Biomass measurement of methane forming bacteria in environmental samples.

Methane-forming bacteria contain unusual phytanylglycerol ether phospholipids which can be extracted from the bacteria in sediments and assayed quantitatively by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this procedure the lipids were extracted, the phospholipids recovered, hydrolyzed, purified by thin layer chromatography, derivatized and assayed by HPLC. Ether lipids were recovered quantitatively from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and sediments at levels as low as 8 x 10(-14) moles.

Airborne nondispersive infrared monitor for atmospheric trace gases.

An airborne gas-filter correlation analyzer was designed and assembled to monitor atmospheric trace gases. Flight tests indicated that a methane version of this nondispersive infrared instrument performed properly while measuring CH(4) concentration profiles as small as 1 ppm from altitudes of 0.15 up to 1.