and one sample of local rainwater along with rainwater data from the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation has been used to identify the origin and evolution of geothermal water in the Niutuozhen (牛驼镇) geothermal field and estimate the renewability rate of its geothermal resource.

The development of new isotopic laser-based analyzers currently represents a clear alternative to conventional isotope ratio mass spectrometers. However, this analytical technique also suffers some disadvantages such as the memory effect, problems related to the overall stability of the equipment and other issues associated with the injection system, essentially regarding the syringe's longevity. This paper aims to minimize these disadvantages in order to increase the overall performance, in terms of precision and accuracy, of these kinds of analyzers.

The location of Costa Rica on the Central American Isthmus creates unique microclimate systems that receive moisture inputs directly from the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In Costa Rica, stable isotope monitoring was conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Meteorological Association as part of the worldwide effort entitled Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation. Sampling campaigns were mainly comprised of monthly-inte- grated samples during intermittent years from 1990 to 2005.

The δ13C values of 23 unevenly spaced guano samples from a 17-cm long clay sediment profile in Gaura cu Musca Cave (GM), in SW Romania, made it possible to preliminarily characterize the Medieval Warm Period summer hydroclimate regime. The beginning of the sequence (AD 990) was rather wet for more than a century, before becoming progressively drier.

We present an analysis of methane (CH₄) emissions using atmospheric observations from five sites in California’s Central Valley across different seasons (September 2010 to June 2011).

The movement of moisture into, out-of, and within forest ecosystems is modulated by feedbacks that stem from processes which couple plants, soil, and the atmosphere. While an understanding of these processes has been gleaned from Eddy Covariance techniques, the reliability of the method suffers at night because of weak turbulence.

Subtropical humidity plays a critical role in the radiative balance of the planet, and there is a need for adequate description of the controls on water vapor distributions. This study tests whether an advection-condensation model, combined with Rayleigh distillation, can describe observed humidity and water vapor isotope ratios of the subtropical free troposphere. A field campaign, from 9 October to 6 November, 2008, included continuous in situ measurement of water vapor stable isotope ratios at the NOAA Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO), Hawaii.

Niche partitioning of resources by plants is believed to be a fundamental aspect of plant coexistence and biogeochemical cycles; however, measurements of the timing and location of resource use are often lacking because of the difficulties of belowground research. To measure niche partitioning of soil water by grasses, planted saplings, and trees in a mesic savanna (Kruger National Park, South Africa), we injected deuterium oxide into 102,000 points in 15, 154-m2 plots randomly assigned to one of five depths (0–120 cm) and one of three time periods during the 2008/2009 growing season.

In tropical regions, the empirical negative relationship between the isotopic content of precipitation and rainfall amount, known as the 'amount effect', has been used as a rationale for paleo-hydroclimate reconstruction from isotope records. However, there is still no comprehensive physical explanation for this empirical effect. Here, we reconsider the well-known amount effect using newly available isotope data for both surface water vapor and precipitation obtained from shipboard observations.

Application of stable isotopes in soil studies has improved quantitative evaluation of evaporation and other hydrological processes in soil. This study was carried out to determine the effect of tillage on evaporative loss of water from the soil. Zero tillage and conventional tillage were compared. Suction tubes were installed for soil water collection at the depths 0.15, 0.50, and 1.0 m by pumping soil water with a peristaltic pump. Soil water evaporation was estimated using stable isotopes of water.

Obtaining the d-excess parameter from the oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H) stable isotope composition of meteoric waters has the potential power to reconstruct changes in atmospheric water pools (e,g, sources, origins and overall balance) and the climatic conditions that prevail during surface evaporation. Only recently have plant and ecosystem scientists turned their attention to using d-excess information to inform questions at these scales.

Hydrogen isotope ratios of sedimentary biomarkers are known to record the climatic variability in terrestrial and marine environments. However, there is still a lack of calibration studies that can quantitatively retrace the driving forces, especially at the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we elaborate the actual influence of environmental parameters such as temperature, evapotranspiration, salinity and biosynthetic fractionation on δD values of n-alkanes.

Knowledge of stable isotopes and chemical tracers in meteoric water has been used as a valuable tool in various environmental studies. A systematic monthly sampling of precipitation, in the Ndop plain, was carried out to generate basic data on δ18, δD and Cl−, determine their seasonal variations and controlling factors to be used as baseline data in hydrological and climatological studies. The δ18O–δD relationship of rainfall gives a regression line: δD = 7.93 δ18O + 13.26 (R2 = 0.99), which represents the Ndop Meteoric Water Line (NMWL).

