CAS-Climate: Acquisition of an Ultraportable Field CO2 Isotope Analyzer and a Soil Gas Flux Chamber to Investigate CO2 Efflux and Stable Carbon Isotopes in Carbon Cycling Research

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Understanding how ecosystems “breath”, or exchange carbon dioxide (CO2) between the soil and the atmosphere, is critical to carbon cycle research. An important component is to understand the rate at which CO2 is lost from the ecosystem; however, measuring concentrations and fluxes alone cannot discern contributions from different components of the ecosystem. For example, a molecule of carbon dioxide that moves from the soil to the atmosphere may be due to geogenic or biological processes, and the latter can include respiration of soil microorganisms, plant roots, or a mixture of both. By evaluating the isotopic composition of the CO2 in soils, we can uncover information about the origin and underlying processes that control CO2 production. The purchase of a CO2 Isotope Analyzer will allow us to gain a better understanding of the carbon cycle in NSF-funded research across a variety of ecosystems and will support ongoing educational and outreach activities. This project seeks to purchase an isotope analyzer along with peripherals to perform measurements of the efflux and isotopic signature of 13C-CO2 across a variety of NSF-funded research projects. Soil CO2 fluxes and 13C-CO2 are complementary information to understand the underlying processes of CO2 production and provide insights on carbon cycling from local to global scales. New technological advances allow to perform these measurements in situ and in a continuous way to better understand the temporal dynamics of soil CO2 production and efflux. The purchase of a CO2 Isotope Analyzer will allow us to gain a better understanding of the carbon cycle in multiple NSF-funded projects across a variety of ecosystems and will support ongoing educational and outreach activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.