How should the SF6 samples be stored after collection?
They should be stored at room temperature. Warming can cause expansion of the water and breakage of the bottle. Avoid leaving samples in the sun or hot enclosed spaces (like field vehicles). Storage on ice is not recommended because the cooling causes contraction of the water and formation of a bubble in the bottle. Some of the SF6 in the sample will be preferentially partitioned into the bubble headspace and will be lost when the bottle is opened for analysis. This can introduce a small old bias in the calculated SF6 age.
