Capillary absorption spectroscopy for high temporal resolution measurements of stable carbon isotopes in soil and plant-based systems.

Capillary Absorption Spectroscopy (CAS) is a relatively new analytical technique for performing stable isotope analysis. Here, we demonstrate the utility of CAS by recording and quantifying variation in 13C in controlled and biologically relevant applications. We calibrated CAS system response to increased 13CO2, with an observed ∼4‰ increase in measured Δ13C for each 0.03 ppm shift in 13CO2 concentration. We leveraged this calibration to quantify rates of biogeochemical processes using a 13C tracer. For example, we monitored microbial respiration of 13C-glucose within an agricultural soil at 10 s quantification intervals and results demonstrated 8.6% ± 0.4 of added glucose was converted to 13CO2 within 1.5 h of incubation. We expanded the demonstration by adapting a rhizobox to permit continuous monitoring of 13CO2 in a soil (as distinct from plant) headspace to track the timing and quantify respiration rates of fresh plant photosynthate and observed a 3.5 h delay between plant exposure to a13CO2 tracer and the first signs of respiration by soil biota. These experiments highlight CAS is effective in producing high temporal resolution quantification of 13CO2 and demonstrate potential applications.

Evidence of long-term NAO influence on East-Central Europe winter precipitation from a guano-derived δ15N record.

Currently there is a scarcity of paleo-records related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), particularly in East-Central Europe (ECE). Here we report δ15N analysis of guano from a cave in NW Romania with the intent of reconstructing past variation in ECE hydroclimate and examine NAO impacts on winter precipitation. We argue that the δ15N values of guano indicate that the nitrogen cycle is hydrologically controlled and the δ15N values likely reflect winter precipitation related to nitrogen mineralization prior to the growing season. Drier conditions indicated by δ15N values at AD 1848-1852 and AD 1880-1930 correspond to the positive phase of the NAO. The increased frequency of negative phases of the NAO between AD 1940-1975 is contemporaneous with higher δ15N values (wetter conditions). A 4‰ decrease in δ15N values at the end of the 1970's corresponds to a strong reduction in precipitation associated with a shift from negative to positive phase of the NAO. Using the relationship between NAO index and δ15N values in guano for the instrumental period, we reconstructed NAO-like phases back to AD 1650. Our results advocate that δ15N values of guano offer a proxy of the NAO conditions in the more distant past, helping assess its predictability.