The stable isotopic composition of respired CO2 - measurements on ecosystem scale using IRIS

Stable isotopes are a useful tool to provide insights into ecosystem gas exchanges and carbon allocation. The isotopic composition of 13C in respired CO2 for example, has been used to quantify the time lag between assimilation and respiration to be around three days for mature trees. Using the field-deployable Thermo Scientific Delta Ray Isotope Ratio Infrared Spectrometer (IRIS) with automatic calibration, we measured the isotopic composition of 13C and 18O in CO2 in nine inlet heights ranging from 0.1 to 45 m. These measurements were done for a three month period in autumn 2015 in a managed beech forest in Thuringia, Germany. The night-time Keeling-Plot intercept reflecting the 13C and 18O isotopic composition of ecosystem respiration spanned a considerable large range from app. -26 to -32‰ VPDB for 13δC and from app. -8 to -49 VPDP-CO2 for 18δO. Our set up enabled us to calculate Keeling-Plot intercepts with a temporal resolution of 90 minutes accurately with standard errors that had their medians below 0.8 ‰ for both, 13δC and 18δO. The first snow event in fall had a large impact on both delta values of respired CO2. The 18δO value was strongly decreased by app. 30 ‰ and it took 2-3 weeks until the value rose to a similar range than before the snow event. In the case of the 13δC value of ecosystem respiration, we found a qualitatively different behaviour before and after the snow event by analysing the potential meteorological drivers of the 13C composition of respiration. Before the snow event, the 13C signature was significantly correlated to the two-day-sum of radiation two to four days before the measurement. After the first snow event, this correlation vanished abruptly. The time lag of the observed correlation of two to four days is in the expected range for the time lag between assimilation and respiration. To further understand this correlation, we use the multi-layer biosphere-atmosphere model CANOAK to compare the modelled 13δC of assimilated CO2 with the directly measured night-time Keeling-Plot intercepts.