Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are not typically associated with water ways, like streams and rivers, but emerging research shows that water bodies play an important role in storing and releasing carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are not typically associated with water ways, like streams and rivers, 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 University of New Hampshire looked at a way to optimize CO2 sensors to better measure carbon dioxide emissions in lotic, or moving, bodies of water offering a new tool that can help provide valuable information for everything from land use to climate action plans.
“These sensors, adapted for highly dynamic flow like floods, 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,” said Wilfred Wollheim, associate professor of natural resources and environment.
The study published in Limnology and Oceanography: Methods 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. The researchers also chose materials known to limit damage to the sensor by microorganisms. The team plans to make these sensor modifications publicly available, allowing other scientists to use the design.
Read more at University of New Hampshire
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