• Fast response (up to 1 Hz) allows measurements of transient events
• Accurate over a wide range of CO₂ concentrations
• Isotopic measurements unaffected by rapid changes in concentrations
• High resolution absorption spectra are user viewable and accessible
• Requires only 120 watts of power: Ideal for field applications
• (Optional) Manual injection of discrete gas samples
• (Optional) Multiport Inlet Unit (up to 16 different inlet lines)

Stable isotopes act as tracers for studying flows and fluxes of material through ecosystems and the atmosphere. In practice, scientists measure the stable carbon isotope content of air, plants and soil to quantify many phenomena including the recycling of carbon dioxide within forests, water use efficiency, partitioning ecosystem carbon exchange into its components, gross primary productivity and ecosystem respiration, and to identify and quantify the distribution and contributions of plant species to global productivity. In addition, stable isotopes of carbon may be used to determine the effectiveness of carbon sequestration strategies. For these studies, investigators require fast, accurate measurements over a wide range of carbon dioxide concentrations.  

LGR's Carbon Dioxide Isotope Analyzer is the only analyzer on the market that meets all of these requirements by providing measurements of δ¹³C as well as concentrations of  ¹³CO₂ and ¹²CO₂ with high accuracy and precision in measurement times of less than a second. In addition, LGR’s Carbon Dioxide Isotope Analyzer is easy-to-use and requires only 120 watts of power to facilitate measurements in the field and other locations where electrical power may be limited. The instrument provides accurate δ¹³C measurements over an extremely wide range of  CO₂  mixing ratios, even when values are changing rapidly.     

In addition, the availability of many value-added options and accessories extends the abilities of the unit to include measurements of discrete samples (collected in bags or vials, for example), to automatically handle multiple inlet sources (e.g., from flux towers or distributed sites for uninterrupted measurements over periods of weeks), and for measurements over an extended range of mixing ratios.

The analyzer uses LGR’s patented Off-axis ICOS technology, the fourth-generation cavity enhanced absorption technique, which employs a high-finesse optical cavity as the measurement cell. LGR’s technology has many proven advantages over conventional first-generation cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) techniques. In brief, since the laser beam does not have to be resonantly coupled to the measurement cell (i.e. precise beam alignment is not critical), LGR Analyzers are relatively inexpensive, simple to build, and inherently robust thermally and mechanically.  In addition, since LGR’s technology can record reliable absorption spectra over a far wider range of optical depths (absorbance values) compared with CRDS, LGR Analyzers provide measurements over a much wider range of mixing ratios (gas concentrations). Finally, due to the ease and simplicity of recording and quantifying the measured spectra using LGR’s Off-Axis ICOS, LGR Analyzers display the entire absorption spectra to the user in real time allowing for immediate system diagnostics and performance validation.

All LGR analyzers have an internal computer (Linux OS) that can store data practically indefinitely on its hard disk drive and send real-time data to a data logger via the digital (RS232) and Ethernet outputs. Furthermore, the Carbon Dioxide Isotope Analyzer may be controlled remotely via the internet using suitable “KVM over IP” devices. This capability allows the user to operate the Analyzer using a web browser practically anywhere internet access is available. This remote access allows bios-level control of the instrument and provides the opportunity to obtain and share data, and to diagnose instrument operation without being on site. The instrument also includes, as standard, an embedded keyboard, mouse and LCD display monitor, for your convenience.