N达勒姆.H. — Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are not typically associated with water ways, 像小溪和河流, but emerging research shows that water bodies play an important role in storing and releasing carbon dioxide. As many states look for cost-effective ways to mitigate climate change, scientists at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station at the 永利app新版本官网地址 looked at a way to optimize CO2 sensors to better measure carbon dioxide emissions in lotic, 或移动, bodies of water offering a new tool that can help provide valuable information for everything from land use to climate action plans.

“这些传感器, 适应高动态流量，如洪水, allow us to see if a disproportionate amount of CO2 is transferred from land during short periods of time, and whether this can contribute significant emissions to the atmosphere,威尔弗雷德·沃尔海姆说, associate professor of natural resources and environment.

这项研究发表在 湖沼学与海洋学:方法 outlines how the researchers modified an existing sensor—originally developed to measure dissolved carbon dioxide in oceans—by adding a protective housing that accounted for changing water levels and unidirectional flow of running water. 的 researchers also chose materials known to limit damage to the sensor by microorganisms. 的 team plans to make these sensor modifications publicly available, 允许其他科学家使用这个设计.

“在做出这些调整之后, we found the sensors to be quite reliable in measuring carbon dioxide in streams,” said graduate student Drew Robison ’21 and lead author. “We were able to differentiate between streams that were bigger sources of CO2 and start to examine when and why moments of high CO2 emissions occurred.”

In addition to being able to accurately measure CO2 levels in streams and rivers, the researchers wanted to significantly increase the frequency at which emissions could be captured, helping to better understand the impacts of extreme precipitation events and other periods when there could be disruptions to normal observed water flow rates.

的 researchers say this information could be particularly important in determining how land use choices may alter the CO2 regimes of streams and rivers. 例如, 如果把森林开发成农场, 或者是郊区社区, the sensors could help understand the mechanism of any change, such as altering stream metabolism or the runoff dynamics.

Wollheim has begun related sensor modification projects to measure carbon and nitrogen in other environments, 包括森林和农业用地. 这些传感器将专注于土壤特征, potentially providing farmers and other land managers with almost real-time information for optimizing soil nutrients to support their farming operations and minimizing excess fertilizer applications that could lead to runoff and surplus nutrients in nearby lakes, 池塘和其他水体.

这项工作得到了联合国的支持.H. Agricultural Experiment Station through joint funding provided by the National Institute of Food and 农业 and the state of New Hampshire, as well as funding from the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research program.

的 永利app新版本官网地址 inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. 超过16个,000 students from 49 states and 82 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, 工程, 法律, 卫生和公共服务, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. 卡内基R1分类机构, 联合国大学与美国宇航局合作, 美国国家海洋和大气管理局, NSF, 和国家卫生研究院, and received over $210 million in competitive external funding in FY23 to further explore and define the frontiers of land, 海洋与太空.

图片下载

http://colsa.主要研究.edu/sites/default/files/media/2024-02/colsa-co2-sensor-lotic-environment.jpg

描述:传感器, used for tracking carbon emissions from bodies of water, has been retrofitted to a floating apparatus for use in streams, 河流和其他流动的水体. 的 floatation allows the sensor to rise and fall with changing water levels in lotic environments.

图片来源:德鲁·罗宾逊

http://colsa.主要研究.edu/sites/default/files/media/2024-02/colsa-co2-sensor-diagram-of-sensor.png

Caption: A diagram showing a cross section of the lotic sensor and sensor components modified by researchers from UNH's 生命科学学院 and 农业.

图片来源:德鲁·罗宾逊

http://colsa.主要研究.edu/sites/default/files/media/2024-02/colsa-co2-sensor-perforated-tube.jpg 

Caption: Photo showing submerged portion of sensor with copper tape coating designed to limit damage from microorganisms.

图片来源:德鲁·罗宾逊

http://secure.xmlfd.net/unhtoday/sites/default/files/media/colsa-co2-sensor-graphic-lotic-environment.png

Caption: Images from left to right: 1) Diagram showing cross section of sensor and sensor components; 2) Photo of sensor attached to floating apparatus, which allows for vertical up and down movement to account for changes in water level; and 3) Photo showing submerged portion of sensor with copper tape coating designed to limit damage from microorganisms.