Due to recent technological advances, natural abundance ¹⁴C (radiocarbon) work is in the vanguard of environmental science investigation.  Radiocarbon is produced in the atmosphere from nitrogen, and is incorporated into carbon dioxide.  It is then taken up by primary producers and imparts a signal to “modern” photosynthetic production.  ¹⁴C is radioactive, with a half life on the order of 5000 years, and so it extremely useful for dating-- determining the age of organic materials. It is also extremely useful for tracing organic materials through the environment, as source materials enter the environment having differing ages.

I have refocused my research in a major way towards natural abundance ¹⁴C analysis.  I use it in every aspect of my work.  It has been imperative for tracing the inputs of petrocarbon into the Gulf of Mexico following the oil spill, as the oil and methane that was released was “fossil” methane, meaning that it was ¹⁴C dead, having no radiocarbon.  I’ve used it to quantify the input of oil spill derived carbon to sediments, particulates, plankton, fish and invertebrates.

I also use ¹⁴C in tracing carbon inputs to peatlands and in determining permafrost decay, as both peats and permafrost are of greater age than modern current photosynthetic production and so are depleted in ¹⁴C.  I am involved in a USDOE project determining the effect of CO₂ fertilization on peatland vegetation.  CO₂ fertilization has to do with the effects of higher CO₂ in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel burning.  In these experiments we are adding ¹⁴C depleted CO₂ to the air of large chambers.   We trace these ¹⁴C dead inputs into the modern carbon cycle and follow their role in peatland carbon sequestration and decomposition.  We follow the decomposition of ancient peat carbon and evaluate its role in the carbon cycle relative to recently produced carbon.