Environmental Analysis Laboratory

The Environmental Analysis Laboratory, equipped with a set of equipment to facilitate sampling, survey positioning and field analysis, uses standardizedanalytical protocols to characterize the physico-chemical properties of soils, sediments, water and vegetation in the environmental dynamics that shape them. These quantitative measurements then make it possible to validate the data taken using telemetric instruments.

The laboratory team has also developed a specific infrastructure for studying phytoplankton ecophysiology. To this end, a containment level 2 laboratory is installed inside our walls and an automated station for continuous accurate measurements is deployed in a lake environment to determine phytoplankton behaviour in the natural environment.

Summary list of equipment:

  • Laboratory fluorometer for physiological measurement (PSI Dual-Modulation Kinetic Fluorometer FL-3500)
  • TURNER fluorometer(Turner Designs) with module for chlorophyll without acidification and module for phycocyanin
  • Automated system for continuous microalgae culture
  • Coulter Counter (Beckman coulter)
  • Spectrophotometer (UV/VIS LAMDA 650, Perkin Elmer) equipped with an integrating sphere
  • Spectophotometer (Secomam Uvi light PC2 )
  • Inverted epifluorescence microscope Zeiss (Axio Observer D1) with Phase Contrast and DIC with Zeiss Axiocam color camera
  • Liquid scintillation counter (Tri-Carb 2910 TR de PERKIN ELMER)
  • Algae culture chamber (Thermo Scientific modèle 808)
  • Autoclave (Tuttnauer) model 3850
  • Biological safety cabinet (class II type A2) Thermo Scientific
  • Atomic absorption spectrophotometer (PERKIN ELMER 1100B)
  • 2 Filtration ramps
  • Glove box
  • Muffle and forced air furnaces
  • Precision balances, pH meters, conductivity meters
  • Vibratory sieve shakers

Summary list of field equipment:

  • Autonomous Nutrient Analysis Profiler (APNA): submersible analyzer for measuring Nitrates and Phosphates in situ
  • Multi-parameter probes: pH, O 2 dissolved, conductivity, To (YSI model 600R)
  • Hach HQ30d Oximeter with LDO Probe
  • Fluorimeter: detection of chlorophyll, phycocyanine (Wet Labs)
  • Portable laboratory for water analysis (Hach DREL 2000)
  • Several GARMIN 76 GPS units
  • A Coast Guard Demodulator (GBR 21)
  • A SXBLUE DGPS system with a 12-channel « Wass » precision GPS receiver
  • Different types of samplers and corers

Manager: Gabriel Diab