| The Skidaway Institute Scientific Stable Isotope Laboratory (SISSIL) is able to analyze an extremely wide range of environmental samples -- a capability matched by no other lab in the Southeast.
One IRMS instrument is configured to analyze solid samples such as soils, and volatile and gas samples with a gas chromatograph.
The second instrument will be unique to the Southeast. It will be capable of measuring at very high precision the isotope ratios of gases dissolved in water and in the atmosphere, including unusual measurements only recently developed by the scientific community. It will also be able to directly analyze the composition of organic molecules in water.
Some of the first research to be conducted at SISSIL will involve examining local waters to identify nutrient sources.
Skidaway Institute is surrounded by outdoor, natural laboratories, such as salt marshes, estuaries and the coastal ocean. Having the SISSIL facility located on our campus furnishes collaborating researchers and students with instant feedback on experimental results during their field studies.
More long-range studies should provide valuable insights into the causes of algal blooms in Georgia's estuaries; improve the understanding of how urbanization affects water quality; and drive fundamental research on the carbon cycle within our environment.
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