Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre

Rewriting the history of the invasive spiny water flea in North America

Introduced species cause significant environmental impacts, making timely detection key for mitigation. The spiny water flea, Bythotrephes longimanus , is considered one of the most ecologically and economically destructive species in North American freshwaters. For decades, mana...

Carbonate removal from radiocarbon samples using a “no leach” acid pretreatment to retain mobile organic carbon

Abstract Inorganic carbon can be a significant contaminant of radiocarbon samples. It usually occurs in the form of carbonate which must be removed prior to measurement of the organic carbon fraction in a sample. This can be achieved by an acid wash, however, this approach result...

Positive ion mass spectrometry enables simplified radiocarbon analysis

Abstract Radiocarbon ( 14 C) analysis underpins research and regulation across archaeology, Earth system science, the life sciences, and bio-content verification, yet remains constrained by reliance on accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Although AMS delivers the sensitivity req...