Biogeosciences www.biogeosciences.net 1726-4170 1726-4189 6 3 2009 10.5194/bg-6-405-2009 http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/405/2009/ http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/405/2009/bg-6-405-2009.html http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/405/2009/bg-6-405-2009.pdf 405 429 2009-03-18 An automated dynamic chamber system for surface exchange measurement of non-reactive and reactive trace gases of grassland ecosystems L. Pape llehmann@mpch-mainz.mpg.de C. Ammann A. Nyfeler-Brunner C. Spirig K. Hens F. X. Meixner Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Biogeochemistry Department, P.O. Box 3060, 55020 Mainz, Germany Agroscope ART Research Station, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zürich, Switzerland Department of Physics, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box MP 167, Harare, Zimbabwe We present an automated dynamic chamber system which is optimised for continuous unattended flux measurements of multiple non-reactive and reactive trace gases on grassland ecosystems. Main design features of our system are (a) highly transparent chamber walls consisting of chemically inert material, (b) individual purging flow units for each chamber, and (c) a movable lid for automated opening and closing of the chamber. The purging flow rate was chosen high enough to keep the mean residence time of the chamber air below one minute. This guarantees a proven efficient mixing of the chamber volume and a fast equilibration after lid closing. The dynamic chamber system is able to measure emission as well as deposition fluxes of trace gases. For the latter case, the modification of the turbulent transport by the chamber (compared to undisturbed ambient conditions) is quantitatively described by a bulk resistance concept. <br><br> Beside a detailed description of the design and functioning of the system, results of field applications at two grassland sites are presented. 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