成煤母质形成环境对热成因煤层气氢碳同位素的影响:不同气候环境的草本沼泽泥炭热模拟实验

煤层气的成因研究可以为煤层气勘探与开发提供科学依据,然而,煤层气的氢碳同位素组成受多种因素的影响,以前较多的研究是成气母质性质和成熟度对煤层气氢碳同位素的影响,对于成煤物质形成的气候环境对热解煤层气同位素的影响尚不清楚.热解模拟了高纬度寒冷干旱和低纬度热带湿润环境的草本泥炭,对热解烃类气体的氢碳同位素组成及其差异性进行了研究.研究结果表明:与低纬度热带湿润环境中形成的草本泥炭相比较,高纬度寒冷干旱环境的草本泥炭热解甲烷、乙烷和丙烷具有轻的氢同位素组成和重的碳同位素组成,并且从泥炭连续热解至R_o分别为2.5%、3.5%和5.5%时,甲烷、乙烷和丙烷δD值分别平均降低-17‰~-10‰、-32‰~-28‰和-25‰~-17‰,甲烷和乙烷δ13C值分别平均升高2.9‰~3.6‰和0.9‰~1.1‰.认为这种同位素差异起因于气候环境对形成泥炭的植物氢碳同位素组成的影响.建立了高纬度寒冷干旱和低纬度热带湿润环境中形成的成煤有机质热解烃类气体氢碳同位素组成与R_o之间的关系式,同时也建立了烃类气体的碳和氢同位素之间的关系式.这些研究成果为不同气候环境下形成的成煤有机质生成的煤层气成因研究提供了科学依据.      

The Impact of Aqueous Medium on Gas Yields and Kinetic Behaviors of Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation during Organic Matter Thermal Degradation

In order to recognize the impact of aqueous medium on gas yields and the kinetic behaviors of hydrogen isotope fractionation during organic matter thermal degradation, the gold tube apparatus was used to conduct thermal simulation experiments by mixing the nC18 with the water of different properties and proportions. The yields of natural gas components, the relation among hydrogen isotope composition of each component and the experimental temperatures vs. heating rates have been obtained, and the results indicate that under the higher temperature conditions, the hydrous experiment has obvious impact on gas yields, such as when more water is added, higher amounts of hydrocarbon gas and H2 are yielded, and the existence of water obviously prolongs the temperature interval with the existence of heavy hydrocarbon gas. It also shows that the hydrogen isotope of hydrocarbon gas generated by the hydrous experiment is obviously lighter than that generated by the anhydrous experiment, and with the increasing amount of added water, the δD value of hydrocarbon gas gradually decreases. Compared with gas yields, the variation of δD value is more sensitive to aqueous medium in the thermal simulation experiment. However, compared with the amount of the added water, the aqueous medium property has smaller impact on the gas yields, which still shows the inherit effect on hydrogen isotope composition of aqueous medium. Through the model simulation and the isotope fractionation behavior analysis, it is validated that the hydrogen isotope fractionation process can be well described by the chemical kinetic model. The difference of reaction fraction of normal methane and D-containing methane is large, corresponding to the same activation energy. The content of normal methane is obviously higher in the part with lower activation energy, while the content of D-containing methane is higher in the part with higher activation energy. Therefore, it will result in larger hydrogen isotope fractionation amplitude, and the δD values will be more sensitive to the variation of maturity. Meanwhile, the average activation energy of methane generation from nC18 in the hydrous experiment is higher than that in the anhydrous experiment, and the greater amount of added water, the larger the average activation energy of methane generation reaction. This has laid foundation for its exploratory application in the study of gas reservoir forming history and the gas-source correlation, which indicates the research and application prospects in this orientation.     

Hydrogen isotope fractionation in lipids of the methane-oxidizing bacterium Methylococcus capsulatus

