Carbon isotope analysis is an analytical method that quantifies the relative abundance of stable carbon isotopes, primarily ¹²C and ¹³C, in a sample to infer biogeochemical processes, sources, and pathways of carbon. Typically using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) or, less commonly, cavity ring-down spectroscopy, the technique measures δ¹³C values relative to international standards (e.g., VPDB). Sample preparation may involve combustion or decarbonation to isolate CO₂, followed by purification and introduction into the instrument. Carbon isotope analysis is widely applied in ecology, geochemistry, climate reconstruction, and forensic science to distinguish between carbon pools, metabolic pathways, and provenance.
How is carbon metabolized and processed in different ecosystems? In a study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, researchers led by Joely Maak, the study's first author and researcher in the Cluster ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 9, 2026
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For decades, scientists have relied on tree rings to estimate how long trees can live. But new research suggests that this widely used method may have been underestimating the lifespan of many flowering trees—sometimes ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 3, 2026
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Scientists have long relied on tree rings to learn about ancient solar storms—rare bursts of high-energy particles from the sun that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communication systems across the planet. When ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 29, 2026
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Intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) reflects how efficiently plants assimilate carbon relative to water loss at the leaf level. While widely studied using carbon isotope and gas-exchange measurements, most existing knowledge ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 17, 2026
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Cities around the world are working to limit emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases, but there have been few ways of measuring whether those gases are actually decreasing in any given municipality. In new research, ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 3, 2025
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A new analysis of chemical signatures measured by NASA's Curiosity Rover gives a peek at Mars's past to a time some 3.7 billion years ago, when it was warmer and wetter.
Astrobiology
Oct 29, 2025
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A team of scientists has uncovered a rare isotope in microscopic fossils, offering fresh evidence that ocean ecosystems may be more resilient than once feared.
Earth Sciences
Oct 2, 2025
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The Ordovician Period stands as a critical chapter in Earth's geological history, with carbon isotope records serving as both a key tool for stratigraphic correlation and a vital archive to unravel the coevolution of ancient ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 16, 2025
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Astronomers at Leiden University have detected rare isotopes of carbon and oxygen in our neighboring stars for the first time, providing a new path toward better understanding the chemical evolution of the cosmos. The results ...
Astronomy
Aug 26, 2025
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Teasing apart the sources of organic carbon stored in coastal wetland soils around the world was the "grand challenge" Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) scientists successfully tackled in a seminal blue carbon ...
Environment
Aug 19, 2025
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