Nitrate Source Tracking – Sample Types and Selection
The following recommendations are general guidelines. Individual sample size requirements largely vary based on the material and concentration of nitrates (NO3). Isobar does not report nitrate concentration. Contact us for advice if you are concerned that your samples are too small. Note: Isobar can only accept samples submitted in batches of 20 samples minimum.
Reminders
Please use a box with sufficient packing to prevent breakage while in transit. We recommend commercial courier or registered first-class mail when sending the samples to the lab. Please email the courier and tracking number so we can monitor your package.
Always choose the best samples for your research objectives
WaterSAMPLE SIZE RECOMMENDED CONTAINER |
SAMPLE PREPARATIONBefore placing the water bottles in a sturdy cardboard box, please put them inside a plastic bag and seal the bag with a zip-tie or duct tape. If any of the bottles leak during shipment, the water will not weaken the box. Please take note of the following features: We accept: We do not accept: • We cannot accept unstabilized samples or samples with a Salinity >40 for analysis at this time. |
* Use a small plastic vial with no prior use and fill to the top with no headspace. Isobar does not accept water samples for stable isotope analysis that still need to be pretreated (send filtered samples with no chemicals added).
** Please DO NOT use glass bottles, recycled drinking water bottles, or other lightweight / low-density plastic bottles as they may allow isotopic effects to take place and bias the measurements, causing inaccuracies in the reported results. We accept no responsibility for the accuracy of testing results for samples submitted in collection bottles other than those specified.
*** We cannot accept unstabilized samples or samples with a Salinity >40 for analysis at this time
† Values represent the ideal sample characteristics, however, other options are still acceptable for analysis
If you plan to use the boron isotope service in conjunction with the nitrate, make sure to collect an individual non-acidified sample in a separate 100 mL plastic container.
Download NST Sampling Guide
Please fill out the form to download our Nitrate Source Tracking sampling guide.