Long-path FTIR measurements of atmospheric trace gas concentrations

Abstract

Extending the ecological knowledge base to larger scales with require new measurement tools. Long-path Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is a promising technology because of its ability to measure the concentration of multiple trace gases simultaneously over spatial scales up to 1km. Detection limits reaching 1 μL/kL for numerous gases make this a powerful method with the potential to study spatial patterning of biological processes, fluxes between ecosystems, important processing pathways within terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and scale-dependent processing phenomena. -from Authors