Articles | Volume 19, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1763-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1763-2026
Research article
 | 
11 Mar 2026
Research article |  | 11 Mar 2026

Evaluation of calibration strategies for accurate δ13CH4 measurements in dry and humid air

Ji Li, Xuguang Chi, Aijun Ding, Weimin Ju, Yongguang Zhang, Jing M. Chen, and Huilin Chen

Related authors

Estimates of carbonyl sulfide and methane stratospheric lifetimes based on AirCore profiles
Alessandro Zanchetta, Steven van Heuven, Rigel Kivi, Michel Ramonet, Andreas Engel, Maarten Krol, and Huilin Chen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2799,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2799, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Reconstruction of Global 0.25° Land Lightning Density from 1979 to 2025 based on an ensemble machine learning
Hao Zheng, Jun Wang, Hao Zhou, Jingfeng Ding, Haijin Dai, Zhi Huang, Zishan Wang, Meirong Wang, Jianying Li, Hengmao Wang, Fei Jiang, and Weimin Ju
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-318,https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-318, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Evaluating the performance of a cost effective in situ methane sensor for UAS-based systems and its ability to quantify facility-scale emissions
Noni van Ettinger, Steven M. A. C. van Heuven, and Huilin Chen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 3333–3362, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3333-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3333-2026, 2026
Short summary
First deployment of active AirCore in a volcanic plume at Mount Etna
Johannes Degen, Nicole Bobrowski, Mélisende M. Bossard, Lucie Boucher, Huilin Chen, Andreas Engel, Bastien H. Geil, Giovanni B. Giuffrida, Steven van Heuven, Thorsten Hoffmann, Niklas Karbach, Gianluigi Ortenzi, and Tanja J. Schuck
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1865,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1865, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Methane Emissions Estimation from China's Leading Coal Production Hub: A Hybrid Hyperspectral Satellite Observations and Emission Inventory Framework
Shengxi Bai, Huilin Chen, Zhen Zhang, Shushi Peng, Fei Jiang, Fei Li, Shuzhuang Feng, Yingqi Yan, Qidan Huang, and Yongguang Zhang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4610,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4610, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary

Cited articles

Bakkaloglu, S., Lowry, D., Fisher, R. E., Menoud, M., Lanoisellé, M., Chen, H., Röckmann, T., and Nisbet, E. G.: Stable isotopic signatures of methane from waste sources through atmospheric measurements, Atmos. Environ., 276, 119021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119021, 2022. 
Berden, G. and Engeln, R.: Cavity ring-down spectroscopy: techniques and applications, John Wiley & Sons, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444308259, 2009. 
Braden-Behrens, J., Yan, Y., and Knohl, A.: A new instrument for stable isotope measurements of 13C and 18O in CO2 – instrument performance and ecological application of the Delta Ray IRIS analyzer, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 4537–4560, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4537-2017, 2017. 
Chen, H., Winderlich, J., Gerbig, C., Hoefer, A., Rella, C. W., Crosson, E. R., Van Pelt, A. D., Steinbach, J., Kolle, O., Beck, V., Daube, B. C., Gottlieb, E. W., Chow, V. Y., Santoni, G. W., and Wofsy, S. C.: High-accuracy continuous airborne measurements of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) using the cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) technique, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 3, 375–386, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-3-375-2010, 2010. 
Crosson, E.: A cavity ring-down analyzer for measuring atmospheric levels of methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, Appl. Phys. B, 92, 403–408, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-008-3135-y, 2008 
Download
Short summary
Accurate measurement of methane's isotopic fingerprint is crucial for identifying its sources. However, water vapor interference and instrument drift can cause significant errors, especially in humid air. This study evaluated two calibration methods and found that calibrating for individual methane isotopes with a water vapor correction provided accurate and stable results for both dry and humid air. This highlights the need for robust calibration to ensure reliable methane source attribution.
Share