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The Marine Sediment Lab's faculty, staff and students are presently involved
with projects in the Cariaco Basin, the California Borderlands, the western
North Atlantic, and
the
Indonesian archipelago. One of the primary objectives of
our research is the reconstruction of paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic
conditions during the Neogene using deep sea sediments. Another area
of research that we are involved in is quantifying the production and flux
of sediments in the ocean through the use of
sediment traps. In addition to measuring the production and flux
of sediments, our sediment trapping projects also present us with the unique
opportunity to contribute to the development and calibration of
various climate proxies.
The MSRL contains the necessary equipment
for processing sediments and carrying out routine geochemical analyses.
Specific pieces of equipment include: JY Horiba Ultima-C ICP-AES used
primarily for Mg/Ca/Sr ratio determinations and %CaCO3 and %Opal analyses
along with numerous other single or multiple element concentrations; an Isoprime stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer for analyzing the oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of carbonate and the nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of organic matter, a
Perkin Elmer 2400 Elemental Analyzer for measuring carbon, hydrogen and
nitrogen concentrations in sediments; 7
automated sediment traps deployed to collect a time series of
particulate fluxes in the open ocean; a Seabird SEACAT CTD capable of
measuring temperature, conductivity, pressure, oxygen concentration and
transmissivity in the water column; numerous computers used for data
processing and remote sensing; and equipment for maintaining
deep-sea moorings including Argos transmitters, acoustic releases
and flotation spheres. We have a core storage facility which includes core racks, fume hood, freezers and a walk-in
cooler for sample storage. Please follow
the links at the top of this page to learn more about who we are and what we
do in the Marine Sediments Lab. |
