Articles | Volume 22, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1767-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1767-2025
Technical note
 | 
09 Apr 2025
Technical note |  | 09 Apr 2025

Technical note: Testing a new approach for the determination of N2 fixation rates by coupling a membrane equilibrator to a mass spectrometer for long-term observations

Sören Iwe, Oliver Schmale, and Bernd Schneider

Related authors

Cyanobacteria net community production in the Baltic Sea as inferred from profiling pCO2 measurements
Jens Daniel Müller, Bernd Schneider, Ulf Gräwe, Peer Fietzek, Marcus Bo Wallin, Anna Rutgersson, Norbert Wasmund, Siegfried Krüger, and Gregor Rehder
Biogeosciences, 18, 4889–4917, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4889-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4889-2021, 2021
Short summary
Upwelling-induced trace gas dynamics in the Baltic Sea inferred from 8 years of autonomous measurements on a ship of opportunity
Erik Jacobs, Henry C. Bittig, Ulf Gräwe, Carolyn A. Graves, Michael Glockzin, Jens D. Müller, Bernd Schneider, and Gregor Rehder
Biogeosciences, 18, 2679–2709, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2679-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2679-2021, 2021
Short summary
Controls on zooplankton methane production in the central Baltic Sea
Beate Stawiarski, Stefan Otto, Volker Thiel, Ulf Gräwe, Natalie Loick-Wilde, Anna K. Wittenborn, Stefan Schloemer, Janine Wäge, Gregor Rehder, Matthias Labrenz, Norbert Wasmund, and Oliver Schmale
Biogeosciences, 16, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1-2019,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1-2019, 2019
Short summary
Structure and functioning of the acid–base system in the Baltic Sea
Karol Kuliński, Bernd Schneider, Beata Szymczycha, and Marcin Stokowski
Earth Syst. Dynam., 8, 1107–1120, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-1107-2017,https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-1107-2017, 2017
Short summary
A multi-decade record of high-quality fCO2 data in version 3 of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT)
Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Benjamin Pfeil, Camilla S. Landa, Nicolas Metzl, Kevin M. O'Brien, Are Olsen, Karl Smith, Cathy Cosca, Sumiko Harasawa, Stephen D. Jones, Shin-ichiro Nakaoka, Yukihiro Nojiri, Ute Schuster, Tobias Steinhoff, Colm Sweeney, Taro Takahashi, Bronte Tilbrook, Chisato Wada, Rik Wanninkhof, Simone R. Alin, Carlos F. Balestrini, Leticia Barbero, Nicholas R. Bates, Alejandro A. Bianchi, Frédéric Bonou, Jacqueline Boutin, Yann Bozec, Eugene F. Burger, Wei-Jun Cai, Robert D. Castle, Liqi Chen, Melissa Chierici, Kim Currie, Wiley Evans, Charles Featherstone, Richard A. Feely, Agneta Fransson, Catherine Goyet, Naomi Greenwood, Luke Gregor, Steven Hankin, Nick J. Hardman-Mountford, Jérôme Harlay, Judith Hauck, Mario Hoppema, Matthew P. Humphreys, Christopher W. Hunt, Betty Huss, J. Severino P. Ibánhez, Truls Johannessen, Ralph Keeling, Vassilis Kitidis, Arne Körtzinger, Alex Kozyr, Evangelia Krasakopoulou, Akira Kuwata, Peter Landschützer, Siv K. Lauvset, Nathalie Lefèvre, Claire Lo Monaco, Ansley Manke, Jeremy T. Mathis, Liliane Merlivat, Frank J. Millero, Pedro M. S. Monteiro, David R. Munro, Akihiko Murata, Timothy Newberger, Abdirahman M. Omar, Tsuneo Ono, Kristina Paterson, David Pearce, Denis Pierrot, Lisa L. Robbins, Shu Saito, Joe Salisbury, Reiner Schlitzer, Bernd Schneider, Roland Schweitzer, Rainer Sieger, Ingunn Skjelvan, Kevin F. Sullivan, Stewart C. Sutherland, Adrienne J. Sutton, Kazuaki Tadokoro, Maciej Telszewski, Matthias Tuma, Steven M. A. C. van Heuven, Doug Vandemark, Brian Ward, Andrew J. Watson, and Suqing Xu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 8, 383–413, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-383-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-383-2016, 2016
Short summary

