Isotopy plateform

The ISOTOPY platform of UR FOCUS brings together instrumentation acquired by the Laboratory of Trophic and Isotopic Ecology, the Laboratory of Biological Oceanography and the Chemical Oceanography Unit of the ULiège. These instruments support a large spectrum of research topics, including marine biodiversity, trophic ecology of animals, food webs structure and functioning, greenhouse gases dynamics in aquatic systems and related air-water gas exchanges.

The platform emerged as part of the UR FOCUS 2020 strategic plan with a strong wiliness to pool instrumental resources and integrate technical skills and scientific expertise.

ISOTOPY plateform comprises :

• 1 Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (IRMS) (Isoprime 100) coupled to a gas chromatogaph (GC) (Agilent) (FNRS and ULiège Equipment funds 2010)
• 1 IRMS (precisION, Elementar) coupled to a elemental analyser (C,N et S VarioMicro, Elementar) (FNRS Equipment fund 2019)
• 1 laser spectrometer (Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy) for stable isotopes of N2O, NO3, NH4 (Los Gatos Research N2O isotopic analyser) (FNRS Equipment 2016)
• 1 laser spectrometer (cavity ring-down spectroscopy) for stable isotopes of CH4 and CO2 (Picarro G2201-i Isotopic Analyzer) (FNRS Equipment 2020).

The plateform also comprises 1 field laser spectrometer for CH4 and CO2 (Los Gatos Research Ultraportable gas analyzer – UGGA), 6 infra-red (field) spectrometers (CO2) (Lic-Cor Li-820, 840, 6252, 6262, 7000) et 4 GCs (CH4,CO2,N2O,DMS) (2 SRI et 2 Agilent).

The researchers involved in the ISOTOPY platform have a strong convergence on topics on ecology and biogeochemistry of aquatic systems (continental, coastal and oceanic waters) in polar, boreal, temperate and tropical climates, as well as in the methodology and instrumentation used.

The platform’s instrumentation is used in the frame of projects and collaborations:

• within UR FOCUS (A. Borges, B. Delille, G. Lepoint, K. Das, M. Denoël, B. Frédérich, E. Parmentier, S. Gobert, P. Dauby)
• within other URs of Uliège (UR InBios, Geology, Spheres, Gembloux Agro-biotech)
• with other national universities/institutes (UMons, UNamur, UCL, ULB, VUB, UGent, UAntwerp, KULeuven, RBINS, Africa Museum)
• with international universities/institutes (for example Polish Institute of Oceanology, Federal University Rio de Janeiro, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, IFREMER Brittany).

The platform provides services to the community. The list of variables that can be analyzed by the Chemical Oceanography Unit can be found here.