Between 22nd-23rd January 2025, technicians and staff from the University of Galway and ICOS Central Analytical Laboratory (ICOS CAL, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry) completed the installation of an automatic flask sampler at Mace Head on the west coast of Ireland as part of the NUBICOS project.
Once operational, this European ‘supersite’ will allow for a quantitative assessment of measurement data networks in Europe, USA and New Zealand.
The calm before the storm
The installation timing was critical – the automated flask sampler was installed one day before Storm Eowyn battered Ireland and the United Kingdom.
“At the beginning of the work, it was apparent that there was a serious storm on the way” says Damien Martin from the University of Galway who was part of the installation team. “It was decided to expedite all work related to outside line installation and give serious consideration to the integrity of sampling line.”
The forecast prompted some last-minute changes to the installation timetable, according to Markus Eritt from ICOS CAL. “My colleagues and I had planned three days to install and train the local personnel. As soon as we arrived, we were informed of the approaching storm and instructed not to leave the house during the storm. We were under great time pressure to complete our programme in just two days, which we managed to do.”
And in good time - just one day after the installation work was complete, record-breaking wind speeds were registered at Mace Head (Met Éireann). Sustained winds of 143 km/h (39.7 m/s) and gusts up to 185 km/h (51.4 m/s) were measured shortly before a huge power outage.
Conditions were difficult in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn. “Widespread power outages were problematic for us, as our accommodation was completely electrically heated and the storm was accompanied by a cold front with temperatures below freezing,” says Markus. “Nevertheless, without these adversities we would never have had the impressive view of the starry sky in the complete darkness around and probably would not have been able to enjoy the delicious original Irish stew we cooked in the fireplace.”
Why install a co-located flask sampler at Mace Head?
Mace Head's location offers several unique features that make it an ideal location for this co-located flask sampler comparison task in NUBICOS.
First, “the unpolluted sea air shows only small variations in concentration and is, therefore, ideal for comparative measurements between the different sampling methods of the participating international monitoring networks,” explains Markus. “The sampling methods of the networks have historically been developed at different times for different purposes. The consistency between the measurements of the networks is regularly checked using flasks filled with the same air, which are then measured in the different central laboratories of the different networks.” Additionally, the co-location at Mace Head means the sampling setups are tested under real air conditions.
Second, it’s a clean air sector free from local pollution that offers westerly exposure to the North Atlantic Ocean. “This provides ideal conditions for very important background measurements,” Markus outlines. “With the help of such background measurements, newly emitted greenhouse gases or those absorbed by sinks such as the biosphere can be quantified at other European stations.”
“The facility’s over-arching mission is to serve as a national, European, and worldwide atmospheric observatory underpinning strategic policy goals with respect to long-term trend monitoring of essential climate variables and air pollutants,” Damien explains. “This mission is achieved through the operation of a continuous and comprehensive atmospheric monitoring programmes.”
The NUBICOS ‘supersite’ is one such initiative.
Accurate radiocarbon measurements to improve climate policy
When the site becomes fully operational, the co-located flask samplers will record at weekly (greenhouse gases), biweekly (oxygen/nitrogen) or monthly (radiocarbon) intervals. The University of Galway will then distribute the samples for preparation and analysis to the participating institutions – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited (GNS) and ICOS CAL.
The co-located flask sampler work is conducted under work package 4 of NUBICOS, which is aimed at strengthening global cooperation with ICOS. To this end, the Mace Head supersite marks the first time all major observations networks will jointly conduct global observations of carbon dioxide containing radiocarbon (14CO2).
Being able to quantify ratios of radiocarbon in carbon dioxide is a powerful tool in identifying the source of emissions – biogenic emissions contain much higher ratios of radiocarbon than human induced emissions. As a result of this, the use of 14CO2 in inverse models allows for more accurate quantification of national fossil fuel emissions (Basu et al 2020).
“The NUBICOS project marks the first comparison campaign in which the ICOS flask sampling methodology is directly compared with that of other monitoring networks,” says Markus. “Our flask sampling technology with our fully automated samplers is in many aspects new and innovative. It's important to check the sampling results regularly as thoroughly as possible, and to compare them with methods used for decades by other networks to ensure really high-quality data products.”
According to Damien, data yielded from the ‘supersite’ have potential in informing climate policy “by facilitating improvements in sectoral emission estimates, allowing a better understanding of the impact of policy interventions related to the fossil fuel component of GHG emissions.”
“We hope the siting of all the major radiocarbons at one key location will provide more insight into this exciting area.”
