Articles | Volume 21, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1903-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1903-2024
Technical note
 | 
17 Apr 2024
Technical note |  | 17 Apr 2024

Technical note: Preventing CO2 overestimation from mercuric or copper(II) chloride preservation of dissolved greenhouse gases in freshwater samples

François Clayer, Jan Erik Thrane, Kuria Ndungu, Andrew King, Peter Dörsch, and Thomas Rohrlack

Related authors

Water chemistry and greenhouse gas concentrations in waterbodies of a thawing permafrost peatland complex in northern Norway
Jacqueline Kay Knutson, François Clayer, Peter Dörsch, Sebastian Westermann, and Heleen A. de Wit
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-184,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-184, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Sources of skill in lake temperature, discharge and ice-off seasonal forecasting tools
François Clayer, Leah Jackson-Blake, Daniel Mercado-Bettín, Muhammed Shikhani, Andrew French, Tadhg Moore, James Sample, Magnus Norling, Maria-Dolores Frias, Sixto Herrera, Elvira de Eyto, Eleanor Jennings, Karsten Rinke, Leon van der Linden, and Rafael Marcé
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1361–1381, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1361-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1361-2023, 2023
Short summary
Seasonal forecasting of lake water quality and algal bloom risk using a continuous Gaussian Bayesian network
Leah A. Jackson-Blake, François Clayer, Sigrid Haande, James E. Sample, and S. Jannicke Moe
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3103–3124, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3103-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3103-2022, 2022
Short summary
Opportunities for seasonal forecasting to support water management outside the tropics
Leah A. Jackson-Blake, François Clayer, Elvira de Eyto, Andrew S. French, María Dolores Frías, Daniel Mercado-Bettín, Tadhg Moore, Laura Puértolas, Russell Poole, Karsten Rinke, Muhammed Shikhani, Leon van der Linden, and Rafael Marcé
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 1389–1406, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1389-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1389-2022, 2022
Short summary
Mineralization of organic matter in boreal lake sediments: rates, pathways, and nature of the fermenting substrates
François Clayer, Yves Gélinas, André Tessier, and Charles Gobeil
Biogeosciences, 17, 4571–4589, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4571-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4571-2020, 2020
Short summary

Related subject area

Biogeochemistry: Greenhouse Gases
Interferences caused by the biogeochemical methane cycle in peats during the assessment of abandoned oil wells
Sebastian F. A. Jordan, Stefan Schloemer, Martin Krüger, Tanja Heffner, Marcus A. Horn, and Martin Blumenberg
Biogeosciences, 22, 809–830, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-809-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-809-2025, 2025
Short summary
Carbon sequestration in different urban vegetation types in Southern Finland
Laura Thölix, Leif Backman, Minttu Havu, Esko Karvinen, Jesse Soininen, Justine Trémeau, Olli Nevalainen, Joyson Ahongshangbam, Leena Järvi, and Liisa Kulmala
Biogeosciences, 22, 725–749, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-725-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-725-2025, 2025
Short summary
Proglacial methane emissions driven by meltwater and groundwater flushing in a high-Arctic glacial catchment
Gabrielle E. Kleber, Leonard Magerl, Alexandra V. Turchyn, Stefan Schloemer, Mark Trimmer, Yizhu Zhu, and Andrew Hodson
Biogeosciences, 22, 659–674, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-659-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-659-2025, 2025
Short summary
Seasonal and interannual variability in CO2 fluxes in southern Africa seen by GOSAT
Eva-Marie Metz, Sanam Noreen Vardag, Sourish Basu, Martin Jung, and André Butz
Biogeosciences, 22, 555–584, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-555-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-555-2025, 2025
Short summary
Air temperature and precipitation constraining the modelled wetland methane emissions in a boreal region in northern Europe
Tuula Aalto, Aki Tsuruta, Jarmo Mäkelä, Jurek Müller, Maria Tenkanen, Eleanor Burke, Sarah Chadburn, Yao Gao, Vilma Mannisenaho, Thomas Kleinen, Hanna Lee, Antti Leppänen, Tiina Markkanen, Stefano Materia, Paul A. Miller, Daniele Peano, Olli Peltola, Benjamin Poulter, Maarit Raivonen, Marielle Saunois, David Wårlind, and Sönke Zaehle
Biogeosciences, 22, 323–340, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-323-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-323-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Akima, H.: A method of bivariate interpolation and smooth surface fitting based on local procedures, Commun. ACM, 17, 18–20, https://doi.org/10.1145/360767.360779, 1974. 
Allison, J., Brown, D., and Novo-Gradac, K.: MINTEQA2/PRODEFA2, a geochemical assessment model for environmental systems: Version 3. 0 user's manual, US Environmental Protection Agency, GA, PB-91-182469/XAB; EPA-600/3-91/021, https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5673069 (last access: 15 April 2024), 1991. 
Amorim, M. J. B. and Scott-Fordsmand, J. J.: Toxicity of copper nanoparticles and CuCl2 salt to Enchytraeus albidus worms: Survival, reproduction and avoidance responses, Environ. Pollut., 164, 164–168, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2012.01.015, 2012. 
Atekwana, E. A., Molwalefhe, L., Kgaodi, O., and Cruse, A. M.: Effect of evapotranspiration on dissolved inorganic carbon and stable carbon isotopic evolution in rivers in semi-arid climates: The Okavango Delta in North West Botswana, J. Hydrol. Reg. Stud., 7, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2016.05.003, 2016. 
Borges, A. V., Darchambeau, F., Lambert, T., Morana, C., Allen, G. H., Tambwe, E., Toengaho Sembaito, A., Mambo, T., Nlandu Wabakhangazi, J., Descy, J.-P., Teodoru, C. R., and Bouillon, S.: Variations in dissolved greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) in the Congo River network overwhelmingly driven by fluvial-wetland connectivity, Biogeosciences, 16, 3801–3834, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3801-2019, 2019. 
Download
Short summary
Determination of dissolved greenhouse gas (GHG) in freshwater allows us to estimate GHG fluxes. Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) is used to preserve water samples prior to GHG analysis despite its environmental and health impacts and interferences with water chemistry in freshwater. Here, we tested the effects of HgCl2, two substitutes and storage time on GHG in water from two boreal lakes. Preservation with HgCl2 caused overestimation of CO2 concentration with consequences for GHG flux estimation.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint