isotopebased

Isotopebased refers to methods or analyses that rely on isotopes to obtain information about origins, ages, or processes. The approach encompasses stable isotope analysis, radiometric dating, and isotope tracing, and it is applied across fields that study materials and their transformations over space and time.

Techniques commonly employed include isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS), thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), and, where appropriate, nuclear magnetic resonance. Stable isotope systems such as carbon-13, nitrogen-15, oxygen-18, hydrogen-2, and sulfur-34 are frequently used, while radiometric systems include carbon-14, uranium-lead, potassium-argon, and others.

Applications span geology and geochemistry for provenance studies and paleoclimate reconstructions; archaeology and anthropology for diet, migration, and artifact sourcing; environmental science for tracing water sources and pollutant pathways; food authentication and forensics; and medical and biological research for metabolic tracing and pharmacokinetics. Isotopebased methods enable researchers to infer source contributions, track processes over time, and calibrate models of environmental or physiological change.

Limitations and considerations include the need for rigorous calibration against standards, potential overlap of isotopic signals from different sources, and the fractionation effects that must be corrected. The interpretation of isotopic data often depends on assumptions about past conditions and competing processes, and the analyses require specialized instrumentation, expertise, and careful data handling.

Related topics include isotopic analysis, isotope ratio mass spectrometry, radiometric dating, isotope fractionation, and tracer studies.