A membrane inlet mass spectrometry system for noble gases at natural abundances in gas and water samples

Visser, A.; Singleton, Michael; Hillegonds, D. J.; Moran, J. E.; Esser, Bradley K.

doi:10.1002/rcm.6704

Cited by 24 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The signal intensity for 40 Ar is too high to be read accurately using the SEM at our operating pressure (Visser et al, 2013). The signal intensities for 36 Ar and 38 Ar are at least 40 and 8 times higher, respectively, than the other noble gases we measure.…”

Section: Measurement Componentsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…The O 2 /Ar ratio and the O 2 concentration could be used to derive the Ar concentration (Eveleth et al, 2014;Hamme et al, 2012) and the other noble gas concentrations could be determined from the GEMS noble gas ratios and the Ar concentration. Another potential modification is changing the system to measure individual samples, instead of a continuous gas stream (Visser et al, 2013;Machler et al, 2012).…”

Section: Comparison With Other Published Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These systems have dramatically expanded the oceanic data sets of O 2 , Ar, and other gases as they obtain large quantities of data at relative ease compared to discrete sampling methods. Although portable methods for measuring the lower abundance noble gases were recently published (Machler et al, 2012;Visser et al, 2013), these methods do not obtain sufficient precision for oceanic applications.…”

Section: A New Field-deployable Noble Gas Mass Spectrometer -Chaptermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Published methods of noble gas analysis purify the gas stream using low temperature (cryogenic) traps and/or chemical purification (Stanley et al, 2009a;Sano and Takahata, 2005;Severinghaus et al, 2003;Visser et al, 2013). In-line purification with getters is ideal for a portable system because it does not require any additional maintenance in the field, nor the transport of cryogenic liquids.…”

Section: Measurement Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insight into chemical, biological, and physical processes in coastal waters from dissolved oxygen and inert gas tracers

Manning¹

2017

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In this thesis, I use coastal measurements of dissolved O 2 and inert gases to provide insight into the chemical, biological, and physical processes that impact the oceanic cycles of carbon and dissolved gases. Dissolved O 2 concentration and triple isotopic composition trace net and gross biological productivity. The saturation states of inert gases trace physical processes, such as air-water gas exchange, temperature change, and mixing, that affect all gases.First, I developed a field-deployable system that measures Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe gas ratios in water. It has precision and accuracy of 1 % or better, enables near-continuous measurements, and has much lower cost compared to existing laboratory-based methods. The system will increase the scientific community's access to use dissolved noble gases as environmental tracers.Second, I measured O 2 and five noble gases during a cruise in Monterey Bay, California. I developed a vertical model and found that accurately parameterizing bubble-mediated gas exchange was necessary to accurately simulate the He and Ne measurements. I present the first comparison of multiple gas tracer, incubation, and sediment trap-based productivity estimates in the coastal ocean. Net community production estimated from 15 NO -3 uptake and O 2 /Ar gave equivalent results at steady state. Underway O 2 /Ar measurements revealed submesoscale variability that was not apparent from daily incubations.Third, I quantified productivity by O 2 mass balance and air-water gas exchange by dual tracer ( 3 He/SF 6 ) release during ice melt in the Bras d'Or Lakes, a Canadian estuary. The gas transfer velocity at >90 % ice cover was 6 % of the rate for nearly ice-free conditions. Rates of volumetric gross primary production were similar when the estuary was completely ice-covered and ice-free, and the ecosystem was on average net autotrophic during ice melt and net heterotrophic following ice melt. I present a method for incorporating the isotopic composition of H 2 O into the O 2 isotope-based productivity calculations, which increases the estimated gross primary production in this study by 46-97 %.In summary, I describe a new noble gas analysis system and apply O 2 and inert gas observations in new ways to study chemical, biological, and physical processes in coastal waters.