Hydrogen isotopic compositions of individual lipids from Methylococcus capsulatus, an aerobic, methane-oxidizing bacterium, were analyzed by hydrogen isotope-ratio-monitoring gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The purposes of the study were to measure isotopic fractionation factors between methane, water, and lipids and to examine the biochemical processes that determine the hydrogen isotopic composition of lipids. M. capsulatus was grown in six replicate cultures in which the δD values of methane and water were varied independently. Measurement of concomitant changes in δD values of lipids allowed estimation of the proportion of hydrogen derived from each source and the isotopic fractionation associated with the utilization of each source.All lipids examined, including fatty acids, sterols, and hopanols, derived 31.4 ± 1.7% of their hydrogen from methane. This was apparently true whether the cultures were harvested during exponential or stationary phase. Examination of the relevant biochemical pathways indicates that no hydrogen is transferred directly (with C-H bonds intact) from methane to lipids. Accordingly, we hypothesize that all methane H is oxidized to H₂O, which then serves as the H source for all biosynthesis, and that a balance between diffusion of oxygen and water across cell membranes controls the concentration of methane-derived H₂O at 31%. Values for α_l/w, the isotopic fractionation between lipids and water, were 0.95 for fatty acids and 0.85 for isoprenoid lipids. These fractionations are significantly smaller than those measured in higher plants and algae. Values for α_l/m, the isotopic fractionation between lipids and methane, were 0.94 for fatty acids and 0.79 for isoprenoid lipids. Based on these results, we predict that methanotrophs living in seawater and consuming methane with typical δD values will produce fatty acids with δD between −50 and −170‰, and sterols and hopanols with δD between −150 and −270‰.     

A kinetic model for thermally induced hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation of individual n-alkanes in crude oil

A quantitative kinetic model has been proposed to simulate the large D and ¹³C isotope enrichments observed in individual n-alkanes (C₁₃-C₂₁) during artificial thermal maturation of a North Sea crude oil under anhydrous, closed-system conditions. Under our experimental conditions, average n-alkane δ¹³C values increase by ∼4‰ and δD values increase by ∼50‰ at an equivalent vitrinite reflectance value of 1.5%. While the observed ¹³C-enrichment shows no significant dependence on hydrocarbon chain length, thermally induced D-enrichment increases with increasing n-alkane carbon number. This differential fractionation effect is speculated to be due to the combined effect of the greater extent of thermal cracking of higher molecular weight, n-alkanes compared to lower molecular weight homologues, and the generation of isotopically lighter, lower molecular weight compounds. This carbon-number-linked hydrogen isotopic fractionation behavior could form the basis of a new maturity indicator to quantitatively assess the extent of oil cracking in petroleum reservoirs. Quantum mechanical calculations of the average change in enthalpy (ΔΔH^‡) and entropy (ΔΔS^‡) as a result of isotopic substitution in n-alkanes undergoing homolytic cleavage of C-C bonds lead to predictions of isotopic fractionation that agree quite well with our experimental results. For n-C₂₀ (n-icosane), the changes in enthalpy are calculated to be ∼1340 J mol^-1 (320 cal mol^-1) and 230 J mol^-1 (55 cal mol^-1) for D-H and ¹³C-¹²C, respectively. Because the enthalpy term associated with hydrogen isotope fractionation is approximately six times greater than that for carbon, variations in δD values for individual long-chain hydrocarbons provide a highly sensitive measure of the extent of thermal alteration experienced by the oil. Extrapolation of the kinetic model to typical geological heating conditions predicts significant enrichment in ¹³C and D for n-icosane at equivalent vitrinite reflectance values corresponding to the onset of thermal cracking of normal alkanes. The experimental and theoretical results of this study have significant implications for the use of compound-specific hydrogen isotope data in petroleum geochemical and paleoclimatological studies. However, there are many other geochemical processes that will significantly affect observed hydrogen isotopic compositions (e.g., biodegradation, water washing, isotopic exchange with water and minerals) that must also be taken into consideration.     

Mathematical models for petroleum-forming processes: carbon isotope fractionation

A mathematical model has been developed in which carbon isotope fractionation during thermal cracking of n-paraffins can be simulated. The model has been calibrated based on data from laboratory cracking experiments carried out on n-octadecane. Relative rate constants for cleavage of C¹²-C¹², C¹²-C¹³ and C¹³-C¹³ bonds agree with the experimental values obtained by other workers.Application of this model to the process of petroleum formation gives good agreement with some existing experimental data, but suggests that a review of our understanding of isotope fractionation during thermal cracking may be necessary. The relative importance of the degree to which the organic material has been cracked and of the type of the organic material in influencing δC¹³ values is discussed.The present model predicts that cracking of n-paraffin distributions having initial odd or even carbon number predominances can induce isotopic inhomogeneity among the homologs of the resulting distribution. The model exhibits some deficiencies in explaining or predicting the δC¹³ values of ethane and propane in relation to methane in gases and of oils and associated methane. Explanations for these discrepancies may lie in the simplicity of our mathematical model, in our assumption of initial isotopic homogeneity within molecules and in our use of only n-paraffins as the source molecules for the cracking reactions.     

