ATLAS Project Profile
The ANSTO Technologies - Leaders in Analytical Science, ATLAS project supports environmental research by providing analytical expertise and operating and developing our analytical capabilities within the Institute for Environmental Research.
Project Leader: Dr Geraldine Jacobsen
Objectives/aims:
To utilise our unique range of analytical capabilities and expertise in order to:
- Apply both nuclear based and conventional analytical techniques to research in order to gain a better understanding of understanding natural processes.
- Ensure the provision of world-class analytical expertise to internal and external researchers, through capability enhancement and staff development.
Project Team:
Michael Hotchkis, Tezer Esat, David Hill, Lida Mohkber-Shahin, Krista Simon, Julia Ciufici, Zuze Forbes, Jennifer Harrison, Robert Chisari, Henri Wong, Atun Zawadzki, Chris Bowles, Emma Crooke, Andrew Easton, Geetha Bridson, Barbara Neklapilova, Val Sadler, Carla Howe, Samah Elriche
Achievements:
We have achieved proof-of-principle for two new methods of mass spectrometry. In one method, which we call ion charge exchange mass spectrometry (ICE-MS), radiocarbon can be detected at the microbecquerel level. This is especially useful for tracer studies in biomedical research. The ICE-MS instrument is more compact than AMS systems and operates with low voltages only. We are also working on the development of a new isotope ratio mass spectrometer which can be used to measure isotopic ratios of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and others. A patent application has been submitted for this method.
Significant Collaborations:
- IAEA Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP), providing data on tritium levels in Australian rainfall for their database.
- Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies - University of Tasmania, looking at environmental reconstruction of Bathurst Harbour, Tasmania.
- Dr S. Haberle and Dr A. Anderson, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies - Australian National University on the ARC Discovery grant Stepping-stones or barrier: The movement and impact of people throughout the Far Eastern Pacific.
- Recent Human Impact on Australian Ecosystems (OZPACS). An ARC funded Environmental Futures Network.
Key Publications:
Hotchkis M.A.C. and Wei, T. Radiocarbon detection by ion charge exchange mass spectrometry, Nucl Instr & Meth B, in press.
Hotchkis, M.A.C. and Waring, C.L., Australian Patent Application No. PCT/AU2006/001284: An Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer and Methods for Determining Isotope Ratios.
Bennetts, D. A., Webb, J. A., Stone, D. J. M., Hill, D. M. (2006) Understanding the salinisation process for groundwater in an area of south-eastern Australia, using hydrochemical and isotopic evidence. Journal of Hydrology 323, 178-192.
Seen, A., Townsend, A., Atkinson, B., Ellison, J., Harrison, J. and Heijnis, H. (2004). Determining the history and sources of contaminants in sediments in the Tamar Estuary, Tasmania, Australia, using 210Pb dating and stable Pb isotopes. Environmental Chemistry, 1, 49-54.
For Further Information
Contact: Dr Geraldine Jacobsen
| Phone: +61 2 9717 9060 | Email: geraldine.jacobsen@ansto.gov.au |