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Equilibrator-based measurements of dissolved methane in the surface ocean using an integrated cavity output laser absorption spectrometer

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Abstract

A new off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (ICOS) is coupled to Weiss equilibrator for continuous high-resolution dissolved methane measurement in the surface ocean. The time constant for the equilibrator in freshwater at room temperature is determined via dis-equilibration and re-equilibration experiments. The constant for methane is about 40 min. The system is calibrated using a standard gas of 3.980×10−6, and the precision of the ICOS for methane is 0.07%. This system is equipped onboard to measure the spatial distribution in methane concentrations of South Yellow Sea (SYS) along the cruise track from Shanghai to Qingdao. Result shows that the methane concentration varies from 2.79 to 36.36 nmol/L, reveals a significant pattern of methane source in SYS, and a distinct decreasing trend from south to north. The peak value occurs at the coast area outside mouth of the Changjiang River, likely to be affected by the Changjiang diluted water mass dissolving a large amount of rich in methane. Moreover, all the surface waters are oversaturated, air-to-sea fluxes range from 98.59 to 5 485.35 μmol/(m2·d) (average value (1 169.74±1 398.46) μmol/(m2·d)), indicating a source region for methane to the atmosphere.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Global Change and Marine-Atmospheric Chemistry, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Yuhong Li, Liyang Zhan, Jiexia Zhang & Liqi Chen

  2. Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Yuhong Li, Liyang Zhan, Jiexia Zhang & Liqi Chen

Authors
  1. Yuhong Li
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  2. Liyang Zhan
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  3. Jiexia Zhang
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  4. Liqi Chen
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Correspondence to Liyang Zhan.

Additional information

Foundation item: The Scientific Research Foundation of Third Institute of Oceangraphy under contract No. 2013004; the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under contract Nos 40906102 and 41230529; the CHINARE under contract Nos 2012-2013 (01-04-02), (01-02-01) and (03-04-02).

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Li, Y., Zhan, L., Zhang, J. et al. Equilibrator-based measurements of dissolved methane in the surface ocean using an integrated cavity output laser absorption spectrometer. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 34, 34–41 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-015-0685-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-015-0685-9

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