森林沼泽泥炭不同演化阶段气体碳氢同位素演化特征

煤层气的成因是石油地质学研究的热点.煤层气聚集存在着"累积聚气"和"阶段聚气"两种形式, 对于"阶段聚气" 的煤层气成因判识的地球化学研究还很薄弱.通过森林沼泽泥炭在不同温度下制备的样品进行热模拟实验, 首次获得了不同演化阶段甲烷、乙烷和二氧化碳的碳、氢同位素组成和演化规律.发现随着原始样品演化程度越高, 生成的甲烷和乙烷的碳、氢同位素组成具有变重的趋势; 同时, 甲烷和乙烷碳同位素组成明显地受原始样品演化程度的影响, 而氢同位素组成主要与成熟度密切相关.确定了成煤有机质在不同演化阶段生成的气体碳、氢同位素组成.首次获得了成煤有机质不同演化阶段热解气体碳、氢同位素组成与R_o之间的关系式.建立了甲烷与乙烷的碳、氢同位素之间的关系式, 形成了甲烷碳、氢同位素组成相关图.根据这些为研究不同成熟度区间生成的煤层气成因提供了科学数据, 为"阶段聚气"的煤层气地球化学特征认识及其成因判识提供了科学依据.并且, 将这些研究结果应用到我国沁水盆地南部煤层气研究, 认为该地区煤层气是在中侏罗世以后聚集而成, 具有"阶段聚气"的特征, 证明了热模拟研究成果对自然界煤层气成因的判识具有重要的科学意义.      

Isotopic signatures of CH4 and higher hydrocarbon gases from Precambrian Shield sites: A model for abiogenic polymerization of hydrocarbons

Previous studies of methane and higher hydrocarbon gases in Precambrian Shield rocks in Canada and the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa identified two major gas types. Paleometeoric waters were dominated by hydrocarbon gases with compositional and isotopic characteristics consistent with production by methanogens utilizing the CO₂ reduction pathway. In contrast the deepest, most saline fracture waters contained gases that did not resemble the products of microbial methanogenesis and were dominated by both high concentrations of H₂ gas, and CH₄ and higher hydrocarbon gases with isotopic signatures attributed to abiogenic processes of water-rock reaction in these high rock/water ratio, hydrogeologically-isolated fracture waters. Based on new data obtained for the higher hydrocarbon gases in particular, a model is proposed to account for carbon isotope variation between CH₄ and the higher hydrocarbon gases (specifically ethane, propane, butane, and pentane) consistent with abiogenic polymerization. Values of δ¹³C for CH₄ and the higher hydrocarbon gases predicted by the model are shown to match proposed abiogenic hydrocarbon gas end-members identified at five field sites (two in Canada and three in South Africa) suggesting that the carbon isotope patterns between the hydrocarbon homologs reflect the reaction mechanism. In addition, the δ²H isotope data for these gases are shown to be out of isotopic equilibrium, suggesting the consistent apparent fractionation observed between the hydrocarbon homologs may also reflect reaction mechanisms involved in the formation of the gases. Recent experimental and field studies of proposed abiogenic hydrocarbons such as those found at mid-ocean spreading centers and off-axis hydrothermal fields such as Lost City have begun to focus not only on the origin of CH₄, but on the compositional and isotopic information contained in the higher hydrocarbon gases. The model explored in this paper suggests that while the extent of fractionation in the first step in the hydrocarbon synthesis reaction chain may vary as a function of different reaction parameters, δ¹³C values for the higher hydrocarbon gases may be predicted by a simple mass balance model from the δ¹³C values of the lower molecular weight precursors, consistent with abiogenic polymerization. Integration of isotopic data for the higher hydrocarbon gases in addition to CH₄ may be critical for delineation of the origin of the hydrocarbons and investigation of formation mechanisms.     

