MRI: Acquisition of an X-Ray Fluorescence scanner for automated high-resolution sensing of Earth system archives

MRI：购买 X 射线荧光扫描仪，用于自动高分辨率传感地球系统档案

• 批准号: 1428421
• 负责人: Anders Carlson
• 金额: $ 39.2万
• 依托单位: Oregon State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-01 至 2016-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1428421&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Ray; Fluorescence; scanner

The growing evidence for pervasive impacts of humanity on Earth's natural systems makes it critical to assess natural variability in these diverse systems, the extent to which humans perturbed the mean state or extreme ends, and if these perturbations are beyond the systems natural variance. Changes in sediment chemistry reflect changes in physical, biological and anthropogenic processes shaping Earth's surface, recording change in climate, rivers, glacial ice, and ocean conditions and productivity, and humans. This Major Research Instrumentation award funds the acquisition of a high-resolution scanner for rapid, cost-effective and non-destructive analyses of major and trace elemental content of sedimentary records to address this research theme. Next-generation high-resolution scanners measure elemental concentrations from Aluminum to Uranium at high precision and high resolution, and co-register a high-resolution color image of the sample and/or an internal image. These data are collected orders of magnitude faster than traditional wet-chemistry and imaging approaches (hours vs. weeks-months), and the high resolution of scanning is impossible to achieve by physical sampling. This rapidity of data acquisition via next generation high resolution scanning at otherwise impossible resolutions opens new doors for tackling questions of Earth's natural systems behaviors over their full dynamic range including human impacts. The acquisition of a high-resolution elemental scanner and its pairing with the Oregon State University-Marine Geology Repository will have an immediate broad impact on the Pacific Northwest research community where this instrument is greatly needed, and service will extend to national and international research communities. The instrument will enhance at least 10 courses with for experiential learning, and train graduate and undergraduate students in data-intensive geochemical studies. The scanner will promote diversity in Earth sciences through its use of Research Experience for Undergraduates and Increasing Diversity in Earth Sciences programs, coaching underrepresented groups in state-of-the-art studies of Earth's natural systems.Researchers at Oregon State and the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) will use rapid, high-resolution, and accurate measurements of geochemical changes in sedimentary records to track variations in Earth's natural systems from sediment source to sink. A next-generation X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanner purchased with this award will be an essential tool for the study of sedimentary geochemical archives of Earth system processes. OSU's acquisition of an XRF scanner would be the first such instrument in the Pacific Northwest, significantly advancing scientific exploration. CEOAS has extensive experience managing large labs, analytical equipment, and serving external users. The NSF-funded OSU Marine Geology Repository will house the XRF scanner, efficient for application to one of the nation's largest core archives and complementing existing tools including Geotek multisensing core logging tracks and medical CT-scanner. These tools will serve the OSU, regional, national and international research communities. Availability of advanced high-resolution sensing tools will support data-intensive projects consistent with modern "big data" initiatives like NSF's EarthCube. Specific research programs that the instrument will immediately catalyze include: 1) Reconstructing the Quaternary history of the Greenland, Cordilleran, Laurentide and Antarctic ice sheets and their sensitivity to global warming using existing and new sediment archives. 2) Paleoclimate studies of ocean climate adjacent to these ice sheets, tropical Pacific changes and their impact on the carbon cycle, and late-Holocene seasonal to century-scale changes in the high latitudes, all of which are to determine the range of natural variability relative to recent deviations. 3) Construct seasonal to century-scale changes in Earth's critical zone that extends from the top of vegetation to the base of weathered bedrock upon which humanity depends and is impacting. 4) Investigate preindustrial paleoenvironments and human-landscape interactions, a baseline for recent critical zone changes. 5) Document the frequency and severity of past earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest and their impacts on the critical zone.

越来越多的证据表明人类对地球自然系统的普遍影响使得评估这些不同系统的自然变异性、人类扰动平均状态或极端状态的程度以及这些扰动是否超出系统自然方差变得至关重要。沉积物化学的变化反映了塑造地球表面的物理、生物和人为过程的变化，记录了气候、河流、冰川、海洋条件和生产力以及人类的变化。该重大研究仪器奖资助购买一台高分辨率扫描仪，用于对沉积记录的主要和微量元素含量进行快速、经济高效和无损的分析，以解决这一研究主题。下一代高分辨率扫描仪以高精度和高分辨率测量从铝到铀的元素浓度，并共同记录样品的高分辨率彩色图像和/或内部图像。这些数据的收集速度比传统的湿化学和成像方法（数小时与数周-数月）要快几个数量级，并且通过物理采样不可能实现高分辨率扫描。通过下一代高分辨率扫描以其他不可能的分辨率快速采集数据，为解决地球自然系统在整个动态范围内的行为问题（包括人类影响）打开了新的大门。购买高分辨率元素扫描仪及其与俄勒冈州立大学海洋地质知识库的配对将对太平洋西北地区的研究界产生直接广泛的影响，该地区非常需要该仪器，并且服务将扩展到国家和国际研究界。该仪器将增强至少 10 门课程的体验式学习，并培训研究生和本科生进行数据密集型地球化学研究。该扫描仪将通过利用本科生的研究经验和增加地球科学项目的多样性来促进地球科学的多样性，指导代表性不足的群体进行地球自然系统的最先进研究。俄勒冈州立大学和地球学院的研究人员海洋和大气科学（CEOAS）将使用沉积记录中地球化学变化的快速、高分辨率和准确测量来跟踪地球自然系统从沉积物源到汇的变化。通过该奖项购买的下一代 X 射线荧光 (XRF) 扫描仪将成为研究地球系统过程沉积地球化学档案的重要工具。俄勒冈州立大学购买的 XRF 扫描仪将是太平洋西北地区的第一台此类仪器，极大地推进了科学探索。 CEOAS 在管理大型实验室、分析设备和服务外部用户方面拥有丰富的经验。 NSF 资助的 OSU 海洋地质知识库将容纳 XRF 扫描仪，该扫描仪可高效应用于美国最大的岩心档案库之一，并补充现有工具，包括 Geotek 多传感岩心测井轨道和医疗 CT 扫描仪。这些工具将为俄勒冈州立大学、地区、国家和国际研究界服务。先进的高分辨率传感工具的可用性将支持与 NSF 的 EarthCube 等现代“大数据”计划相一致的数据密集型项目。该仪器将立即催化的具体研究计划包括：1）利用现有和新的沉积物档案重建格陵兰岛、科迪勒拉岛、劳伦泰德和南极冰盖的第四纪历史及其对全球变暖的敏感性。 2）古气候研究，包括冰原附近的海洋气候、热带太平洋变化及其对碳循环的影响、高纬度地区全新世晚期季节性到世纪尺度的变化，所有这些都是为了确定自然变率的范围相对于最近的偏差。 3）构建地球关键区域从季节到世纪尺度的变化，该关键区域从植被顶部延伸到人类赖以生存并受到影响的风化基岩底部。 4）调查工业化前的古环境和人文景观相互作用，这是最近关键区域变化的基线。 5) 记录太平洋西北地区过去地震的频率和严重程度及其对关键区域的影响。