Facilities & Equipment

The Nitrogen Biogeochemistry Laboratory at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science features a full suite of laboratory and field equipment and instrumentation.

Nutrient chemistry facilities

Nutrient chemistry facilities include a spectrophotometer, a spectrofluorometer, a suite of organic isolation manifolds and distillation rigs, a SpeedVac rotary concentrator, a Lachat 4-channel autoanalyzer, a Shimadzu TOC 5000 carbon analyzer with an autosampler, an Antek NOx analyzer that can be configured to the TOC5000, and a UV oxidation machine.

The lab also contains a three hoods, extensive freezer space, and the full complement of pH meters, pipettes, shaker tables, ovens, hot plates, etc. needed for a wide array of chemical analyses.

Isotope facilities

Isotope facilities include a vacuum line used for ampoulating samples, and drying ovens and balances needed to prepare samples for mass-spectrometric analysis. The lab also has a Europa GEO 20/20 isotope ratio mass spectrometer with an ANCA solid phase analyzer with autosampler. The instrument is run with a dedicated computer with its own dedicated color printer. Two large UPS systems guarantee continuous power and the entire system is on a back-up generator in the event of extended power outages.

Field gear

Field gear includes the equipment necessary to do field work in most any marine or aquatic environment: a number of large flow-through incubators, a wide assortment of filtration rigs and manifolds, vacuum pumps, duers, aluminum shippers, etc.

Flow cytometer

VIMS also maintains a flow cytometer facility that can be used by faculty and students for a fee. The flow cytometer is a Beckman-Coulter EPICS Altra. It is equipped with 3 lasers, including one that is water-cooled. The instrument also has sorting capabilities.