COSEE Ocean Systems: News
New detector sniffs out origins of methane
Description: A research team has developed an instrument that can rapidly and precisely analyze samples of environmental methane to determine how the gas was formed. The approach, called tunable infrared laser direct absorption spectroscopy, detects the ratio of methane isotopes, which can provide a "fingerprint" to differentiate between two common origins: microbial, in which microorganisms, typically living in wetlands or the guts of animals, produce methane as a metabolic byproduct; or thermogenic, in which organic matter, buried deep within the Earth, decays to methane at high temperatures. [Source: MIT News]
URL: http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/detector-sniffs-out-methane-0305
Availability: Full Text
Source: MIT News
Publish Date: 3/5/2015
Reading Level: Basic
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