Pleistocene Yedoma permafrost contains nearly a third of all organic matter (OM) stored in circum-arctic permafrost and is characterized by the presence of massive ice wedges. Due to its rapid formation by sediment accumulation and subsequent frozen storage, Yedoma OM is relatively well preserved and highly biologically available (biolabile) upon thaw. A better understanding of the processes regulating Yedoma degradation is important to improve estimates of the response and magnitude of permafrost carbon feedbacks to climate warming.

The suitability of acesulfame to trace wastewater-related surface water fluxes from streams into the hyporheic and riparian zones over long-term periods was investigated. The transport behavior of acesulfame was compared with the transport of water stable isotopes (δ18O or δ2H). A calibrated model based on a joint inversion of temperature, acesulfame, and piezometric pressure heads was employed in a model validation using data sets of acesulfame and water stable isotopes collected over 5 months in a stream and groundwater.

The subtropical convective boundary layer (CBL) plays a critical role in climate by regulating the vertical exchange of moisture, energy, trace gases, and pollutants between the ocean surface and free troposphere. Yet bulk features of this exchange are poorly constrained in climate models. To improve our understanding of moisture transport between the boundary layer and free troposphere, paired measurements of water vapor mixing ratio and the stable isotope ratio 18O/16O are used to evaluate moist convective mixing and entrainment processes near the Big Island of Hawai′i.

The δ18O and δD values of gypsum crystallization water together with δ18O and δ34S of sulfates were used as reliable techniques to study source of sulfur and mode of gypsum formation in selected central Iraqi soils. Six representative pedons on different geologic units were studied. The slope of 3.2 for δ18O and δD plot of gypsum crystallization water showed that evaporation was the major process of gypsum deposition in the study area. The mean δ34S value of +17.58 ‰ showed that Cretaceous sea sulfate followed by Tertiary is the source of sulfur in studied soils.

• As described in the two-layer hypothesis, woody plants are often assumed to use deep soils to avoid competition with grasses.

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are transforming energy production, but their potential environmental effects remain controversial. We analyzed 141 drinking water wells across the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province of northeastern Pennsylvania, examining natural gas concentrations and isotopic signatures with proximity to shale gas wells. Methane was detected in 82% of drinking water samples, with average concentrations six times higher for homes <1 km from natural gas wells (P = 0.0006).

Exploration of unconventional natural gas reservoirs such as impermeable shale basins through the use ofhorizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has changed the energy landscape in the USA providing a vastnew energy source. The accelerated production of natural gas has triggered a debate concerning thesafety and possible environmental impacts of these operations. This study investigates one of the criticalaspects of the environmental effects; the possible degradation of water quality in shallow aquifers overlyingproducing shale formations.

Combined measurements of water isotopologues of a snow pit at Vostok over the past 60 y reveal a unique signature that cannot be explained only by climatic features as usually done. Comparisons of the data using a general circulation model and a simpler isotopic distillation model reveal a stratospheric signature in the 17O-excess record at Vostok.

Methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and C₂–C₅ alkanes were measured throughout the Los Angeles (L.A.) basin in May and June 2010. We use these data to show that the emission ratios of CH₄/CO and CH₄/CO₂in the L.A. basin are larger than expected from population-apportioned bottom-up state inventories, consistent with previously published work.

The ratio of ¹³C to ¹²C in marine sedimentary rocks holds important clues to the evolution of the carbon cycle through Earth history. Isotopic analyses are traditionally carried out using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), but this technique is labor-intensive, expensive and requires expert know-how.

The role of the global surface ocean as a source and sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide and the flux strengths between the ocean and the atmosphere can be quantified by measuring the fugacity of CO₂ (ƒCO₂) as well as the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration and its isotopic composition in surface seawater. In this work, the potential of continuous wave cavity ringdown spectroscopy (cw-CRDS) for autonomous underway measurements of ƒCO₂ and the stable carbon isotope ratio of DIC [δ¹³C(DIC)] is explored.

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 cover and exposing groundwater to the atmosphere.

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 response to the strong warming in the early Eemian. We reconstructed the Eemian record from folded ice using globally homogeneous parameters known from dated Greenland and Antarctic ice-core records.

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 (total power 4 KW). Characterisation of the emission spectrum of these lights shows that atmospheric photochemistry can be accurately simulated over a range of temperatures from −7–25 °C.