Stable Isotope Laboratory
Stable isotope analysis of earth materials using gas source isotope ratioing mass spectrometers
Contact: Dr. Karl Kreutz
The Stable Isotope Lab specializes in the measurement and interpretation of the light stable isotopic ratios of environmentally relevant elements (hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur). Housed in the Sawyer Environmental Research Center, the SIL is primarily a facility of the Climate Change Institute, and serves the research needs of the Institute faculty, staff, graduate, and undergraduate students. SIL staff actively collaborate with researchers within and outside the University of Maine, principally those interested in climate and hydrological dynamics, paleoclimate, environmental geochemistry, and modern/paleocological studies. Currently, the SIL operates three gas-source mass spectrometers with various peripheral devices for the analysis of inorganic and organic materials, and includes facilities for fieldwork staging, sample preparation, data reduction, and data analysis. Research opportunities are available in several globally distributed projects related to isotope geochemistry, and interested students are encouraged to contact us.