Our Finnigan DELTAPlus Advantage Isotope ratio mass spectrometer is the lab workhorse. Is is set up to analyze 13C/12C and 15N/14N ratios at natural or enriched abundance levels.

The Soil Biogeochemistry Laboratory is located on the third floor of the Earth Science Building. 

The majority of our equipment was financed through  CFI  (Grant  7231- Laboratory for biogeochemical studies of soil organic matter). Several NSERC-RTI grants supplemented this core facility.

We conduct both theoretical and applied research on biogeochemical processes regulating the distribution and fluxes of carbon and nitrogen in soil ecosystems. Studies focus on two areas: (1) understanding fundamental organic matter processes in soils, and (2) quantifying the influence of different land practices on soil biogeochemistry for advancing sustainable ecosystem management.

In addition to the GC connected to the IRMS, we have three GC instruments in our laboratory:

one dedicated to the analysis of fatty acids (as determined using the Sherlock MIDI software), one for phenolic biomarkers, and one dedicated to CO2 measurements during incubation experiments.

2. a GasBench II Interface and a sample preparation device for the precise determination of the isotope ratios of gases like CO2 from air or from soil respiration measurements,

and 3. a GC/C III Interface connected to a HP 6890 Gas Chromatograph, including an autosampler GC-PAL for the determination of 13C/12C isotopic ratios in organic mixtures. Our GC is currently set up to determine the isotopic composition of fatty lipids found in soil microbial cell membranes.

Our sample conservation and preparation system includes a Revco Elite Series Upright freezer (-86˚C), a Denver APX200 analytical microbalance, a Labconco freeze-dryer with chamber and support trays , and an  Eppendorf Model 5702R refrigerated high speed centrifuge.

These include : 1. a Costech NCS elemental analyzer for soil and plant samples, which is linked to the IRMS via a ConFlo III interface to compensate for the different abundances of C and N in plant and soil samples,