Related subject area

Biogeochemistry: Coastal Ocean
Long-term variations in pH in coastal waters along the Korean Peninsula
Yong-Woo Lee, Mi-Ok Park, Seong-Gil Kim, Tae-Hoon Kim, Yong Hwa Oh, Sang Heon Lee, and DongJoo Joung
Biogeosciences, 22, 675–690, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-675-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-675-2025, 2025
Short summary
The effect of carbonate mineral additions on biogeochemical conditions in surface sediments and benthic–pelagic exchange fluxes
Kadir Biçe, Tristen Myers Stewart, George G. Waldbusser, and Christof Meile
Biogeosciences, 22, 641–657, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-641-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-641-2025, 2025
Short summary
Assessing the impacts of simulated ocean alkalinity enhancement on viability and growth of nearshore species of phytoplankton
Jessica L. Oberlander, Mackenzie E. Burke, Cat A. London, and Hugh L. MacIntyre
Biogeosciences, 22, 499–512, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-499-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-499-2025, 2025
Short summary
Responses of microbial metabolic rates to non-equilibrated silicate- versus calcium-based ocean alkalinity enhancement
Laura Marín-Samper, Javier Arístegui, Nauzet Hernández-Hernández, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 21, 5707–5724, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5707-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5707-2024, 2024
Short summary
High metabolic zinc demand within native Amundsen and Ross sea phytoplankton communities determined by stable isotope uptake rate measurements
Riss M. Kell, Rebecca J. Chmiel, Deepa Rao, Dawn M. Moran, Matthew R. McIlvin, Tristan J. Horner, Nicole L. Schanke, Ichiko Sugiyama, Robert B. Dunbar, Giacomo R. DiTullio, and Mak A. Saito
Biogeosciences, 21, 5685–5706, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5685-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5685-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

3M data sheet: 3M™ Liqui-Cel™ MM-1.7x8.75 Series Membrane Contactor, Rev. 02, https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1412495O/3m-liqui-cel-mm-1-7x8-75-series-membrane-contactor.pdf (last access: 24 October 2024), 2021. 
Ambrose, D. and Lawrenson, I. J.: The vapour pressure of water, J. Chem. Thermodyn., 4, 755–761, https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9614(72)90049-3, 1972. 
Brennwald, M. S., Schmidt, M., Oser, J., and Kipfer, R.: A Portable and Autonomous Mass Spectrometric System for On-Site Environmental Gas Analysis, Environ. Sci. Technol., 50, 13455–13463, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b03669, 2016. 
Brennwald, M. S. and Kipfer, R., 2022: Gas-equilibrium membrane inlet mass spectrometry with accurate quantification of dissolved-gas partial pressures (GE-MIMS-APP), Patent EP 4 109 092 A1, European Patent Office, https://data.epo.org/publication-server/rest/v1.0/publication-dates/20221228/patents/EP4109092NWA1/document.html (last access: 3 July 2024), 2022. 
Burlacot, A., Burlacot, F., Li-Beisson, Y., and Peltier, G.: Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry: A Powerful Tool for Algal Research, Front. Plant Sci., 11, 1302, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.01302, 2020. 
Download
Short summary
We present a novel method for quantifying N2 fixation by cyanobacteria, which is crucial in Baltic Sea eutrophication. Our Gas Equilibrium – Membrane-Inlet Mass Spectrometer (GE-MIMS), designed for operation on voluntary observing ships (VOSs), enables large-scale monitoring of surface water N2 depletion caused by N2 fixation. Laboratory tests confirm the device’s accuracy and precision, ensuring that it can complement current methods and contribute valuable data for better understanding N2 fixation in the Baltic Sea.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint