Evaluation of photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy for simultaneous measurement of N₂O and CO₂ gas concentrations and fluxes at the soil surface

Abstract

Simultaneous measurement of N₂O and CO₂ flux at the soil surface with photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy (PAS) is gaining popularity due to portability, low maintenance, and ease-of-operation. However, the ability of PAS to measure N₂O with accuracy and precision similar to gas chromatography (GC) is uncertain due to overlap in N₂O, CO₂, and H₂O absorbance spectra combined with the large range in analyte concentrations. We tested the ability of six PAS units to simultaneously measure N₂O and CO₂ gas concentrations and fluxes with accuracy and precision similar to two GC units. We also evaluated H₂O vapor and CO₂ interferences with N₂O measurement. The accuracy and precision of standard gas concentration measurements with PAS and GC were similar. High water vapor (~26 600 ppm) and CO₂ concentrations (~4500 ppm) did not interfere with N₂O measurement across the concentration range typically observed in static flux chambers at the soil surface (~0.5–3.0 ppm N₂O). On average, N₂O fluxes measured with the six PAS were 4.7% higher than one GC and 9.9% lower than the second GC.