Out with the Old

Research specialist Carl Johnson carefully removes a quartz liner from the sample combustion chamber of an elemental analyzer glowing at 1000°C (1,832°F) just six inches below his fingertips. Compressed pellets of sediment, soil, powdered rock or biological samples weighing only a few milligrams are encased in tin “boats” and burned in the analyzer to determine the relative amounts of carbon and nitrogen they contain. After several dozen samples, Johnson or another technician must remove any unburned residue before work can continue.(Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)