Organic and Isotope Geochemistry
The complex mixture of organic molecules in streams and rivers holds clues about
a wide variety of natural and human processes occurring within watersheds. By
determining the identity and origin of these molecules, the scientists in this
laboratory can both expand scientific understanding of natural cycles of energy
(carbon) and nutrients within the ecosystem and inform decision-makers about the
sources and impact of human contamination on water quality.
Department listing
Dr. Anthony K. Aufdenkampe, Assistant Research Scientist |
Profile | Email
- Stephanie Dix, Geochemist, Level II |
Email
- Linda Carter, Ph.D. | Email
Laboratory Facilities
Fee for Service Sample Analyses (email for price
quote)
- Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons (PAH)
- Sewage indicators
caffeine, fragrances and fecal steroids
- Amino acids
- Carbon and nitrogen
isotopes in solids – %C, %N, δ13C and δ15
- Dissolved Organic
Carbon (DOC) in water – concentration and δ13C
- Dissolved Inorganic
Carbon (DIC) in water – concentration and δ13C
- Dissolved gases N2,
O2, Ar – concentrations, δ15N and δ18O
- Dissolved nitrate
isotopes – δ15N and δ18O
- Mineral surface area
and porosimetry analysis
- Alkalinity or Acid
Neutralizing Capacity (ANC)
Laboratory Instrumentation
- Thermo-Finnigan
DeltaPlus XP Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (IRMS) equipped with a dual
inlet system and interfaced in continuous flow mode to:
- a Costech 4010
CHNS-O Elemental Analyzer (EA);
- an OI 1010 TOC-TIC
Analyzer (TIC-TOC, shared with the Biogeochemistry group)
- a Thermo-Finnigan
Gasbench II with dual cryogenic traps, configured to analyze dissolved gases
CO2, N2, O2, Ar, N20.
- Agilent 6890 series
Gas Chromatograph (GC) coupled to a 5973 series Mass Selective Detector
(MSD)
- Agilent 6890 series
Gas Chromatograph (GC) coupled to a Flame Ionization Detector (FID) and
interfaced with an optional cryogenic focusing system for two-dimensional
chromatography.
- Agilent 1100 series
High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) with diode array and fluorescence
detectors and an autosampler (shared with the Biogeochemistry group)
- Micromeritics TriStar
3000 surface area and porosimetry analyzer;
- Bruker Tensor 27
Spectrometer with a Pike XY Autosampler accessory for automated Diffuse
Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT);
- Mettler-Toledo DL50
Autotitrator with Rondolino autosampler.
- Mettler-Toledo UMX2 Ultra-Microbalance.
Laboratory Facilities
- The Stroud Center
housed in a newly renovated 24,820-square-foot combined research and
teaching facility. Research
laboratories, including a greenhouse and two wet laboratories that are
continuously supplied with stream water, occupy 10,200 sq. ft. of space.
Organic and Isotope Geochemstry laboratories housing the above
instrumentation occupies approximately 1200 sq. ft.
- In addition, a 400 sq. ft. “14C Clean Lab” was constructed in an
outbuilding to enable contamination-free processing of organic matter samples
for natural abundance radiocarbon analyses at national centers for Accelerator
Mass Spectrometry (AMS).
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