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Technical note: A microcontroller-based automatic rain sampler for stable isotope studies

Michelsen, Nils ; Laube, Gerrit ; Friesen, Jan ; Weise, Stephan M. ; Bait Said, Ali Bakhit Ali ; Müller, Thomas (2019)
Technical note: A microcontroller-based automatic rain sampler for stable isotope studies.
In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2019, (6)
Article, Secondary publication, Publisher's Version

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Item Type: Article
Type of entry: Secondary publication
Title: Technical note: A microcontroller-based automatic rain sampler for stable isotope studies
Language: English
Date: 2019
Place of Publication: Darmstadt
Year of primary publication: 2019
Publisher: Copernicus
Journal or Publication Title: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
Issue Number: 6
Series Volume: 23
Corresponding Links:
Origin: Secondary publication via sponsored Golden Open Access
Abstract:

Automatic samplers represent a convenient way to gather rain samples for isotope (δ 18O and δ 2H) and water quality analyses. Yet, most commercial collectors are expensive and do not reduce post-sampling evaporation and the associated isotope fractionation sufficiently. Thus, we have developed a microcontroller-based automatic rain sampler for timer-actuated collection of integral rain samples. Sampling periods are freely selectable (minutes to weeks), and the device is low-cost, simple, robust, and customizable. Moreover, a combination of design features reliably minimizes evaporation from the collection bottles. Evaporative losses were assessed by placing the pre-filled sampler in a laboratory oven with which a diurnal temperature regime (21–31 ◦C) was simulated for 26 weeks. At the end of the test, all bottles had lost less than 1 % of the original water amount, and all isotope shifts were within the analytical precision. These results show that even multi-week field deployments of the device would result in rather small evaporative mass losses and isotope shifts. Hence, we deem our sampler a useful addition to devices that are currently commercially available and/or described in the scientific literature. To enable reproduction, all relevant details on hard- and software are openly accessible.

Status: Publisher's Version
URN: urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-91857
Classification DDC: 500 Science and mathematics > 550 Earth sciences and geology
Divisions: 11 Department of Materials and Earth Sciences > Earth Science
Date Deposited: 18 Oct 2019 14:05
Last Modified: 13 Dec 2022 09:06
URI: https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/id/eprint/9185
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