Procedure for fast simultaneous analysis of the greenhouse gases: Methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide in air samples

A comprehensive procedure has been developed and is reported here for (i) sampling air above a soil surface and (ii) analyzing it for the three greenhouse gases: methane (CH4 ), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O). The automated gas-chromatography procedure simultaneously analyzes for CH4 , CO2 , and N2O and has a precision of 0.87, 2.17, and 0.74%, respectively. Method-detection limits are 0.04 ppm for CH4 , 25.5 ppm for CO2 , and 7.4 ppb for N2O. The procedure is used to monitor greenhouse gas exchanges at soil surfaces; its precision and automated ability to analyze large sample numbers produces quality data available for upscaling and modeling for inventory purposes; and it is used for developing a process-based understanding of the mechanisms controlling greenhouse gas fluxes at the soil surface, which can then be applied to develop mitigation strategies.