The Chemical Oceanography Laboratory is a 840 square foot laboratory overlooking Monterey Bay. If the chemical oceanography community were to host a contest for the lab with the best view, we are confident we would win! We get to spot passing whales and check the surf at nearby Moss Landing beach while running samples or processing data in the lab.
Our lab is a general purpose chemical laboratory equipped with all the necessary instrumentation to perform standard chemical work (milliQ system, analytical scale, pH meter, etc..). We also work in MLML’s trace metal clean lab, a HEPA filtered trace metal clean environment, which we use for our trace metal clean work.
Some of the instruments available for teaching and research in the lab are shown below.
Trace metal clean lab
Our trace metal clean laboratory is maintained under positive pressure with HEPA-filtered air to minimize contamination during sample processing.
pFIONA
Our custom built workhorse for autonomous, high-frequency measurements of phosphate and silicate at the MLML shore station.
Benchtop pFI Analyzer
Programmable Flow Injection analyzer (miniSIA2). Two units, used for validation and method development (nutrients & metals).
FIA
We assemble our own custom Flow Injection Analyzers to analyze some trace metals (Al, Cu, Co...) in seawater. FIA systems are also well suited for shipboard work and exploratory method development. We currently have a custom built FIA system for sub-nanomolar Fe determinations in seawater via luminol chemiluminescence detection.
Carbonate Chemistry Apparatus
Autotitrator (Methohm 916 Ti Touch with 800 Dosino) equipped with a Pt ring electrode and a pH electrode. We use this system to perform Winkler titrations (DO), open-cell alkalinity titrations and potentiometric pH measurements in seawater.
Thermo Scientific iCAP 7400 Duo ICP-OES
This instrument provides rapid, simultaneous analysis of major and trace elements in environmental samples.
Multiparameter water quality probes
YSI EXO1 multiparameter water quality sonde with depth, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen optode, pH and turbidity sensors. Our workhorse to measure master variables when we venture in the Elkhorn Slough.
SRI_Gas Chromatograph
SRI 8610C Gas Chromatograph furnished with a purge and trap system and DELCD and ECD detector. This instrument is designed to analyze halogenated gases in seawater.
