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Water World

MFC's main research laboratory, dubbed WaterWorld, has space for 12-15 researchers.

The MFC group is comprehensively equipped for a variety of research in marine & freshwater chemical and physical studies. Its main laboratory (locally termed WaterWorld) typically houses 12-15 researchers, including staff and post-graduate students in the group. Major research instruments and facilities include:

  • A Class 100 clean laboratory for trace metal analysis
  • Nu-Plasma multi-collector ICP-MS
  • HP-Agilent quadrupole ICP-MS
  • New Wave laser ablation accessory
  • Perkin-Elmer 4100Z Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer
  • Thermo-Jarrell Ash Atomscan 25 inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer
  • Two VG Aurora stable isotope mass spectrometers

In addition, the MFC group has a number of custom-built items of equipment for measurement of seawater alkalinity, carbon dioxide partial pressure and continuous pH by CCD photometry. Sampling equipment includes a CTD-rosette system equipped with General Oceanics Go-Flo samples, Kevlar hydroline and trace metal-optimized Go-Flo samplers and a 2 m box corer.

 

PhSystem 2

Apparatus for high-precision automatic pH measurement in surface seawater designed and built by the MFC group. This equipment has been on several ocean cruises in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

CTD-rosette Sampler

A CTD-rosette sampler used for sampling deep ocean and lake waters. The white module in the foreground measures the salinity and temperature of the water.

 

Being located in a mainstream Chemistry Department, the MFC group has access to a wide range of instrumentation and expertise typical of such a department, including 200, 300 and 500 MHz Varian nmr spectrometers, laser spectroscopy, including surface-enhanced FTIR and Raman, and photo-acoustic spectroscopy. The department houses a fully-equipped microanalytical laboratory with 2 Carlo-Erba CHNSO elemental analysers, a glass blower and electronic and mechanical workshops.

The MFC group also has access to the facilties of the Portobello Marine Laboratory, including an aquarium, seawater incubation tanks and the 15m research vessel Polaris II.

Munida

The University's 15m research vessel Polaris II is used extensively by the MFC research group.

Finally, all staff and students working in the MFC group have access to all of the research facilties of NIWA, and regularly participate in cruises of the NIWA ocean-going research vessel R/V Tangaroa.

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Site Created and Maintained by Kath McGilbert
Last Modified: 19 July, 2006
All contents © Department of Chemistry, University of Otago