We measure stable isotopes in air and ice to better understand the Earth's climate systems. We excel at measurements of δ13C and δ18O in atmospheric carbon dioxide, δ13C of atmospheric methane and local sources of elevated methane, and δ2H and δ18O in water from ice cores as well as in environmental waters. Read more about our research below!
Bruce Vaughn
Lab manager
Sylvia Michel
Lab manager
Tyler Jones
Faculty fellow
Jianghanyang (Ben) Li
Faculty fellow
Bradley Markle
Faculty fellow
Pieter Tans
Faculty fellow emeritus
Kerstin Braun
Research staff
Reid Clark
Research staff
Valerie Morris
Research staff
John Ortega
Research staff
Kevin Rozmiarek
Grad student
Taline Leon
Research assistant
Paloma Siegel
Research assistant
Like isotopes? Join us for Front Range Isotope Day (FRIDay) at CU Boulder on August 25th 2023.
It's a one-day, fun gathering of scientists and technicians from institutions along the Front Range who use stable isotopes in their research. In addition to talks and posters, there will be lab tours!
Panorama of the INSTAAR Stable Isotope Lab
Contact us
Come visit! We are in the southeast corner of SEEC (Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Complex) at 4001 Discovery Dr.
Or call! 303-492-5495
We provide analytical services to scientists and institutions around the world. Find more info below.
Our team
We're a dedicated crew from different scientific backgrounds and experiences, but with common purpose: to understand the Earth's climate system, the carbon cycle, and global change. We work together in the lab and in the field in our shared mission. We also try to have some fun!
Some current and past SIL team members, from left to right: Bruce Vaughn, Brad Markle, Sylvia Michel, Valerie Morris, Reid Clark, Chloe Brashear, Seth Kurtz, Kevin Rozmiarek
Current and past members of the greenhouse gas team: Reid Clark, Chloe Brashear, Taline Leon, Sylvia Michel, John Ortega
SIL folk take a tour of Niwot Ridge, above INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station.
Blog headlines
- A send-off for Chloe!
- An isotope introduction
- SIL survives the Covid times.
- SIL finds solidarity at GGMT.
- Flying skyward!
Are you interested in being a SIL team member?
- Prospective graduate students: please reach out to our principal investigators Tyler Jones, Brad Markle, or Ben Li!
- Prospective undergraduates and Professional Research Assistants: please add your name to this form and email an introduction to Sylvia.
Research
Stable isotopes are a unique tool because they indicate, record, integrate, and trace processes in the global environment. The INSTAAR Stable Isotope Lab partners with researchers from a variety of academic institutions and governmental agencies worldwide in interdisciplinary research into Earth systems.
Services
We provide analytical services to scientists and institutions around the world.
Analysis | Analysis Mode | Sample Volume | Precision (‰) | Cost Per | Analysis Time | Limitations | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C & O: atm. carbon dioxide | δ13C δ18O |
dual inlet | 400 cc minimum 1 Liter preferred |
±0.015 ±0.05 |
$60 | 4-6 wks | Near-ambient concentrations of CO2 in air |
C: atm. methane | δ13C | continuous flow | 40 cc minimum 1 Liter preferred |
±0.1 | $240 | 4-6 wks | Near-ambient concentrations of CH4 in air |
H & O: liquid water & ice | δD δ18O |
dual inlet | 2ml minimum 15 ml preferred |
±0.5 ±0.07 |
$50 | 4-6 wks | Relatively clean samples, please! |
Stable Isotope Lab by the numbers
7
Full-Time Technicians
+ grad students
30+
Years
of operations
36+
Publications
in Nature or Science
180+
Publications
assoc. with the lab
800
Square Feet
of freezer space
at -20°C/-4°F
3000
Gallons
of liquid nitrogen
on demand
8000+
Square Feet
of lab space
25,000+
Analyses
per year
Instrumentation
Our equipment includes
- Dual-inlet and continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometers
- Laser-based cavity ring-down spectrometers.
Overview video (90 sec)
Watch an 90 second overview of the Stable Isotope Lab. The video will automatically start at the 2:30 mark. This overview is part of a tour of two INSTAAR labs. The first part of the video gives an overview of the Laboratory for AMS Radiocarbon Preparation and Research.
Partners
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We work closely with NOAA’s Global Monitoring Lab, providing critical isotopic constraints on the sources and sinks of major greenhouse gases and related carbon- climate feedback processes—constraints which are not otherwise available from observations of trace gas concentration alone.
National Science Foundation (NSF). Many of our projects have been supported under the leadership of the National Science Foundation.
Collaborators
We also collaborate with colleagues at many universities, government labs, and other science organizations and communities around the world.