A New Integrated Analysis Procedure for Processing Large Volumes of Near-Continuous Greenhouse Gas Concentration Data.

The long-term measurement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is an essential endeavor for evaluating the environmental impact of current and new agro-ecosystems. Major projects associated with the Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) programs situated at MSUs Kellogg Biological Station in SW Michigan, require intensive sampling to quantify the variation of GHG emissions from the agro-ecosystems and crop management practices being investigated.

The very large number of samples collected from these projects demand efficient and near-immediate analysis to generate emissions data output that is accurate and reliable. 

Here we present a new integrated technique that combines automation code, gas chromatographic software analysis, and empirical field information to generate a continuous gas flux data stream as a graphical output and that is readily accessible to QA/QC procedures.