松辽盆地庆深气田异常氢同位素组成成因研究

对松辽盆地徐家围子断陷庆深气田天然气组分、碳氢同位素和稀有气体同位素的分析表明,天然气以烷烃气为主,烷烃气碳同位素组成随着碳数增加呈变轻趋势,且δ13C1＆gt;-30‰, R/Ra一般大于1.0,δ13CCO2值介于-16.5‰~-5.1‰之间;氢同位素组成δD1=-205‰~-197‰,平均值为-203‰,δD2=-247‰~-160‰,平均值为-195‰,δD3=-237‰~-126‰,平均值为-163‰,且存在氢同位素组成倒转现象,即δD1＆gt;δD2＆lt;δD3。根据对庆深气田天然气不同地球化学特征分析,认为该气田烷烃气中重烃主要为有机成因,而 CH4有相当无机成因混入。庆深气田烷烃气氢同位素组成具有 CH4变化小,而重烃（δD2,δD3）变化大的特点。根据与朝阳沟地区天然气烷烃气氢同位素组成对比分析,认为 CH4主要表现为无机成因,而重烃气（δD2,δD3）主要为有机成因,且无机成因CH4氢同位素组成重于有机成因CH4。     

塔里木盆地西部阿克莫木气田形成初探

塔里木盆地西部阿克莫木气田天然气为非烃组份含量较高的干气,干燥系数高达99.7%;天然气δ13C1和δ13C2值明显偏重,δ13C1为- 25.2‰～-21.9,δ13C2为-21.2～-20.2‰,如果按传统的观点该天然气应为过成熟煤成气。但是综合气源对比研究表明阿克莫木气田天然气主要源自石炭系Ⅱ型烃源岩,成藏过程研究表明该气田主要聚集了石炭系烃源岩在Ro为1.5%～1.8%之后生成的天然气,具有晚期阶段聚气的特征,这是造成阿克1井天然气组份很“干”、碳同位素很重的主要原因。     

Fractionation of carbon and hydrogen isotopes by methane-oxidizing bacteria

Carbon isotopic analysis of methane has become a popular technique in the exploration for oil and gas because it can be used to differentiate between thermogenic and microbial gas and can sometimes be used for gas-source rock correlations. Methane-oxidizing bacteria, however, can significantly change the carbon isotopic composition of methane; the origin of gas that has been partially oxidized by these bacteria could therefore be misinterpreted.We cultured methane-oxidizing bacteria at two different temperatures and monitored the carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of the residual methane. The residual methane was enriched in both ¹³C and D. For both isotopic species, the enrichment at equivalent levels of conversion was greater at 26°C than at 11.5°C. The change in δD relative to the change in δ¹³C was independent of temperature within the range studied. One culture exhibited a change in the fractionation pattern for carbon (but not for hydrogen) midway through the experiment, suggesting that bacterial oxidation of methane may occur via more than one pathway.The change in the δD value for the residual methane was from 8 to 14 times greater than the change in the δ¹³C value, indicating that combined carbon and hydrogen isotopic analysis may be an effective way of identifying methane which has been subjected to partial oxidation by bacteria.     

Experimental investigation on the carbon isotope fractionation of methane during gas migration by diffusion through sedimentary rocks at elevated temperature and pressure

Molecular transport (diffusion) of methane in water-saturated sedimentary rocks results in carbon isotope fractionation. In order to quantify the diffusive isotope fractionation effect and its dependence on total organic carbon (TOC) content, experimental measurements have been performed on three natural shale samples with TOC values ranging from 0.3 to 5.74%. The experiments were conducted at 90°C and fluid pressures of 9 MPa (90 bar). Based on the instantaneous and cumulative composition of the diffused methane, effective diffusion coefficients of the ¹²CH₄ and ¹³CH₄ species, respectively, have been calculated.Compared with the carbon isotopic composition of the source methane (δ¹³C₁ = −39.1‰), a significant depletion of the heavier carbon isotope (¹³C) in the diffused methane was observed for all three shales. The degree of depletion is highest during the initial non-steady state of the diffusion process. It then gradually decreases and reaches a constant difference (Δ δ = δ¹³C_diff −δ¹³C_source) when approaching the steady-state. The degree of the isotopic fractionation of methane due to molecular diffusion increases with the TOC content of the shales. The carbon isotope fractionation of methane during molecular migration results practically exclusively from differences in molecular mobility (effective diffusion coefficients) of the ¹²CH₄ and ¹³CH₄ entities. No measurable solubility fractionation was observed.The experimental isotope-specific diffusion data were used in two hypothetical scenarios to illustrate the extent of isotopic fractionation to be expected as a result of molecular transport in geological systems with shales of different TOC contents. The first scenario considers the progression of a diffusion front from a constant source (gas reservoir) into a homogeneous “semi-infinite” shale caprock over a period of 10 Ma.In the second example, gas diffusion across a 100 m caprock sequence is analyzed in terms of absolute quantities and isotope fractionation effects. The examples demonstrate that methane losses by molecular diffusion are small in comparison with the contents of commercial size gas accumulations. The degree of isotopic fractionation is related inversely to the quantity of diffused gas so that strong fractionation effects are only observed for relatively small portions of gas.The experimental data can be readily used in numerical basin analysis to examine the effects of diffusion-related isotopic fractionation on the composition of natural gas reservoirs.     

