Performance of open-path lasers and FTIR spectroscopic systems in agriculture emissions research

The accumulation of gases into our atmosphere is a growing global concern that requires considerable quantification of the emission rates and mitigate the accumulation of gases in the atmosphere, especially the greenhouse gases (GHG). In agriculture there are many sources of GHG that require attention in order to develop practical mitigation strategies. Measuring these GHG sources often rely on highly technical instrumentation originally designed for applications outside of the emissions research in agriculture. Although the open-path laser (OPL) and open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) spectroscopic techniques are used in agricultural research currently, insight into their contributing error to emissions research has not been the focus of these studies. The objective of this study was to assess the applicability and performance (accuracy and precision) of OPL and OP-FTIR spectroscopic techniques for measuring gas concentration from agricultural sources. We measured the mixing ratios of trace gases methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ammonia (NH3), downwind of point and area sources with known release rates. The OP-FTIR provided the best performance regarding stability of drift in stable conditions. The CH4 OPL accurately detected the low background (free-air) level of CH4; however, the NH3 OPL was unable to detect the background values < 10 ppbv.

A simulation process of tunable open path diode laser spectrometer to detect a carbon monoxide gas in NIR region

By modifying the wavelength of the open path tunable diode laser spectrometer (TDLS) in the near infrared region, theoretical research was implemented to improve the detection limit of carbon monoxide gas. To adjust the correct wavelength in the NIR area, MatLab code was created. Following that, frequency domain measurements were performed in order to extract the second harmonic as an indicator of gas presence. According to the results, the correct wave length in the NIR area is (1584.877 nm), and the lowest limit of CO gas concentration is (0.012 ppb).

Improved calibration procedures for the EM27/SUN spectrometers of the COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON)

In this study, an extension on the previously reported status of the COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network’s (COCCON) calibration procedures incorporating refined methods is presented. COCCON is a global network of portable Bruker EM27/SUN FTIR spectrometers for deriving column-averaged atmospheric abundances of greenhouse gases. The original laboratory open-path lamp measurements for deriving the instrumental line shape (ILS) of the spectrometer from water vapour lines have been refined and extended to the secondary detector channel incorporated in the EM27/SUN spectrometer for detection of carbon monoxide (CO). The refinements encompass improved spectroscopic line lists for the relevant water lines and a revision of the laboratory pressure measurements used for the analysis of the spectra. The new results are found to be in good agreement with those reported by Frey et al. (2019), and discussed in detail. In addition, a new calibration cell for ILS measurements was designed, constructed and put into service. Spectrometers calibrated since January 2020 were tested using both methods for ILS characterisation, open path (OP) and cell measurements. We demonstrate that both methods can detect the small variations of ILS characteristics between different spectrometers, but the results of the cell method indicate a systematic bias of the OP method. Finally, a revision and extension of the COCCON network instrument-to-instrument calibration factors for XCO2, XCO, and XCH4 is presented, incorporating 47 new spectrometers (of 83 in total by now). This calibration is based on the reference EM27/SUN spectrometer operated by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and spectra collected by the collocated TCCON station Karlsruhe. Variations in the instrumental characteristics of the reference EM27/SUN during 2014 to 2017 were detected probably arising from realignment and the dual-channel upgrade performed in early 2018. These variations are considered in the evaluation of the instrument-specific calibration factors in order to keep all tabulated calibration results consistent.

Enteric methane emission estimates for Kenyan cattle in a nighttime enclosure using a backward Lagrangian Stochastic dispersion technique

This study provides methane (CH4) emission estimates for mature female African beef cattle in a semi-arid region in Southern Kenya using open-path laser spectroscopy together with a backward Lagrangian Stochastic (bLS) dispersion modeling technique. We deployed two open-path lasers to determine 10-min averages of line-integrated CH4 measurements upwind and downwind of fenced enclosures (so-called bomas: a location where the cattle are gathered at night) during 14 nights in September/October 2019. The measurements were filtered for wind direction deviations and friction velocity before the model was applied. We compared the obtained emission factors (EFs) with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 estimates for the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, which were mostly derived from studies carried out in developed countries and adapted to the conditions in Africa. The resulting EF of 75.4 ± 15.99 kg year−1 and the EFs calculated from other studies carried out in Africa indicate the need for the further development of region-specific EFs depending on animal breed, livestock systems, feed quantity, and composition to improve the IPCC Tier 1 estimates.

Comparison of nitrous acid detection using open-path incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy and extractive long-path absorption photometry

An instrument based on 20 m open-path incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS) was established at the Jülich SAPHIR chamber in Spring 2011. The setup was optimized for the detection of HONO and NO2 in the near UV region 352–386 nm, utilizing a bright hot-spot Xe-arc lamp and a UV-enhanced CCD detector. A 2σ detection limit of 26 pptv for HONO and 76 pptv for NO2 was achieved for an integration time of 1 min. Methacrolein has also been detected at mixing ratios below 5 ppbv. The IBBCEAS instrument’s performance for HONO and NO2 detection was compared to that of extractive wet techniques, long-path absorption photometry (LOPAP) and chemiluminescence spectrometry (CLS) NOx detection, respectively.