Temporarily Closed 

Dear Colleagues,

We wish to advise that the stable isotope facility (West Australian Biogeochemistry Centre) at UWA is now temporarily closed for expansion, refurbishment and installation of new isotope ratio mass spectrometers. Building will commence on April 7, 2008, with expected completion around August 2008.

We look forward to a greatly enhanced facility with increased capacity for analysis of your favourite isotope in gas, liquid and solid samples. In the interim, we apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to renewing our research services later in 2008.

If you have any questions regarding the facility or require assistance in locating alternative laboratories for your isotope analyses during the lab closure, please contact Pauline Grierson directly.

Welcome to the WABC at the University of Western Australia, Perth.

The WABC (a UWA Grade A Centre) was established in 2000 as a new and centralised stable isotope facility at The University of Western Australia, housed in the Botany Department (now part of the School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences). The facility built on expertise and knowledge within the then departments of Botany, Geology and Geography at UWA. Additional equipment was financed by an ARC-RIEF grant made to researchers at both UWA and Curtin as part of the John de Laeter Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry (CEMS), with additional funding from the University of Western Australia and Curtin University of Technology.

There is considerable expertise in biogeochemistry within UWA, across a broad spectrum of disciplines. In particular, the development and use of stable isotopes in biogeochemistry has been a strength of the Botany department for more than 30 years. That strength has resulted in variety of published studies on ecosystem, plant ecology and physiology: soil chemistry, biology and biogeochemistry; as well as hydrology, with all studies utilising stable isotopes of N, C, O and H.

Analytical Services

The WABC is well equipped for terrestrial and marine studies in biogeochemistry and offers a range of analytical and interpretive services to researchers both within UWA and in the broader scientific community.

The WABC has four isotope ratio mass spectrometers (IRMS) plus access to a considerable range of further analytical instrumentation (GC, HPLC, CE and autoanalyser). Our IRMS are coupled with a variety of sample preparation modules to facilitate analysis of a broad range of sample matrices. With the array of IRMS available in the WABC, analyses of d¹³C and d¹⁵N in soils, plants and in animal matter are routine.  We can also provide analyses of d¹³C and d¹⁸O of carbonate, and d²H and d¹⁸O in waters and in solid samples. We also have facilities for high precision isotope analysis of atmospheric trace gases such as N₂0, CH₄, and CO₂.

These analyses are now central to studies such as:
• Aging and characterizing of geological materials
• Organic matter decomposition in soils and sediments
• Identification of nitrogen sources for plant, fungal growth
• Tracing of trophic webs (or food webs)
• Identification of sources of production of trace gases (especially greenhouse gases)
• Identification of the sources of major pollutants
• Tracing sources of water used by plants
• Identification of food sources of a wide range of animals and humans
• Nitrogen fixation in symbiotic plants

How to contact us

If you require more details about analyses, sample requirements and charges please contact Dr Pauline Grierson, phone 08 6488 7926, email pfgblue@plants.uwa.edu.au; or Ms Lidia Bednarek (Senior Technician), phone 08 6488 2213, email libed@plants.uwa.edu.au.

The WABC is operated by the Ecosystems Research Group (ERG^o) within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Australia.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR SAMPLES

Sample Requirements

The WABC isotope laboratory can offer a highly specialized and precise stable isotope analyses for the following elements:

NITROGEN     CARBON    OXYGEN     HYDROGEN (DEUTERIUM)
Please click on the element to obtain more information about sample requirements.

Sample Submission
 
To submit samples to WABC Centre you have to

• Fill out the WABC Sample Submission Form (download pdf (16kb) or rtf (121kb))
• Complete a spreadsheet, naming all your samples. We suggest you insert random sample reps to ensure accurate results.
• Send samples, spreadsheet and submission form to:

Ms Lidia Bednarek
WABC, School of Plant Biology (MO90)
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Hwy Crawley WA 6009
libed@plants.uwa.edu.au

Nitrogen
 
Nitrogen-15 and Total % analyses are currently provided for
• Solid organic samples eg. plant, soil, fish,
• Liquids e.g. xylem, waters with very high nitrate concentration
• Ammonium and nitrate diffusion disks.
Analysis of gas samples (NO_x, N₂O) is currently in development.

