General EA method descrition for elemental analyses done at UCSC SIL.

Carbon and nitrogen isotopic and elemental compostion was determined by Dumas combustion using a Carlo Erba 1108 elemental analyzer coupled to a ThermoFinnigan Delta Plus XP isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Analyses were run at the University of California, Santa Cruz Stable Isotope Laboratory. Analytical precison of internationally calibrated in-house standards is better than 0.2 permil for both d13C and d15N. Sample isotopic values are corrected for size, drift and source stretching effects. Carbon and nitrogen elemental composition is estimated based on standards of known elemental composition. Precision of these known compounds is determined to better than 1%.

NEWS & EVENTS

November 2009

UCSC's SIL retires its 15 year-old dual-inlet Optima following a very productive career that generated over 40,000 data points.

November 2009

Two Tsavo Lions In Famed Killings Get Partial Reprieve according to UCSC Graduate Student Justin Yeakel as inteviewed on NPR's All Things Considered. Listen here:

July-August 2009

SIL co-director Christina Ravelo (Ocean Sciences) sails as co-chief scientist on Integrated Ocean Drilling Project (IODP) Expedition 323 to investigate Bearing Sea Paleoceanography.

December 2008

SIL co-director Christina Ravelo (Ocean Sciences) gives the 2008 Emiliani Lecture at the American Geophysical Union Meeting in San Francisco on "Lessons from the Pliocene Warm Period and the Onset of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation".

September 2008:

UCSC SIL has been funded by the National Science Foundation for a new Dual-Inlet Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer with individual acid drip system for very small calcium carbonate samples.

July 2008:

SIL co-director Jim Zachos (Earth and Planetary Sciences) recieves prestigious Humbolt Research Award. See Humbolt Award for details.

May 19, 2006: UCSC Stable Isotope Laboratory Symposium

In recognition of the new continuous flow instruments added to the UCSC stable isotope facility a Symposium is being run to highlight the new analytical capabilities.