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Sample Preparation of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Groundwater for AMS 14C Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

G S Burr ,
J M Thomas ,
D Reines ,
D Jeffrey ,
C Courtney ,
A J T Jull  and
T Lange
G S Burr
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA. Email: Burr@u.arizona.edu.
J M Thomas
Affiliation:
Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, Nevada 89512, USA
D Reines
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA. Email: Burr@u.arizona.edu.
D Jeffrey
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA. Email: Burr@u.arizona.edu.
C Courtney
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA. Email: Burr@u.arizona.edu.
A J T Jull
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA. Email: Burr@u.arizona.edu.
T Lange
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA. Email: Burr@u.arizona.edu.
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Abstract

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This study describes a sample preparation technique used to isolate dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in groundwater for radiocarbon analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The goal of the work is to improve our ability to determine groundwater residence times based on 14C measurements of the DOC fraction in groundwater. Water samples were collected from carbonate and volcanic rock aquifers in southern Nevada. Multiple measurements of total dissolved organic carbon (TDOC) in groundwater from one site are used to demonstrate the reproducibility of the analytical procedure. The reproducibility of the method is about one percent (1σ) for a 0.5 mg sample. The procedural blank for the same size sample contains about 1 percent modern carbon (pMC).

Type
I. Becoming Better
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 43 , Issue 2A: Proceedings of the 17th International Radiocarbon Conference (Part 1 of 3) , 2001 , pp. 183 - 190
Copyright
Copyright © The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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