This practical handbook provides a clearly structured, concise and comprehensive account of the huge variety of atmospheric and related measurements relevant to meteorologists and for the purpose of weather forecasting and climate research, but also to the practitioner in the wider field of environmental physics and ecology. The Springer Handbook of Atmospheric Measurements is divided into six parts: The first part offers instructive descriptions of the basics of atmospheric measurements and the multitude of their influencing factors, fundamentals of quality control and standardization, as well as equations and tables of atmospheric, water, and soil quantities. The subsequent parts present classical in-situ measurements as well as remote sensing techniques from both ground-based as well as airborn or satellite-based methods. The next part focusses on complex measurements and methods that integrate different techniques to establish more holistic data. Brief discussions of measurements in soils and water, at plants, in urban and rural environments and for renewable energies demonstrate the potential of such applications. The final part provides an overview of atmospheric and ecological networks. Written by distinguished experts from academia and industry, each of the 64 chapters provides in-depth discussions of the available devices with their specifications, aspects of quality control, maintenance as well as their potential for the future. A large number of thoroughly compiled tables of physical quantities, sensors and system characteristics make this handbook a unique, universal and useful reference for the practitioner and absolutely essential for researchers, students, and technicians.

Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry of Light Gas-Forming Elements explores different methods of isotope analysis, including spark, secondary ion, laser, glow discharge, and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. It explains how to evaluate the isotopic composition of light elements (H, C, N, O) in solid, liquid, and gaseous samples of organic and inorganic substances, as well as: Presents a universal, economical, simple, and rapid technique for sample preparation of organic substances to measure the isotopic composition of carbon Describes how to determine microbial mineralization of organic matter in soil and the effect of exogenous substrates on environmental sustainability Examines use of the isotopic composition of n-alkanes from continental vegetation to study the paleoclimate and plant physiology Proposes a systematic approach to identifying tobacco areas of origin and tobacco products based on data from the isotopic composition of light elements Discusses ways to detect doping drugs and suggests results assessment criteria based on determining reference intervals for endogenous markers Reviews methods of release of gases from inclusions of rocks and minerals for further implementation of isotope mass spectrometric analysis Considers use of optical isotope analyzers for determining the isotopic composition of carbon in CO2 and of hydrogen and oxygen in water Providing a complete picture of the latest advancements in the field, Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry of Light Gas-Forming Elements aids readers from a variety of disciplines in identifying the fundamental processes in biological, ecological, and geological systems and in revealing the subtle features of many physicochemical processes and chemical transformations.

The use of gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) for compound specific stable isotope analysis is an underutilized technique because of the complexity of the instrumentation and high analytical costs. However stable isotopic data, when coupled with concentration measurements, can provide additional information on a compounds production, transformation, loss, and cycling within the biosphere and atmosphere. A GC-IRMS system was developed to accurately and precisely measure [delta]13C values for numerous oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) having natural and anthropogenic sources. The OVOCs include methanol, ethanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, 2-pentanone, and 3-pentanone. Guided by the requirements for analysis of trace components in air, the GC-IRMS system was developed with the goals of increasing sensitivity, reducing dead-volume and peak band broadening, optimizing combustion and water removal, and decreasing the split ratio to the IRMS. The technique relied on a two-stage preconcentration system, a low-volume capillary reactor and water trap, and a balanced reference gas delivery system. Measurements were performed on samples collected from two distinct sources (i.e. biogenic and vehicle emissions) and ambient air collected from downtown Miami and Everglades National Park. However, the instrumentation and the method have the capability to analyze a variety of source and ambient samples. The measured isotopic signatures that were obtained from source and ambient samples provide a new isotopic constraint for atmospheric chemists and can serve as a new way to evaluate their models and budgets for many OVOCs. In almost all cases, OVOCs emitted from fuel combustion were enriched in 13C when compared to the natural emissions of plants. This was particularly true for ethanol gas emitted in vehicle exhaust, which was observed to have a uniquely enriched isotopic signature that was attributed to ethanol's corn origin and use as an alternative fuel or fuel additive. Results from this effort show that ethanol's unique isotopic signature can be incorporated into air chemistry models for fingerprinting and source apportionment purposes and can be used as a stable isotopic tracer for biofuel inputs to the atmosphere on local to regional scales.

This volume details the principles and instrumentation of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (CG-MS), and outlines industrial, environmental, pharmaceutical, clinical, toxicological, forensic and food-related applications, revealing findings from the laboratories of 40 contributing scientists around the world using GC-MS in practice. It describes upstream and downstream applications of GC-MS in the petroleum industry and identifies chlorinated compounds in the environment with quadrupole ion-trap technology and high-resolution sector instruments.