水合物生成过程中碳同位素组成变化的实验研究

天然气水合物是一种新型的洁净能源。甲烷天然气水合物是储量最丰富的一种类型,常出现在深海中或极地大陆上,其生成的过程中会发生同位素的分馏效应。通过实验室模拟水合物生成的过程,利用天然海水与甲烷或二氧化碳气体反应,以及更接近实际生成环境的甲烷-海水-沉积物动态聚散实验,对甲烷水合物和二氧化碳水合物生成前后δ13C值进行测定,研究水合物生成过程中δ13C的变化情况。实验证明,水合物反应中碳同位素分馏是存在的,其变化程度明显小于氧同位素和氢同位素。甲烷水合物碳同位素的分馏系数αC的值为1000 3~1000 9。二氧化碳水合物生成反应后气相的碳、氧同位素变轻,重同位素趋向于进入水合物中,二氧化碳水合物碳同位素的分馏系数αC的值为1000 7~1001 2。海水中溶解的CO2气体在甲烷水合物形成过程中会被水合物捕获,从而使得δ13CDIC值变小,重的碳同位素趋于进入水合物中,而较轻的碳同位素留在海水中。但由于海水中含有的溶解CO2气体有限,经过多轮水合物动态聚散后δ13CDIC值的变化幅度会越来越小。     

祁连山冻土区天然气水合物烃类气体成因及其意义

对祁连山冻土区天然气水合物钻井岩心游离气样品开展研究,测试烃类气体的组分和碳氢同位素,判断天然气水合物的气体成因类型及成藏模式。结果显示烃类气体组分复杂,除甲烷外,还含有较高的乙烷、丙烷等重烃组分。甲烷碳同位素分布范围最广,气体成因来源相对简单,没有明显受到次生改造作用的影响。该区天然气水合物属于热解成因,判断来自深部的三叠统尕勒得寺组烃源岩。本研究可为我国高原冻土天然气水合物勘探和开发提供理论依据。     

A quantitative interpretation of recent experimental results on stable carbon isotope fractionation by aerobic CH4-oxidizing bacteria

A quantitative model of recent laboratory experiments on carbon isotope fractionation by methane-oxidizing bacteria is proposed. The simulated experimental apparatus consists of a bacterial culture with a constant liquid volume, a gas headspace and a methane bubbling mechanism. The relative effects of bacterial growth and transport phenomena that do not depend on cell density are clarified. In all calculations, gas-liquid mass transfer is defined by unconstrained model parameters. Limited mass transfer from the culture into the headspace, rather than the incomplete dissolution of substrate-rich bubbles, seems to have caused an apparent decrease in the measured carbon isotope fractionation. The experimenters attributed this fractionation shift to a growing imbalance among kinetic rates as methane consumption by bacteria increases. Model predictions support this interpretation but also show that changes in carbon isotope fractionation in the course of the experiments cannot be unambiguously correlated with bacterial cell density unless gas-liquid mass transfer parameters are calibrated. Simulations of other laboratory experiments indicate that a reported change in carbon isotope fractionation could, in part at least, be the result of experimental conditions rather than the emergence of a different methane oxidation pathway postulated by the experimenters. A careful evaluation of mass transfer from the liquid culture into the gas headspace is warranted in this type of experiments since isotope fractionation factors are likely to be used in a wide variety of environmental contexts.     

