Lead concentration and stable isotopes were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in samples from an ombrotrophic peat bog at Füramoos (southern Germany).
Major and trace element concentrations and Sr, Nd, Hf, Pb isotope ratios of global mid ocean ridge and ocean island basalt whole-rock compositions from the GEOROC and PetDB databases (2021-2022).
Key publications:
Stracke, A., Willig, M., Genske, F., Béguelin, P., & Todd, E. (2022). Chemical Geodynamics Insights From a Machine Learning Approach. In Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (Vol. 23, Issue 10). https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GC010606
Stracke, A., Willig, M., Genske, F., Béguelin, P., & Todd, E. (2022). Chemical and radiogenic isotope data of ocean island basalts from Tristan da Cunha, Gough, St. Helena, and the Cook-Austral Islands [dataset]. GRO.data. https://doi.org/10.25625/BQENGN
Gas emission measurements at an ecosystem or site relevant scale, currently require substantial infra-structure investment in terms of flux towers or hiring airplanes for measurements, which renders the methods logistically difficult, inflexible and ultimately rare. Although there are moves towards satellite based technologies for measuring gas concentrations these methods do not provide information on the potential sources, sinks and processes driving the gas emissions that stable isotope based Keeling Plot techniques do. Consequently site specific methods for gas sampling and flux portioning are still required.
Given this, hundreds if not thousands of researchers and authorities around the world are seeking new technologies to accurately measure gas emissions easily, from a vast variety of urban, natural and agro ecosystems across the globe.
In the last couple of years easy access to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has opened up new opportunities for remote gas sampling. These measurements could all be achieved at any remote site with minimal infrastructure costs, personnel training and possibilities for outsourcing of gas analysis and flux calculations. The ultimate vision of a plug and play Iso-2-Drone coupled with a full service package would open up a much larger potential market and allow local governments, industries and research organizations to secure realistic measurements of their gas fluxes at reasonable costs.
With the original FFG Iso-Drone innovation check we at CombInnoTec GmbH and the AIT took this novel state of the art idea of Iso-Drone off the drawing board to create a functional primary prototype, which established the proof of principle that an independently operated gas sampling system could be constructed. With our combined expertise in mechatronics and stable isotope greenhouse gas measurements. We proved that Iso-Drone was fit for purpose in terms of providing appropriate number and volume of gas samples needed for Keeling Plots. With significant CombInnoTec investment and two subsequent small exploratory grants from the UN we further improved the technology and demonstrated that the system was light enough to fit onto an available drone and that it was capable of accurate sampling for isotope analysis and thus calculation of GHG flux measurements specifically carbon dioxide. Now in this project we want to develop these nascent innovations and early prototypes into a commercially packaged, thoroughly tested and easily integrated gas sampling module that could fit onto any UAV's with appropriate payload capability and explore the possibilities of offering a full service package; rendering Iso-2-Drone the go to product for GHG flux measurements. We therefore want to team up with one of the forefront UAV companies in the environmental research sector in the USA, namely M3 Consulting Group, to further develop, test and place our product in a strategic position in the global market.
In eastern Hesse and western Thuringia, Germany hosts significant potassium-bearing salt deposits industrially excavated in the Werra-Fulda mining district. The salt belongs to the upper Permian (Zechstein) and was deposited around 258 to 252.5 Ma ago. In the Werra-Fulda mining district, the halite rocks (Werra-Rocksalt, z1NA) contain two minable potash seams, potash Seam Thüringen (z1KTh) and potash Seam Hessen (z1KHe), with an average thickness between 2 m and 3 m (Figure 1). To investigate the chemical and isotopic composition of the gas phase of Seam Hessen, gaseous samples were collected from five, 2-meter deep, horizontal boreholes drilled in the potash horizon which is mined at a depth of 540 m.
About 4 weeks in advance of the gas sampling, the packer-closed boreholes were evacuated to about 3kPa and the pressure gradient inside the holes was continuously monitored in the boreholes D1 to D5. Selected gas samples were analyzed for their noble gas isotopic composition and the δ13C values of CO2 and CH4. The noble gas isotopic compositions were determined using a VG 5400 noble gas mass spectrometer after purification in a preparation line.
The carbon isotope compositions were analysed with a GC-IRMS, comprising a GC 6890N connected to a GC-C/TC III combustion device and coupled to a MAT 253 mass spectrometer. The standard deviation of the δ13C values (in ‰ vs. VPDB) is ± 0.5 ‰.
The data are provided as one, Excel file with three spreadsheets as well as three individual, tab-delimited text files.