Soil respiration apparatus for monitoring changes in carbon dioxide absorption and release

Soil respiration apparatus (Li-Cor 8100 soil flux), internal electronics removed, developed by Li-Cor Biosciences, Germany, and used by the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham as part of the Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment experiment (FACE), 2017-2020. The instrument allowed scientists to monitor changes in carbon dioxide absorption/release. It was damaged by a falling tree branch during use.

In the Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment experiment (FACE), scientists purposefully heightened the carbon dioxide levels within an area woodland in order to model the impacts of climate change upon such an environment. This device worked by monitoring carbon dioxide released from soil, roots, and fungi over time. This is particularly important since the soil often stores more carbon than the wood of trees. By collecting gases as they escape from the soil surface, the device used an infra-red gas analyser to measure the relative accumulations of CO2/CH4. Conducting this process over several seasons, the team could determine the main drivers of CO2 respiration. and note how their changing contributions as atmospheric CO2 increases.