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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open
Journal article
Enhancing sampling of dissolved N2O in aquatic systems: Field-deployable automated gas bag collection system
Limnology and oceanography: methods, Vol.23(6), pp.363-375
06/2025
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Abstract
Measuring dissolved nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas and contributor to ozone depletion, is essential for understanding its aquatic dynamics and informing climate mitigation and emission estimates. Dissolved N2O concentration measurements typically involve headspace equilibration of water samples in sealed containers, followed by gas chromatography analysis. This manual method is labor-intensive and often requires toxic preservatives. Alternatively, air-water exchangers coupled with laser analyzers provide high-precision continuous measurements but lack sample storage capabilities and require frequent relocation and setup to capture spatiotemporal variations. We developed an automated gas bag (AGB) collection system for collecting N2O samples (AGB-N2O) from discrete water samples, which could then be analyzed for concentration using laser analyzers. This method combines the field-friendly sample collection and storage of the manual method with the precision of exchangers and laser analyzers. Field experiments tested four setups of exchangers with varying internal volumes (2 L vs. 1 L) and water flow rates (small nozzle: 0.75 L min(-1) vs. medium nozzle: 3 L min-1) at sites with low vs. high N2O concentrations (13 nM vs. 95 nM). The 2-L exchanger with a medium nozzle achieved the fastest equilibration times of 2.25 and 0.08 min for high and low N2O sites, respectively. The AGB-N2O showed comparable results to the manual method for measuring dissolved N2O concentrations (p > 0.05). However, the AGB-N2O demonstrated significantly lower standard deviations, indicating higher precision and consistency. These findings demonstrate the suitability of the AGB-N2O for diverse aquatic environments, offering reliable and efficient N2O measurements.
Details
- Title
- Enhancing sampling of dissolved N2O in aquatic systems: Field-deployable automated gas bag collection system
- Creators
- M Arar - Lincoln UniversityTimothy Clough - Lincoln UniversityNaomi S Wells - Lincoln University
- Publication Details
- Limnology and oceanography: methods, Vol.23(6), pp.363-375
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 13
- Grant note
- This research was funded by the Royal Society ofNew Zealand’s Marsden Fund (MFP-LIU2102).
- Identifiers
- 991013335120602368
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article