The Roberts lab at LUMCON has or has access to environmental growth chamber facilities, refrigeration and freezing capabilities, drying ovens, muffle furnaces, microbalances, shaker tables, high purity DI water via a treatment system with 2 high capacity cartridges, a carbon cartridge, and a polishing cartridge that feed into a Barnstead Nanopure Diamond UV water purification system, and separate acid washing facilities. The Roberts lab oversees the use of several low-temperature BOD incubators and several illuminated, temperature controlled incubators. In addition, there is a general use autoclave, a Partec PAS flow cytometer, a High Performance Liquid Chromatography, a Beckman/Coulter LS 13320 Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer, LOGOS Digital X-radiography unit, and a Hidex Scintillation Counter available to researchers in our lab. Our lab also has extensive field sampling gear and instruments including YSI multiparameter sondes with optical sensors, temperature/salinity/conductivity, redox and pH probes, Li-Cor spherical quantum (PAR) sensors, secchi disks, and water and sediment collection equipment. Major analytical equipment that is overseen by the Roberts lab include:
Shimadzu GC2014 Gas Chromatograph with greenhouse gas analyzer system
The Shimadzu GC-2014 gas chromatograph system housed in Room 218 is equipped with both a flame ionization detector (FID) and an electron capture detector (ECD) and the Greenhouse Gas Analyzer configuration provides a unique turnkey system equipped with 1 sample loop, 3 values and 5 columns allowing for the direct quantification of CO2, CH4, and N2O concentrations from the same sample in ~8 minutes per sample. This instrument is primarily used to measure wetland soil gas fluxes as well as water column and benthic fluxes from estuarine and marine ecosystems. |
Shimadzu TOC-VCSH Total Organic Carbon Analyzer
The Shimadzu TOC-VCSH (Total Organic Carbon) Analyzer with TNM-1 (Total Nitrogen Measuring kit) Module and ASI-V autosampler is housed in Room 218 and is primarily used for simultaneous analyses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN). [TDN measurements allow for the determination of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) when nitrate and ammonium are also measured]. The TOC-VCSH can also be used to measure total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total inorganic carbon (TIC) concentrations of water samples. |
Lachat Instruments QuickChem FIA+ 8000 series autoanalyzer
A Lachat Instruments QuikChem® FIA+ 8000 Series Automated Ion Analyzer with an ASX-400 Series XYZ autosampler is housed in Room 222 and is often used for the analysis of dissolved inorganic nutrient (NO3- + NO2-, PO43-, SiO2, and NH4+ ) concentrations. Samples are analyzed simultaneously for dissolved NO3- + NO2-, PO43- and SiO2, but separately for dissolved NH4+ to prevent contamination of the samples by fumes from the NH4Cl buffer used in the analysis for NO3- + NO2-. The autoanalyzer also includes an in-line unit for organic P and N analyses. |
CE Elantech Flash 1112 Elemental Analyzer
A CE Elantech Flash 1112 Series Elemental Analyzer is housed in Room 222 is used for the analysis of carbon and nitrogen content of water and sediment samples. Particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate nitrogen (PN) concentrations are determined by filtering a known water volume onto a pre-combusted glass fiber filter and freezing it for storage. Thawed filters are then exposed to hydrochloric acid fumes in a sealed container for 24 h, dried at 60°C before being packed in tin capsules and analyzed in the EA. Sediment C and N content is determined by homogenizing a dried (60°C) sediment sample, placing a known weight of sample in a tin capsule, exposing it to hydrochloric acid fumes, re-drying it and then analyzing it in the EA. |
Thermo Finnigan UNICAM UV 300 spectrophotometer
A Thermo Finnigan UNICAM UV 300 spectrophotometer is housed in Room 222. The primary use of this instrument by the Roberts Lab is currently for determining concentrations of total and reduced iron and total aluminum, but the spectrophotometer can also be used for a variety of additional measurements including the determination of concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus, chlorophyll a and phaeopigments, and water color, among others. |
Turner Designs 10-AU Fluorometer
A Turner Designs 10-AU Fluorometer is housed in either Room 218 or Room 206. The primary use of this instrument by the Roberts Lab is for the determination of chlorophyll a and phaeopigment concentrations from pelagic (phytoplankton) and benthic (estuarine and/or marsh sediments) samples. |
Mettler-Toledo Single Burette Drive Endpoint and EQP Titrators
The Roberts Lab has two titrators [models DL 28 (pictured at left) and DL22 ] under our supervision that are usually housed in Room 218. The primary use of these titrators is for analyzing dissolved oxygen concentrations using a modification of the classic Winkler procedure. The automated endpoint detector allows for accurate and precise measurements of dissolved oxygen concentrations which are especially critical in studies of the hypoxic (low oxygen) waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” and more broadly in studies needing to make robust measurements of respiration rates. |
Los Gatos Research Ultra-Portable Gas Analyzer
The Roberts Lab has an LGR Ultra-Portable methane and carbon dioxide gas analyzer that is used at our off-site sampling locations. This instrument is used to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, specifically carbon dioxide and methane, from brackish-water salt marshes. An iPad is used in couple with the instrument to visually display fluctuations in greenhouse gas concentrations over time. A 1.2 m acrylic tube is used to capture these emissions over time. |
Unispec-DC Spectral Analysis System
The Unispec-DC Spectral Analysis System is a unique, field portable, dual channel (VIS/NIR) instrument capable of unattended, simultaneous measurement of incident and reflected light. It incorporates two high precision, synchronized, miniature photodiode array detectors that feature high sensitivity, repeatability and long term calibration stability. It is compact, sensitive to light and insensitive to external influences (i.e. temperature). The design of the detectors allows for full spectrum (310-1100 nm) measurements in less than 1 second. It can be used in studies of plant physiology & ecology, carbon transport and water quality, forestry, field crop monitoring, remote sensing, ground truthing remote sensor data, atmospheric science, and aquatic plants. The UniSpec-DC is capable of calculation of common vegetation indices such as NDVI, mNDVI, PRI, WBI, summed green reflectance and red/green ratio |