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Scientific Ocean Drilling Vessel

Microbiology Laboratory

See the Fo’c’s’le Deck panoramic virtual tour.

Chemistry Lab Scope Hard shellanaerobicchamber LN60generator -86°Freezer TOC GC-ECD Laminarflowhood Flammablehood Cold Room Front-load Autoclave Incubator Ref-incubator Ref-incubator Ref-incubator Incubator Oven Radioisotope Van Furnace RT-Incubator Top-load Autoclave OI Analytical Aurora 1030 total organic carbon analyzer Agilent 6890 gas chromatograph with micro-ECD Yamato SM510 top-load autoclave Tuttnauer 3870EA front-load autoclave Fisher ISOTEMP undercounter incubators Fisher ISOTEMP desktop incubators Zeiss Axioplan microscope CoyLab hard shell anaerobic chamber (vinyl sleeve) FORMA 926 upright freezer Rigaku LN60 liquid nitrogen generator

See Laboratory Manuals, Guides, and Resources for Microbiology.

See all chemicals used in shipboard labs.

Note: There is no dedicated microbiology technician onboard the JOIDES Resolution. All necessary supplies should be communicated through the Expedition Project Manager prior to each expedition, and technical support onboard will be shared among other technical staff.

Function

Microbial life has been discovered in cores recovered from as deep as 1 km below the seafloor. The Microbiology laboratory enables microbiologists to investigate this deep biosphere. The laboratory contains an anaerobic chamber with rock splitting and other sampling equipment for taking uncontaminated samples from the cores, a laminar flow hood for preparing uncontaminated samples for study, and facilities for incubating samples. There is also an epifluorescence microscope available for sample examination. Pressure vessels and −86°C freezers allow storage of samples under controlled conditions for future shore-based study. The ship also has facilities for conducting tracer experiments to quantify the extent of downhole contamination of the core by drilling fluid pumped down from the seafloor.

Instruments

  • Agilent 6890 gas chromatograph with Micro-ECD (electron capture detector) and Gerstel headspace autosampler
  • CoyLab hard-shell anaerobic chamber
  • CoyLab soft-shell anaerobic chamber with automatic airlock
  • Fisher ISOTEMP low-temperature incubator (undercounter)
  • Fisher ISOTEMP 220 water-bath incubator, P/N 15-462-20 (desktop)
  • Fisher water bath
  • High Pressure Equipment Co. reactors, gauges, connectors, and pump
  • Hydraulic rock trimmer, P/N 13H4000
  • Isotemp Hybridization Incubator, P/N 13-247-30
  • Labconco 37500-01 laminar flow hood
  • LC Pump 301 macro stainless steel head (to meter tracer in drill water)
  • Luminometer TD-20/20 without injector system
  • Rigaku LN60 liquid nitrogen generator
  • OI Analytical Aurora 1030 total organic carbon (TOC + N) analyzer with dry combustion and wet combustion capability
  • Sonic Dismembrator Homogenizer, Fisher Model 150
  • Tuttnauer 3870EA front-load autoclave (desktop)
  • Upright freezer (−86°C)
  • Vortex Mixers
  • Yamato SM510 top-load autoclave (floor) Vacuum Filtration
  • Zeiss Axioplan epifluorescence microscope
  • SPOT microscope cameras
  • Please note that proprietary manuals may be available upon request and subject to limited use
Microbiology Laboratory