The BioGeoChemistry (BGQ) Lab is unique to Portugal. It is carefully designed to analyze a range of biomarker compounds, which are proxies (or indicators) for sea surface temperature, marine production and are essential for climate reconstructions.
The BGQ Lab is equipped with a VARIAN 3800 GC-FID , a Bruker Scion 456-SQ GC-MS, a brand-new Scion 436 GC-FID and an accelerated solvent extractor (Dionex ASE 350), that were provided by the EMSO-PT project. These equipment are used for the identification and quantification of organic molecules produced both by terrestrial plants and marine organisms that are preserved in marine and land sediments. The GC-MS allows research into a wide suite of well-established and new organic markers that reflect past environmental conditions. These methods and analysis are well established for Paleoclimate Studies, as well as in the areas of Geology and Oil Exploration, Environment and Pollution, Deep Biosphere, and Archaeology.