Description of Laboratory:

We maintain a wet chemical laboratory for processing seawater and marine sediments for various analyses. Our specialty is in thorium and uranium isotopes. A class 100 laminar flow hood and a Smart2Pure, high-purity water system, are used for contamination-prone metals. We use an on-site facility Element 2 XR: Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). We also have the capability for total sediment dissolutions, carbon system parameters, and sedimentary biogenic silica.

Currently Funded Projects:

Common Era Reconstructions of African Dust Transport to the Western North Atlantic. National Science Foundation-Paleo Perspectives on Present and Projected Climate (P4Climate) Program (AGS-2303301). Lead PI with co-PIs Davin Wallace and Jessica Kastler (USM). ($306,686 to USM). Aug. 2023-July 2026.

Collaborative Research: Collaborative Research: U.S. GEOTRACES GP17-OCE and GP17-ANT: Thorium-230, Thorium-232 and Protactinium-231 tracers of trace element supply and removal. National Science Foundation-Chemical Oceanography Program (OCE-2048863). Lead PI with co-PIs R. F. Anderson, M. Q. Fleisher (Columbia), R.L. Edwards (Univ. Minnesota), and J. Adkins, F.J. Pavia (Caltech): ($476,769 to USM). July 2021-June 2026.

Collaborative Research: GCR: Convergence on Phosphorus Sensing for Understanding Global Biogeochemistry and Enabling Pollution Management and Mitigation. National Science Foundation-Growing Convergence Research program (OIA-2317824) Co-PI with Lead PI Jason Azoulay (GA Tech) et al. ($362,747 to USM). Oct. 2023 – Sept. 2028.

Past Projects:

Natural Carbon Cycling in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. PI, with Leo Macelloni and Leila Hamdan (USM). ($323,998 to USM). July 2022-June 2025.

Collaborative Research: Using natural radionuclides to quantify the supply and removal of trace elements in the Pacific Ocean. National Science Foundation-Chemical Oceanography Program (OCE-1737023). Co-PI with R. F. Anderson (Columbia) and R. L. Edwards and H. Cheng (Univ. Minnesota):  ($1,338,805 total; $249,803 to USM). Nov. 2017-Oct. 2022.

Uranium isotopes and past changes in Southern Ocean circulation. National Science Foundation-Marine Geology and Geophysics Program (OCE-1658445).  Sole PI. $239,539. June 2017-May 2021.

Analytical Services

We offer the following analyses as a cost-center. The following rates are current as of June 2025. Please inquire about other possible analyses, latest rates, and expected turn-around times.

Particulate carbon and nitrogen: $9/sample plus blanks and standards.

Dissolved nutrients (silicate, phosphate, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite): $25/sample plus blanks and standards.

Dissolved inorganic carbon: $25/sample

Total alkalinity: $25/sample

See also our Center for Trace Analysis for ICP-MS work, water isotope analyses, and trace element sampling kits.