Premium
Necessity for Decontamination of Filters in C^{14} Measured Rates of Photosynthesis in Fresh Waters
Author(s) -
Wetzel Robert G.
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1934890
Subject(s) - photosynthesis , deposition (geology) , environmental chemistry , environmental science , human decontamination , contamination , ecology , chemistry , biology , botany , waste management , paleontology , sediment , engineering
Extracellular deposition of C { 14} can lead to large errors in estimates of photosynthesis in many aquatic situations where C { 14} techniques are employed. Of the available pre—radioassay techniques for the removal of extracelluar deposition, exposure to fumes of concentrated HC1 for a brief period is superior. Loss of radioactivity upon treatment differs among lakes, seasonally, and between illuminated and dark samples. Exposure of desiccated filters to fumes of concentrated HCl for a 10—min period is suggested as a standard procedure prior to assays of radioactivity.