Automated Determination of Greenhouse Gases by gas chromatography; a lynchpin technique for nutrient sources, rates and fate in freshwaters and watersheds

我们在流域生态地球化学方面的长期和成功的研究计划专注于重要的社会问题，如富营养化，污染物的大气沉积，温室气体排放，饮用水安全，废水处理和气候变化。 我们的专业知识是开发和应用同位素和非同位素示踪剂，以提供无法从其他方法收集的信息。这一努力的基础是对包括氮、氧和碳在内的生命元素进行定量分析。在此，我们请求提供资金，用于建立一个测量溶解在沃茨中的气体中这些元素的重要形式的仪器，以获得从原始高北极流域到高度城市化环境的土壤、沃茨、湿地和湖泊中养分循环的重要信息。该仪器是我们分析研究实验室的核心，取代了一个不起作用的，过时的和不可维修的单元。 研究生和本科生将大量使用这些设备，他们接受培训，分析自己的样本，研究对加拿大社会很重要的这些环境问题。

Our longstanding and successful research program on the biogeochemistry of watersheds focuses on important societal issues such as eutrophication, atmospheric deposition of contaminants, greenhouse gas emissions, drinking water security, wastewater disposal and climate change. Our specialized expertise is in the development and application of isotopic and non-isotopic tracers to provide information that cannot be gleaned from other methods. Fundamental to this endeavour is the quantitative analysis of the elements of life including nitrogen, oxygen and carbon. Here we request funding for an instrument that measures the important forms of these elements in gases dissolved in waters to gain critical information on nutrient cycling in soils, waters, wetlands and lakes in locations that range from pristine High Arctic watersheds to heavily urbanized settings. This instrument is at the heart of our analytical research laboratory and replaces a non-functioning, outdated and non-serviceable unit. The equipment will be heavily used by graduate and undergraduate students who are trained to analyze their own samples for their research on these environmental issues that are important to Canadian society.