Variations In O2 Concentrations Research Articles

An Optode Sensor Array for Long-Term In Situ Oxygen Measurements in Soil and Sediment

Long-term measurements of molecular oxygen (O) dynamics in wetlands are highly relevant for understanding the effects of water level changes on net greenhouse gas budgets in these ecosystems. However, such measurements have been limited due to a lack of suitable measuring equipment. We constructed an O optode sensor array for long-term in situ measurements in soil and sediment. The new device consists of a 1.3-m-long, cylindrical, spear-shaped rod equipped with 10 sensor spots along the shaft. Each spot contains a thermocouple fixed with a robust fiberoptic O optode made by immobilizing a layer of Pt(II) meso-tetra(pentafluorophenyl)porphine in polystyrene at the end of a 2-mm polymethyl methacrylate plastic fiber. Temperature and O optode readings are collected continuously by a data logger and a multichannel fiberoptic O meter. The construction and measuring characteristics of the sensor array system are presented along with a novel approach for temperature compensation of O optodes. During in situ application over several months in a peat bog, we used the new device to document pronounced variations in O distribution after marked shifts in water level. The measurements showed anoxic conditions below the water level but also diel variations in O concentrations in the upper layer presumably due to rhizospheric oxidation by the main vegetation The new field instrument thus enables new and more detailed insights to the in situ O dynamics in wetlands.

The Determination of the Oxygen Transfer Speed in Water in Non-Stationary Conditions

The paper presents a method for computing the oxygen transfer speed in water in non-stationary conditions. The theoretical results are verified by experimental researches performed on a new type of fine bubbles generator; the variation of O2 concentration in water is measured electrically, using an oxygen meter.

European source and sink areas of CO<sub>2</sub> retrieved from Lagrangian transport model interpretation of combined O<sub>2</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> measurements at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch

Abstract. The University of Bern monitors carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) at the High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch since the year 2000 by means of flasks sampling and since 2005 using a continuous in situ measurement system. This study investigates the transport of CO2 and O2 towards Jungfraujoch using backward Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Model (LPDM) simulations and utilizes CO2 and O2 signatures to classify air masses. By investigating the simulated transport patterns associated with distinct CO2 concentrations it is possible to decipher different source and sink areas over Europe. The highest CO2 concentrations, for example, were observed in winter during pollution episodes when air was transported from Northeastern Europe towards the Alps, or during south Foehn events with rapid uplift of polluted air from Northern Italy, as demonstrated in two case studies. To study the importance of air-sea exchange for variations in O2 concentrations at Jungfraujoch the correlation between CO2 and APO (Atmospheric Potential Oxygen) deviations from a seasonally varying background was analyzed. Anomalously high APO concentrations were clearly associated with air masses originating from the Atlantic Ocean, whereas low APO concentrations were found in air masses advected either from the east from the Eurasian continent in summer, or from the Eastern Mediterranean in winter. Those air masses with low APO in summer were also strongly depleted in CO2 suggesting a combination of CO2 uptake by vegetation and O2 uptake by dry summer soils. Other subsets of points in the APO-CO2 scatter plot investigated with respect to air mass origin included CO2 and APO background values and points with regular APO but anomalous CO2 concentrations. Background values were associated with free tropospheric air masses with little contact with the boundary layer during the last few days, while high or low CO2 concentrations reflect the various levels of influence of anthropogenic emissions and the biosphere. The pronounced cycles of CO2 and O2 exchanges with the biosphere and the ocean cause clusters of points and lead to a seasonal pattern.

Temporal trends in N2O flux dynamics in a Danish wetland – effects of plant‐mediated gas transport of N2O and O2 following changes in water level and soil mineral‐N availability

AbstractTemporal trends of N2O fluxes across the soil–atmosphere interface were determined using continuous flux chamber measurements over an entire growing season of a subsurface aerating macrophyte (Phalaris arundinacea) in a nonmanaged Danish wetland. Observed N2O fluxes were linked to changes in subsurface N2O and O2 concentrations, water level (WL), light intensity as well as mineral‐N availability. Weekly concentration profiles showed that seasonal variations in N2O concentrations were directly linked to the position of the WL and O2 availability at the capillary fringe above the WL. N2O flux measurements showed surprisingly high temporal variability with marked changes in fluxes and shifts in flux directions from net source to net sink within hours associated with changing light conditions. Systematic diurnal shifts between net N2O emission during day time and deposition during night time were observed when max subsurface N2O concentrations were located below the root zone. Correlation (P < 0.001) between diurnal variations in O2 concentrations and incoming photosynthetically active radiation highlighted the importance of plant‐driven subsoil aeration of the root zone and the associated controls on coupled nitrification/denitrification. Therefore, P. arundinacea played an important role in facilitating N2O transport from the root zone to the atmosphere, and exclusion of the aboveground biomass in flux chamber measurements may lead to significant underestimations on net ecosystem N2O emissions. Complex interactions between seasonal changes in O2 and mineral‐N availability following near‐surface WL fluctuations in combination with plant‐mediated gas transport by P. arundinacea controlled the subsurface N2O concentrations and gas transport mechanisms responsible for N2O fluxes across the soil–atmosphere interface. Results demonstrate the necessity for addressing this high temporal variability and potential plant transport of N2O in future studies of net N2O exchange across the soil–atmosphere interface.

A GLOBAL NOx SUBMODEL FOR PULVERIZED COAL FLAMES AT ELEVATED PRESSURES

ABSTRACT This study formulates a global NOX submodel for deployment in CFD simulations from a database on flames of three diverse coals at pressures to 3.0 MPa for broad ranges of stoichiometric ratio (S.R.). A new reaction scheme was formulated from a sensitivity analysis of simulations based on detailed reaction mechanisms for all tests. It shares many elements in common with commercial submodels, yet it correctly predicts that (1) less coal-N is converted into NO; and (2) HCN persists to higher S.R. for progressively higher pressures. Explicit dependences on O2 concentrations are responsible for the first feature, because the variations in O2 concentrations mimic the ways that the oxyhydroxyl radical pool shrinks at progressively higher pressures, which shifts HCN conversion toward N2 production. The second feature was depicted by resolving the intermediate products of HCN decomposition in the global scheme. Discrepancies surfaced when the new submodel was applied to different coals without re-adjusting rate parameters, which probably reflects a generic limitation of global NOX production submodels for coal combustion.