00_cover_Biennial Report 05-06.qxd - INSTAAR - University of ...

INSTAAR LaboratoriesAmino Acid LaboratoryThe laboratory specializes in the extraction and quantificationof amino acids that are derived from indigenous proteinaceousresidues preserved in biominerals for a range ofenvironmental applications. Both quantitative amino acidcomposition and extent of racemization of several differentamino acids are targeted. The facility includes two HP-1100automated high-pressure liquid chromatographs (HPLCs)and ancillary support equipment. Usually one HPLC runs inreverse-phase mode and the other in ion-exchange mode.The laboratory currently focuses on the kinetics of aminoacid racemization in the eggshells of large flightless birdsfrom Australia, Madagascar, and Africa, and bivalve mollusksfrom high-latitude regions. The laboratory director isGifford Miller, with day-to-day operations overseen byStephen DeVogel. Graduate and undergraduate students usethe laboratory in their research projects and to gain researchexperience.AMS Radiocarbon Preparationand Research LaboratoryIn-house research focuses on method development in AMS14 C preparation and dating, calibration of the radiocarbontime scale, reconstruction of atmospheric and oceanic14 C activity in the past, and ultra-precise measurement of14 CO2 in the contemporary atmosphere. This laboratory isunder the direction of Scott Lehman.Atmospheric ResearchLaboratoryThis laboratory houses instrumentation for research onatmospheric chemistry, transport, and surface-atmospheretrace gas fluxes. This lab is heavily involved in field researchat continental, midlatitude sites as well as in the polarregions. The studies in snow-covered environments focuson the role of snow on surface fluxes of important atmospherictrace gases. A monitoring station on Pico Mountainin the Azores is equipped with a hydrocarbon monitor forinvestigations on the long-range transport of air pollutionacross the Atlantic Ocean. Another emphasis is the analysisof volatile organic compounds (VOC), in particular emissionsof biogenic VOC from vegetation. Measurements aremade by solid adsorbent sampling techniques, thermaldesorption instruments, and several gas chromatographswith different detection systems, including flame ionizationand mass spectrometry. The global distribution of nonmethanehydrocarbons is investigated by analysis of airsamples that are collected within the framework of theNOAA Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Network.Another project involves deployment of eddy correlationflux instrumentation on the NOAA Ron Brown researchvessel for investigations on the uptake of ozone to theoceans. The Atmospheric Research Lab also pursuesresearch on boundary-layer dynamics and the vertical distributionof chemical species by vertical profile measurementsusing a tethered balloon platform with various balloonbornemeteorological and chemical sensors. The laboratorydirector is Detlev Helmig.A flux experiment on loblolly pine trees, Duke Forest, NC, August2005. INSTAAR’s Atmospheric Research Laboratory has beenstudying the emission of sesquiterpene compounds and theireffects on atmospheric aerosol production. Sesquiterpenes are biogenicorganic semi-volatile compounds released from vegetationfoliage. Photo: John Ortega (INSTAAR).Biogeochemistry LaboratoriesINSTAAR houses four laboratories that collectively areequipped to handle many of the major analytical techniquesin modern biogeochemistry. Chemical analyses of carbon,nitrogen, and phosphorus and multiple other elements inplants, soils, and water are routinely performed, as are avariety of microbial assays, a suite of chemical and opticalmeasurements of dissolved organic carbon, and GC- orIRGA-based measurements of several biogeochemically relevantgases. Beyond basic extraction and sample processingfacilities, major instrumentation includes (but is not limitedto): an autoanalyzer for N and P, atomic adsorption analyzerfor cations and metals, Carlo-Erba CHN analyzer, benchtopspectrophotometers and fluorometers, TOC/TN analyzers,and a TCD/FID gas chromatograph. The laboratories aresplit into individual direction by several INSTAAR faculty(McKnight, Townsend, Cleveland, Williams, and Seastedt)but function as a collaborative unit in many ways, includingin graduate research and education. They are consistentlyused by graduate students from INSTAAR and multipleother units across campus.16 | RESEARCH MISSION