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Bld 45 - Marine Environmental Assessment Facility
![[Picture of GED Marine Environmental Assessment Facility]](images/cds-12.jpg)
The
Marine Environmental Assessment Facility is divided into four separate
laboratory spaces:
- Histology
- Harmful Algal Bloom
- Algal Toxins
- Nutrients
- The Histology Laboratory
- The histology laboratory(1022 sq.ft.) represents a highly automated,
state-of-the-art processing facility and electron microscope suite. Specimens
from a wide variety of laboratory and field studies are regularly processed
for routine histological observation as well as specialized histological,
cytological, and immunological procedures. Much of the instrumentation
in the laboratory is fully automated and computer-controlled, providing
high quality, reproducible products and allowing the processing of a considerable
volume of material with a minimal technical staff.
- Gross Dissection Station
- Tissue/Specimen Cassettes and Cassette Labeler
- Automated Tissue Processing Center
- Tissue Embedding Center
- Rotary Microtomes
- Automated Staining Center
- Robotic Coverslipping Insturmentation
- X-ray System
- Transmission Electron Microscope
- Scanning Electron Microscope
- Automated Tissue Processor
- Ultramicrotome
- Automated Grid Stainer
Instrumentation and Equipment:
The electron microscopy suite provides state-of-the-art transmission and scanning electron microscopy capabilities. As in the histology laboratory, automated instrumentation is available for key functions which normally require much of a technicians time. This automation also improves the reproducibility of procedures in the critical processing of ultrastructural specimens.
Instrumentation and Equipment:
- The Harmful Algal Bloom Laboratory
- The Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) Laboratory comprises 1500 sq. ft. of
facilities for culturing and investigations of toxic or otherwise harmful
phytoplankton species. Numerous small vertical and large walk-in
temperature-controlled environmental growth chambers facilitate culture
studies from the test tube to 40 L carboy scale. The laboratory
includes 0.2 um-filtered and distilled
water systems, sterile transfer hood, sample filtration systems, personal
and networked computers, a 90 sq. ft. trace metal clean room, and peristaltic
pumps and filtration units for filtering large volumes of seawater. Investigations
focusing on environmental factors and physiological and biochemical processes
influencing growth and toxin production of HABs are conducted using specialized
equipment, including:
- The Algal Toxins Laboratory
- The Nutrients Laboratory
Zeiss and Nikon inverted microscopes
Chelsea Instruments Fastracka fast repetition rate fluorometer
Hansatech oxygen and modulated fluorescence monitoring systems
OptiSciences Modulated Fluorometer
Turner Designs AU-10 Fluorometer
Coulter counter
Spectrex laser particle counter
Other instrumentation at GED provides valuable support to HAB studies,
including: API microflow autoanalyzer, Carlo Erba elemental analyzer, HPLC
pigment analysis systems, isotope ratio mass spectrometer, Becton-Dickinson
FACSCaliber flow cytometer, scanning and transmission electron microscopes,
Hydrolabs data sonde, and Seabird CTD.
The Algal Toxins Laboratory offers a range of advanced analytical chemistry equipment for the analysis of environmentally important phycotoxins in a variety of sample matrices. The 900 sq. ft. laboratory includes two chemical fume hoods, sample preparation and instrumentation areas, and a 70 sq. ft. walk-in refrigerator. Much of the instrumentation in the laboratory is computer-controlled, providing high quality, reproducible results and allowing the chemists to use their time and expertise productively in support of GED and Agency research needs.
Specialized Instrumentation:
High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph - Mass SpectrometerHigh Pressure Liquid Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer. This instrumentation is used for the trace level analysis of algal toxin samples in support of eutrophication and toxins effects research tasks. Specific present uses include brevetoxin (neurotoxic shellfish poisoning) and microcystin (drinking water toxin) analyses. Additionally, it is used in support of a number of other GED research tasks.
High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph - Diode Array Detector - Fluorescence Detector (2)
Radiomatic HPLC Flow Scintillation Detector
Microtiter Plate Liquid Scintillation Counter
Cell Harvester
Low Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (FPLC)
Standard and stereomicroscopes
High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph - Diode Array Detector - Fluorescence
Detector (2).
Used for the detection and quantitation of UV absorbing or fluorescent
toxins.
Radiomatic HPLC Flow Scintillation Detector. This instrument provides detection and quantitation of radio-labeled compounds following chromatographic separation by HPLC. Such detection and quantitation is utilized in biotransformation and disposition studies of algal toxins in aquatic animals and the environment, and for biochemical pathway determinations in algal nutrient studies.
Microtiter Plate Liquid Scintillation Counter and Cell Harvester. Used for radioimmunoassay (RIA) and receptor binding assay (RBA) for detection, quantitation and biological activity determination of algal toxins.
Low Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (FPLC). used for sample
cleanup and the purification and characterization of proteins and other
biomolecules in support of HAB and other investigations.
The Nutrient Laboratory consists of approximately 1800 sq. ft. containing laboratory bench and hood space. This space has been designed for the processing and analysis of liquid and solid environmental samples from investigations into trophic status of selected estuaries. There are 4 fume hoods which are kept open for daily projects, 1 of the hoods is floor height. There are 2 instrument rooms off of the main lab. One room is dedicated to the analysis of inorganic nutrients using an 8 channel Astoria Analyzer. The second rom is mainly used for carbon analysis. There are 2 C:H:N analyzers (Elementar and Perkin Elmer) and a Shimadzu TOC5000 TOC analyzer complete with solids module. A special projects IatraScan is also located in the room. The main portion of the lab consists of rows of bench surface. One row is dedicated to chlorophyll analysis using a Beckman DU650 spectrophotometer and a Turner Designs TD700 bench-top flourometer. The next bench is setup with filtration manifolds for the processing of water samples and individual filtration flasks for filtering reagents or extracted samples. The remainder of the bench surface is for special projects needing temporary space or assigned to Post Docs for the duration of there appointment. The laboratory is supplied with de-ionized, distilled a milli-Q water. General equipment for use in the laboratory consists of; 2- ultra low freezers, drying ovens, top loading - analytical and micro balances, an untracentrifuge and a lyophilization unit.
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