Antiphase hydrogen and oxygen isotope periodicity in chert nodules

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses were made of Jurassic-age chert nodules from the Holy Cross Mountains, SE Poland, along radial transects at high spatial resolution. There is a radial “sigmoidal” periodicity for both isotope ratios, but the two are out of phase, with high δD values corresponding to low δ¹⁸O values. Periodicity for a 100- to 120-mm diameter nodule is approximately 16 mm, increasing slightly toward the rim, with amplitudes approaching 20 and 3.0‰ for hydrogen and oxygen, respectively. The combined hydrogen-oxygen isotope data for one nodule fall on a published curve for chert forming in equilibrium with seawater (Knauth and Epstein, 1976); the range of delta values corresponds to temperature variations of ∼10°C. Data for a second chert fall on a subparallel δD-δ¹⁸O line with δD values that are almost 50‰ lower. The δD-δ¹⁸O patterns for the nodules cannot be explained by periodic mixing of meteoric and ocean water because the hydrogen and oxygen isotope data are out of phase. Two possible explanations for the antiphase periodicity are (a) cyclical temperature variations, perhaps related to an unstable convection system (e.g., Bolton et al., 1999), and (b) self-organizing catalytic precipitation (e.g., Wang and Merino, 1990). The systematic isotopic variations are difficult to explain by diagenesis and strongly suggest that primary isotopic compositions are preserved. The isotopic data provide important information on the thermal history of the sedimentary basin, if temperature variations are the cause of the isotopic periodicity.     

川东北天然气单体烃氢同位素组成特征

采用气-水平衡法及同位素分馏平衡方程技术标定工作标准气,测定样品的氢同位素比值,使误差控制在5‰以内。采取川东北、鄂西和川西三个地区的天然气样品,分别测定它们的单体烃氢同位素比值。分析表明,川东北普光气田海相成因天然气甲烷氢同位素δD平均值为-126‰(SWOM),比新疆塔河油田海相环境生成的天然气甲烷氢同位素δD平均值-164‰重约40‰。对比研究认为,这与其共存地层水的δD值密切相关,也与这些天然气的成熟度有直接关系。     

Hydrogen isotope ratios of recent lacustrine sedimentary n-alkanes record modern climate variability

Hydrogen isotope ratios were measured on n-alkanes (n-C₁₂ to n-C₃₁) extracted from recent lake surface sediments along a N-S European transect to test if modern climate variability is recorded in these biomarkers. δD values of the n-alkanes are compared to δD values of meteoric water from the IAEA-GNIP database spanning a range from −119‰ in northern Sweden to −41‰ in southern Italy, to lake water δD values, and to mean annual temperatures, varying between −2.0°C in the north and 13.7°C in the south.δD values of the short-chained n-alkanes n-C₁₂ to n-C₂₀, excluding algal derived n-C₁₇ and n-C₁₉, are higher in the north and lower in the south. The isotopic fractionation ε for hydrogen between meteoric water and the short-chained n-alkanes is increasing from N to S by more than 100‰ and is significantly correlated to mean annual temperature for n-C₁₆ and n-C₁₈. This suggests that these n-alkanes may originate from a different source in the northern lakes, possibly due to petroleum contamination, or are synthesized using a different biochemical pathway.The n-C₁₇ and n-C₁₉ alkanes of algal origin, the n-C₂₁ and n-C₂₃ alkanes originating from water plants, and the long-chain n-alkanes n-C₂₅, n-C₂₇, n-C₂₉, and n-C₃₁ of terrestrial origin, clearly correlate with δD values of meteoric water, lake water, and mean annual temperature, indicating that they excellently record the δD value of meteoric water. The mean hydrogen isotope fractionation ε_C17/w of −157‰ (SD = 13) between n-C₁₇ and meteoric water is fairly constant over the wide range of different climates and lake environments, suggesting only minor influence of environmental factors on this biochemical fractionation. This suggests that δD values of n-C₁₇ are suitable to reconstruct the isotopic composition of source water. The mean fractionation between the long-chain n-alkanes and water is −128‰ (SD = 12). The mean difference of 31‰ between both ε values is likely due to evaporative enrichment of deuterium in the leaf water. If this is the only influence on the enrichment, the difference between the δD values of terrestrial and aquatic compounds might be suitable to reconstruct terrestrial evapotranspiration of the lake environment.     

Carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation associated with the aerobic microbial oxidation of methane, ethane, propane and butane

Carbon isotope fractionation factors associated with the aerobic consumption of methane (C1), ethane (C2), propane (C3), and n-butane (C4) were determined from incubations of marine sediment collected from the Coal Oil Point hydrocarbon seep field, located offshore Santa Barbara, CA. Hydrogen isotope fractionation factors for C1, C2 and C3 were determined concurrently. Fresh sediment samples from two seep areas were each slurried with sea water and treated with C1, C2, C3 or C4, or with mixtures of all four gases. Triplicate samples were incubated aerobically at 15 °C, and the stable isotope composition and headspace levels of C1-C4 were monitored over the course of the experiment. Oxidation was observed for all C1-C4 gases, with an apparent preference for C3 and C4 over C1 and C2 in the mixed-gas treatments. Fractionation factors were calculated using a Rayleigh model by comparing the δ¹³C and δD of the residual C1-C4 gases to their headspace levels. Carbon isotope fractionation factors (reported in ε or (α-1) × 1000 notation) were consistent between seep areas and were −26.5‰ ± 3.9 for C1, −8.0‰ ± 1.7 for C2, −4.8‰ ± 0.9 for C3 and −2.9‰ ± 0.9 for C4. Fractionation factors determined from mixed gas incubations were similar to those determined from individual gas incubations, though greater variability was observed during C1 consumption. In the case of C1 and C3 consumption, carbon isotope fractionation appears to decrease as substrate becomes limiting. Hydrogen isotope fractionation factors determined from the two seep areas differed for C1 oxidation but were similar for C2 and C3. Hydrogen isotope fractionation factors ranged from −319.9‰ to −156.4‰ for C1 incubations, and averaged −61.9‰ ± 8.3 for C2 incubations and −15.1‰ ± 1.9 for C3 incubations. The fractionation factors presented here may be applied to estimate the extent of C1-C4 oxidation in natural gas samples, and should prove useful in further studying the microbial oxidation of these compounds in the natural environment.     

东亚水循环中水稳定同位素的GCM模拟和相互比较

利用引入稳定同位素循环的ECHAM4、GISS E和HadCM3模式的模拟,对东亚降水中年平均δD和过量氘d的空间分布以及大气水线（MWL）进行了分析.根据模拟的空间分布,降水同位素在很大程度上反映不同气团的地理背景以及它们之间的相互作用,模拟结果很好地再现了由GNIP实测资料得到的降水稳定同位素的纬度效应、大陆效应和...     

Carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation by moderately thermophilic methanogens

A series of laboratory studies were conducted to increase understanding of stable carbon (¹³C/¹²C) and hydrogen (D/H) isotope fractionation arising from methanogenesis by moderately thermophilic acetate- and hydrogen-consuming methanogens. Studies of the aceticlastic reaction were conducted with two closely related strains of Methanosaeta thermophila. Results demonstrate a carbon isotope fractionation of only 7‰ (α = 1.007) between the methyl position of acetate and the resulting methane. Methane formed by this process is enriched in ¹³C when compared with other natural sources of methane; the magnitude of this isotope effect raises the possibility that methane produced at elevated temperature by the aceticlastic reaction could be mistaken for thermogenic methane based on carbon isotopic content. Studies of H₂/CO₂ methanogenesis were conducted with Methanothermobacter marburgensis. The fractionation of carbon isotopes between CO₂ and CH₄ was found to range from 22 to 58‰ (1.023 ≤ α ≤ 1.064). Greater fractionation was associated with low levels of molecular hydrogen and steady-state metabolism. The fractionation of hydrogen isotopes between source H₂O and CH₄ was found to range from 127 to 275‰ (1.16 ≤ α ≤ 1.43). Fractionation was dependent on growth phase with greater fractionation associated with later growth stages. The maximum observed fractionation factor was 1.43, independent of the δD-H₂ supplied to the culture. Fractionation was positively correlated with temperature and/or metabolic rate. Results demonstrate significant variability in both hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation during methanogenesis from H₂/CO₂. The relatively small fractionation associated with deuterium during H₂/CO₂ methanogenesis provides an explanation for the relatively enriched deuterium content of biogenic natural gas originating from a variety of thermal environments. Results from these experiments are used to develop a hypothesis that differential reversibility in the enzymatic steps of the H₂/CO₂ pathway gives rise to variability in the observed carbon isotope fractionation. Results are further used to constrain the overall efficiency of electron consumption by way of the hydrogenase system in M. marburgensis, which is calculated to be less than 55%.