Ever heard the term garbage-in, garbage-out? Well, that’s what happens when taking samples. Without fully understanding what analytes you want to capture, and their physical properties in nature and post-collection, it is easy to waste vast amounts of money on a sampling program that produces worthless results. Common issues can include gross contamination of samples, improper preservation of key compounds, sampling the wrong material, or sample loss during transport to the lab. Our experts have decades of experience collecting samples in environments from the nearshore, freshwater ponds and lakes, caustic borehole environments, and exotic hydrothermal systems. We have even collected samples from the deepest place in the ocean, the Challenger Deep of the Mariana’s Trench.

We have collected various samples worldwide for an equally wide variety of purposes. We can do environmental baseline studies for freshwater systems, coastal environments, or the marine environment. We have experience sampling microbial genetic information in extreme environments. We have conducted sampling autonomously using long-term monitoring platforms inside boreholes or on the seafloor around seeps or contaminated areas and through repeat site visits. We can also incorporate satellite imagery and GIS databases to track the results spatially and over time. We stay current with the latest technological innovations to help guide your program to achieve your ultimate goals, not just give you a standard data package that may or may not apply to your situation.

We do not have any chemical analytical gear. However, we have designed and operated laboratories and have hands-on experience with method development across various analytical platforms. Some of the systems we have experience with are Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS), LASER Ablation ICP-MS, ICP-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES/OES), Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP), Raman LASER spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography (GC), GC-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS), underwater Mass Spectrometry (UMS), High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). HPLC-triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-3Q-MS), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS), Total Scanning Fluorescence (TSF), colorimetric Nutrient Analysis, chelation extractions, liquid-liquid extractions, Soxhlet extractions, microwave digestions, and old-fashioned microscopy. We have ordered high-end systems from international instrument suppliers like Fisher, Shimadzu, and Perkin Elmer, so we are familiar with the sales pitches and hard sells they give. We provide the experience and expertise to navigate through the latest technologies and provide the right tools to solve your problem.

You could do that but may not get the data you need. Many different types of labs, from mom-and-pop to multinational corporations, are designed to service different types of customers. There are also many levels and types of accreditations. Imagine paying thousands of dollars for your lab results only to learn that you can’t use the data in the state of New York. Labs also test for compounds with different detection limits. If you don’t understand the analytical process or ask the right questions, you could take all your samples to a lab that analyzes everything with detection limits above your interest levels. The worst part is that most analytical procedures destroy your samples, so there are no do-overs. We offer an interpreter that can take your specific needs and communicate them to the right laboratory to get you the right data.