The Glasgow Soils and Carbon Lab (SCL) utilises a range of cutting-edge techniques to quantify and characterise carbon stocks and fluxes in soils / sediment, water, and gas samples. We provide essential information for determining how carbon moves in the Earth system in a rapidly changing world.

What we do

At SCL we employ a range a range of techniques to quantify and characterise the various stocks and fluxes of carbon in the Earth system.

Our key techniques include:

  • Picarro G2201-I Cavity Ring-down Spectrometer (CRDS) – continuous (1htz) measurement of CO2 and CH4 concentration and δ13C.
  • Stable carbon isotope analysis (δ13C) – Isotopic values of CO2 and CH4 gas samples, or carbon in organic and inorganic substrates to elucidate origins and pathways of carbon cycle processes.
  • Closed chamber flux analysis – Using closed chambers coupled to a series of field portable analysers we can quantify fluxes of key greenhouse gases including CO2, CH4 and N2O.

Facilities and equipment

The SCL is equipped with all essential equipment for the collection, preparation and analysis of solid, liquid and gaseous samples.

Key equipment and capabilities include:

  • Picarro G2201-I Cavity Ring-down Spectrometer – continuous (1htz) measurement of CO2 and CH4 concentration and δ13C.
  • Picarro Combustion Module (A0201) – combusts solid samples for conversion to CO2, feeding into the CRDS.
  • OI Analytical Aurora iTOC (model 1030) – automated acidification and thermal oxidation of water samples providing CO2 for the CRDS, allows for sequential quantification and δ13C analysis of total inorganic and organic carbon in liquid samples.
  • Picarro Gas Scouter (G4301) – Field portable high-resolution measurement of CO2 and CH4 used for atmospheric concentration measurement, or fluxes when combined with a closed-chamber technique.
  • HealthyPhoton (HT8820) gas analyser – Field portable high-resolution measurement of N2O and CH4 used for atmospheric concentration measurement, or fluxes when combined with a closed-chamber technique.

The listed instrumentation is flexible and can potentially be adapted for different kinds of analysis. We are happy to discuss further needs.

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Contact us

For inquiries or to learn more about our facility and services, email:

Our gallery

Soils and Carbon Facility

A Picarro G2201-i coupled to an A0201 combustion module for solid sample analysis, and an Aurora iTOC (1030) for liquid analysis forms the backbone of our carbon stable isotopic analytical capability