School of Plant Biology

Our centre was established in 2000 as a centralised, stable isotope facility for Western Australia.

The WABC has now re-opened for business following recent upgrades.

About the centre

The West Australian Biogeochemisty Centre (WABC) is housed in the School of Plant Biology.

The facility was 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 UWA and Curtin University of Technology.

There is considerable expertise in stable isotope chemistry and biogeochemistry within UWA, across a broad spectrum of disciplines but particularly in their application to environmental and natural sciences. In particular, we have extensive experience in the application of stable isotopes to research in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, plant and animal ecology and physiology; soil chemistry, biology and biogeochemistry; as well as hydrology and climate studies.

The WABC specialises in the analysis of N, C, O and H isotopes on solid, liquid and gas samples.

John de Laeter Centre of Mass Spectrometry

The John de Laeter Centre of Mass Spectrometry is a joint research venture incorporating Curtin University, the University of Western Australia, CSIRO and the Geological Survey of Western Australia that includes more than 50 scientific and technical staff.

Integrative research in the minerals and petroleum sectors is foremost among the Centre's strategic goals.

We are engaged in research in biogeochemistry, cosmochemistry, geochronology, organic geochemistry, radiogenic isotope studies, stable isotope geochemistry and thermochronology.