Chemical Oceanography Lab

The Marine Trace Metals Laboratory provides a state-of-the-art facility for the determination of vanishingly small trace-metal concentrations in sea-water samples.

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The lab houses:

  • an IsoProbe Multicollector Plasma Mass Spectrometer for high precision analysis of Fe and Fe isotopes, Zn and Zn isotopes, Pb and Pb isotopes, as well as other essential trace nutrients
  • a Plasmaquad 2+ Quadrupole Plasma Mass Spectrometer for the analysis of trace elements in seawater concentrates by isotope dilution (e.g. Pb, Cu, Cd) and for the analysis of minor elements in foraminifera (Mg, Sr).
  • a Hitachi Z8100 Zeeman Graphite Furnace/Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer for the analysis of trace elements such as Cd and Mn in foraminifera.
  • a Dionex Ion Chromatograph used for the analysis of anions such as SO4= and Cl- in natural water samples.

For more information about each of these instruments see the Instrumentation page at Ed Boyle's website.