Facilities

Isotope Mass Spectrometry Facility

A dual mass spectrometer system is available with a gas chromatograph, a ion trap mass spectrometer, a isotope ratio mass spectrometer, and a purge and trap system. This instrument provides simultaneous measurements of selected chemical species and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values. A second isotope ratio mass spectrometer is coupled to an elemental analyzer (EA-IRMS) and a wet-chemical oxidation total organic carbon analyzer (WCO-IRMS). The second instrument allows for simultaneous measurement carbon and nitrogen concentration and stable isotope values and of inorganic and organic carbon concentrations and stable isotopes of liquid samples

Molecular Biology Facility

A full scale molecular biology facility equipped with polymerase chain reaction thermocyclers, protein/nucleic acid purification system (including radioisotope facility), DNA sequencer, protein and nucleic acid sequencing system, multi-scale microbial culturing capability, microscope imaging stations capable of bright and dark field microscopy and fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH)

Ion Traps

Gas Chromatographs and Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometers-A Hewlett-Packard 5988 quadruple GC/MS, a Finnigan ITS-40 ion trap GC/MS, a Varian Saturn 3 ion trap GC/MS with membrane introduction capability, and a Finnigan GCQ external ion source ion trap with membrane introduction capability are available for organic analysis. Two Vairan GC instruments and three liquid chromatographs are used in a variety of projects that involve methods development for a wide range of Navy environmental/analytical challenges.

Carbon Analysis Facility

A union to the stable and radiocarbon isotope analyses is the capability to measure carbon concentrations in a variety of matrices. This laboratory contains state-of-the-art instrumentation for analysis of dissolved and particulate organic and inorganic carbon pools, extraction of individual compounds, carbon gases, and mass spectroscopy for specific organic compounds.

Inductively-Coupled-Plasma Mass Spectrometer

The NRL Code 6114 Trace Element Laboratory is equipped with a Thermo Finnigan ELEMENT 2 High Resolution Inductively-Coupled-Plasma Mass Spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS) is a double focusing magnetic sector field ICP-MS capable of multi-element analysis at mg/L to sub pg/L concentration ranges across the periodic table in simple and complex liquid to solid phase matrices. Its multiple resolution modes allow for the resolution of spectrally interfered isotopes. It also has the capability to measure high precision heavy isotope ratios. The ELEMENT 2 offers a wide range of utility in investigating trace element sources and fate and tracing dissolved and particulate material and contaminant dynamics in terrestrial and aquatic systems. Current system accessories include a CEM Microwave Accelerated Reaction System (MARS) 5 with HP-500 digestion vessels for microwave assisted acid digestions, an ESI SC-4 Autosampler with ULPA-filtered enclosure, and an ESI APEX HF Introduction System. The Trace Element Laboratory is also equipped with a Milli-Q ELEMENT ultrapure (trace clean) water system and 2 polypropylene, Class 100 laminar flow, total exhaust fume hoods for sample preparation.

Spectroscopy Facility

Complementary to the Carbon Analysis Facility is a facility that enables spectroscopic measurements. This facility houses a dual-bean UV-visible spectrophotometer and a fluorometer. Both instruments are used spectrophotometric assays as well as optical characterization of dissolved organic matter.

Ship laboratory

A field deployable (ship board) laboratory to process and prepare sediment and porewater samples and analyze sediment and porewater geochemistry. Laboratory includes a pore water extraction manifold, a GC-FID to measure sediment gas (methane, ethane, propane), an ion chromatograph to measure dissolved ions, a spectrophotometer to measure total dissolved sulfides and a coulometer to measure dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations. The field deployable laboratory enables instantaneous data acquisition in the field which is used to assist with ground-truthing of remote geophysical data.