Radiocarbon Content of Dissolved Carbon Dioxide and Methane in Cambridge Bay, Canada (2022)

A watershed in the coastal Canadian Arctic was sampled along a lake to bay transect for the radiocarbon (Carbon-14) content of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) to determine the age of carbon being released during the spring thaw. The field campaign was conducted from June 17 to 29 2022 out of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. Gas samples were collected via a custom-built vacuum-enhanced membrane contactor extraction system and transported back to the home lab. Bulk gas samples were processed on a vacuum line at the University of Rochester to isolate CH4 and CO2 fractions following procedures detailed in Sparrow and Kessler (2017). These fractions were then graphitized and analyzed at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility (NOSAMS) for their radiocarbon content. Field sampling was carried out by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).