| Abstract: | Accurate and precise measurements of stable lead isotopic compositions in seawater are critically dependent upon the ultra-clean techniques developed for accurate measurements of low (0.1 ng kg−1) lead concentrations in seawater by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. These include both limiting and measuring lead contamination during all phases of sampling, storage and analysis. Essential to this are samplers and shipboard facilities for collecting uncontaminated samples, and laboratory facilities for cleaning containers, purifying reagents and processing samples and standards. Techniques are also required to compensate for the absence of an internal standard, refractory hydrocarbon contaminants and the limited sensitivity of the detectors. Adaptation of those techniques has lowered the lead analytical detection limit for seawater analyses to 0.02 ng kg−1. While the precision of these analyses (0.1–0.4%) is less than that of high precision isotope ratio measurements (0.001%), it is sufficient to identify sources of lead inputs to the ocean and to trace biogeochemical cycles of lead within the ocean. The accuracy of these initial data is currently being established with interlaboratory calibrations and evaluated in terms of its oceanographic consistency. |