The precision of analyses range from 0.2‰ for environmental samples to 5‰ for samples labeled with enriched 15N.

Organic samples should be ground to a fine powder (mesh size 100-200 µm). Sample amount depends on the nitrogen content and ideally contains 100µg of N.  Please contact the WABC for the best advice about weight of samples and /or other Nitrogen-15 analyses.

Carbon
 
Carbon-13 and Total% element analyses are provided for
• Organic samples eg.plants, soils, fish, sediments
• Liquids e.g. phloem
• Animal matter e.g. plasma, serum, urine
• Carbonate samples such as calcite, dolomite. 
Analysis of gas samples (CO₂) is currently in development.
Analyses are performed routinely with 0.2‰ or better precision.

Organic samples should be ground to a fine powder (mesh size 100-200 µm mesh size). Samples should include 800 µg of Carbon for optimal results. Please contact the WABC for the best advice about weight of samples and /or other ¹³C analyses.

Carbonate samples (calcite, dolomite) should be dried and crushed to very fine crystals size (not powder).The amount of sample needed depends on the mineral type and purity of the sample. As a guide, we recommend 1mg of pure calcite for both ¹³C and ¹⁸O estimation. Send your samples in a small paper bag or 2mL Eppendorf or vial, or ask the WABC about using glass Labco exetainers for reduced cost of analyses.

Organic matter must be removed from the solid sample prior to submission to the WABC, and is the responsibility of the client.

Oxygen
 
Analyses of Oxygen-18 are provided for
• Ground and saline waters with precision of 0.2‰
• Solid organic matter with precision of  0.3‰
• Carbonate e.g. calcite, dolomite with precision 0.2‰ 

Water samples should be submitted in a sealed, air-tight glass vial, filled to the top (to avoid isotope fractionation owing to condensation/evaporation). Please provide at least 3 mL of fresh or groundwater and 5mL of saline water.

Solid samples of organic material should be dried, ground to a very fine powder (similar to talc or flour) and then packed in an air-tight plastic vial for shipment. We require at least 1g of plant material for analysis.

Carbonate of solid samples (calcite, dolomite) - samples should be dried and crushed to very fine crystals size (not powder). The amount of sample required depends on the mineral type and purity of the sample. As a guide, we recommend 1mg of pure calcite for both ¹³C and ¹⁸O estimation. Send your samples in a small paper bag or 2mL Eppendorf or vial, or ask the WABC about using glass Labco exetainers for reduced cost of analyses.

Organic matter must be removed from the solid sample prior to submission to the WABC, and is the responsibility of the client.

The WABC can also extract water from soil and plant material using cryogenic water distillation.

Hydrogen (Deuterium)
 
Deuterium analyses are provided for
• Ground and saline waters with the precision of 2.0‰.

We are also currently developing procedures to analyse H in gas and solid samples.

Water samples should be submitted in a sealed, air-tight glass vial, filled to the top (to avoid isotope fractionation owing to condensation/evaporation). Please provide at least 3 mL of fresh or groundwater and 5mL of saline water.

The WABC can also extract water from soil and plant material using cryogenic water distillation.

Other Services

Cryogenic extraction of water

The Centre can provide services for cryogenic extraction of water from soil and plant material.

Frozen soil samples should be placed in an air-tight plastic vial. Frozen plant material must be wrapped in several layers of plastic glad wrap, placed in an air-tight, plastic vial or container and delivered still frozen to prevent water loss. As only total recovery of water guarantees accurate results, the total moisture content (%) of each sample should be estimated by the client before submission.

How long does it take?

The turn-around time from when your sample is delivered to the WABC until when you receive the data depends on the type of analyses, sample preparation requirements, number of samples submitted for analyses and the flow of work through the laboratory at the time.  As a guide please check the following Table:

Links

• Ecosystem Research Group Home Page
• John de Laeter Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry (CEMS)

• Isogeochem webpage
• The Biosphere - Atmosphere Stable Isotope Network (BASIN)