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Section: Measurement Componentsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Comparison With Other Published Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A New Field-deployable Noble Gas Mass Spectrometer -Chaptermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Measurement Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Insight into chemical, biological, and physical processes in coastal waters from dissolved oxygen and inert gas tracers

Manning¹

2017

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“…Noble gas and helium isotope samples were collected in 10 mL crimped copper tubes and were analyzed at the LLNL noble gas mass spectrometry facility [22][23][24]. Measurement uncertainty is 2% for the helium isotope ratio and dissolved concentrations of helium, neon and argon and is 3% for krypton and xenon concentrations.…”

Section: Sample Collection and Data Reductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracers Reveal Recharge Elevations, Groundwater Flow Paths and Travel Times on Mount Shasta, California

Peters

Visser

Esser

et al. 2018

Water

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Mount Shasta (4322 m) is famous for its spring water. Water for municipal, domestic and industrial use is obtained from local springs and wells, fed by annual snow melt and sustained perennially by the groundwater flow system. We examined geochemical and isotopic tracers in samples from wells and springs on Mount Shasta, at the headwaters of the Sacramento River, in order to better understand the hydrologic system. The topographic relief in the study area imparts robust signatures of recharge elevation to both stable isotopes of the water molecule (δ 18 O and δD) and to dissolved noble gases, offering tools to identify recharge areas and delineate groundwater flow paths. Recharge elevations determined using stable isotopes and noble gas recharge temperatures are in close agreement and indicate that most snowmelt infiltrates at elevations between 2000 m and 2900 m, which coincides with areas of thin soils and barren land cover. Large springs in Mt Shasta City discharge at an elevation more than 1600 m lower. High elevation springs (>2000 m) yield very young water (<2 years) while lower elevation wells (1000-1500 m) produce water with a residence time ranging from 6 years to over 60 years, based on observed tritium activities. Upslope movement of the tree line in the identified recharge elevation range due to a warming climate is likely to decrease infiltration and recharge, which will decrease spring discharge and production at wells, albeit with a time lag dependent upon the length of groundwater flow paths.

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Importance of river water recharge to the San Joaquin Valley groundwater system

Visser

Moran

Singleton

et al. 2018

Hydrological Processes

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Groundwater is not a sustainable resource, unless abstraction is balanced by recharge. Identifying the sources of recharge in a groundwater basin is critical for sustainable groundwater management. We studied the importance of river water recharge to groundwater in the south‐eastern San Joaquin Valley (24,000 km2, population 4 million). We combined dissolved noble gas concentrations, stable isotopes, tritium, and carbon‐14 analyses to analyse the sources, mechanisms, and timescales of groundwater recharge. Area‐representative groundwater sampling and numerical model input data enabled a stable isotope mass balance and quantitative estimates of river and local recharge. River recharge, identified by a lighter stable isotope signature, represents 47 ± 4% of modern groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley (recharged after 1950) but only 26 ± 4% of premodern groundwater (recharged before 1950). This implies that the importance of river water recharge in the San Joaquin valley has nearly doubled and is likely the result of a 40% increase in total recharge, caused by river water irrigation return flows and increased stream depletion and river recharge due to groundwater pumping. Compared with the large and long‐duration capacity for water storage in the subsurface, storage of water in rivers is limited in time and volume, as evidenced by cold river recharge temperatures resulting from fast infiltration and recharge. Groundwater banking of seasonal surface water flows and expansion of managed aquifer recharge practices therefore appear to be a natural and promising method for increasing the resilience of the San Joaquin Valley water supply system.

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A membrane inlet mass spectrometry system for noble gases at natural abundances in gas and water samples

Cited by 24 publications

References 41 publications

Insight into chemical, biological, and physical processes in coastal waters from dissolved oxygen and inert gas tracers

Insight into chemical, biological, and physical processes in coastal waters from dissolved oxygen and inert gas tracers

Tracers Reveal Recharge Elevations, Groundwater Flow Paths and Travel Times on Mount Shasta, California

Importance of river water recharge to the San Joaquin Valley groundwater system

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