Biogeochemical cycling measurement methods

Hammes, K., Schmidt, M. W. I., Smernik, R. J., et al. (2007). Comparison of quantification methods to measure fire-derived (black/elemental) carbon in soils and sediments using reference materials from soil, water, sediment and the atmosphere. Global Biogeochem. Cycl. 21, doi 10.1029/2006GB002914. 

Prinn R. G. (2000) Measurement equation for trace chemicals in fluids and solution of its inverse. In Inverse Methods in Global Biogeochemical Cycles Geophysical Monograph (ed. P. Kasibhatla). American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, vol. 114, pp. 3-18. 

As already stressed, these techniques involve many analytical steps such as extraction, derivatization, separation and detection, which should be performed in such a way that decay of the unstable species does not occur. However, the control of the quality of measurements is often hampered by the lack of suitable reference materials for speciation analyses. Research is hence directed towards the development of new (if possible simple) analytical methods, the production of reference materials, and the monitoring of chemical species for various purposes (environmental risk assessment, toxicity studies, biogeochemical cycles of trace elements, etc.). 

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