Results are presented for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as a method for measuring salt concentrations in seawater aerosol droplets. An excimer laser, operating at high pulse energy with KrF gas (λ = 248 nm) produces laser-induced breakdown plasmas in an aerosol spray. Emission lines of Na and H are monitored with an optical multichannel analyzer to characterize the plasma spatially and temporally. Studies of temporally resolved atomic line emissions from the plasma determine the optimum time for gating of the detector to be 2–4 μs after the excimer laser pulse arrives in the probe volume. Spatially resolved measurements of atomic emission line intensities are studied by positioning a stream of monodisperse droplets at various locations relative to the measurement probe volume. The electron temperature of the plasma is estimated to be 12,600 ± 4600 K, averaged over 1700 measurements during a 100-ns interval 2 μs after breakdown. Calibration curves are presented relating the Na(I) 589-nm to Hα 656.3-nm intensity ratio as a function of Na concentration, ranging from 100 to 10,000 ppm. Limits of detection for Na by the current method under the experimental conditions are estimated to be approximately 165 ppm for monodisperse sprays and 925 ppm for one case involving a polydisperse spray. Droplet diameter strongly influences the observed emission intensity ratio.

A 3-year field lysimeter experiment was performed to determine transformations of 15N-labeled cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) residues incorporated into lysimeter topsoil in a potato (Solanum tuberosum)/cauliflower rotation. Only the potato crop received 150 kg mineral N ha −1 y −1 . Cauliflower yields were high (12-13 t fresh matter ha −1 ), and N returned to the soil represented 51% of the aboveground plant N uptake. The 15N recovery by the potato/cauliflower rotation began at 46%, then decreased sharply to 12 and 6% for the second and third year, respectively. The cumulative 15N leaching rate was only 3%; 63% remained in the soil 3 years after incorporation. Soil N mineralization rates described by a parallel first-order kinetic model predicted 27, 7 and 6% of residual N lost annually during the first, second and third year, respectively. Thus, a potato/cauliflower rotation with moderate N fertilization optimizes N recovery of crop residues and can control leaching loss efficiently.

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