MRI: Acquisition of a High Mass Resolution/High Sensitivity Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer For Earth Sciences

MRI：获取用于地球科学的高分辨率/高灵敏度同位素比质谱仪

• 批准号: 1725766
• 负责人: James Farquhar
• 金额: $ 105万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-09-01 至 2021-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1725766&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Mass; Resolution; Sensitivity

The use of stable isotope tracers in Earth Science research has provided particularly valuable information about processes that operate in nature, both today and in the ancient past. Studies using these tracers have seen a wide array of applications develop with many that bridge Earth science with disciplines such as chemistry, biology, and physics as well as applied science in industry and medicine. The applications have followed questions raised by stable isotope researchers as new ideas and technology have been developed where more precise and more finely focused measurements open up new types of studies, sometimes new fields. A recent example of such a development relates to the study isotopic of species with multiple substitutions of rare isotopes. These isotopic molecules or isotopologues can be used to interrogate questions well beyond those that can be studied with existing stable isotope techniques, and these new approaches promise to provide novel information relevant to study of geological, atmospheric, and biologic processes, and as in the past, to have implications within as well as beyond the traditional limits of Earth science. This grant supports acquisition of a recently developed state-of-the-art High Mass Resolution/High Sensitivity Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (HR/HS-IRMS) designed for measurements of isotopologues by a cross disciplinary team of University of Maryland scientists. The requested instrument will support three, first-order scientific objectives: (1) identification of the sources, fluxes, and composition of mid-Atlantic States methane for implementing local controls and improved definition of the global budget and increasing atmospheric burden; (2) use of the doubly substituted isotopologues of molecular oxygen in combination with more traditional isotopic and concentration data for constraint of photosynthetic production and respiration consumption of oxygen at the time of ice breakup in the arctic oceans; and (3) development of a new isotopic system for sulfur (36S) that will provide new ways to study the ecology of the S metabolisms and the role of reoxidative S-cycling, including its connections to the global oceanic cycles of carbon and oxygen. The first objective will provide key information needed to understand the biogenic vs. fossil sources of methane on a regional and global scale; the second objective will contribute to understanding of the response of seasonally ice free marine systems in the Arctic, and the third objective will contribute to understanding the processes of S-cycling and their linkages to other element cycles in modern and ancient systems. The instrumentation will be the first of its kind on the east coast of the United States, supporting new mid-Atlantic research that will provide policy relevant science for the Maryland Climate Change Plan and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI involves nine states), as well as wider implications for methane cycling on the global scale. The instrumentation will support a wide range of research activities across the university system with a long-term goal of 30% external Earth Science users who will draw on its capabilities to extend its scientific and societally-relevant work. The instrumentation will promote teaching and learning with a central role in laboratory research that include mentoring of students from local high schools, undergraduate students, and visitors from other institutions. At the University of Maryland in particular, these activities will broaden the participation of under-represented groups, (women, African American, Hispanic) in Earth Science research. From the standpoint of activities that engage the public, the instrumentation will be incorporated into existing programs, including the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum Youth Program, the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Choice Program, the UMD Freshman Innovation and Research Experience (FIRE) Program, as well as the Maryland Day open house when ~75,000 visitors come to campus.

在地球科学研究中使用稳定的同位素示踪剂已提供了有关当今和古老过去在自然界运作的过程的特别有价值的信息。使用这些示踪剂的研究已经看到了许多应用程序，许多应用程序与许多学科桥接地球科学，例如化学，生物学和物理学以及工业和医学中的应用科学。随着稳定的同位素研究人员提出的问题，这些应用程序是随着新的想法和技术的开发而提出的，更精确，更精确地集中度量开放了新的研究类型的研究，有时是新的领域。这种开发的最新例子与该研究的研究有关，该研究具有多种稀有同位素取代的物种的同位素。这些同位素分子或同位素学可以用来审问问题，远远超出了可以使用现有稳定同位素技术进行研究的问题，并且这些新方法有望提供与研究地质，大气和生物学过程有关的新颖信息，以及与过去以及在传统地球科学限制之外的含义一样。 该赠款支持获得最近开发的最先进的高质量分辨率/高灵敏度同位素比率质谱仪（HR/HS-IRNS），该赠款旨在由马里兰大学科学家的跨学科团队旨在测量同位素学。所请求的工具将支持三个一阶科学目标：（1）鉴定中大西洋国家甲烷的来源，通量和组成，用于实施当地控制，并改善对全球预算的定义，并增加大气负担； （2）在北极海洋中冰破裂时，将分子氧的双重取代的同位素与更传统的同位素和浓度数据结合使用，用于光合产生和氧气的呼吸消耗； （3）开发一种用于硫的新同位素系统（36S），该系统将提供新的方法来研究S代谢的生态学以及再氧化S-Cycling的作用，包括其与碳和氧气的全球海洋周期的联系。第一个目标将提供所需的关键信息，以了解区域和全球规模上甲烷的生物源与化石来源；第二个目标将有助于理解北极中季节性无冰海洋系统的响应，第三个目标将有助于理解S周期的过程及其与现代和古代系统中其他元素周期的联系。该仪器将是美国东海岸的第一个此类工具，支持新的中大西洋研究，该研究将为马里兰州的气候变化计划和区域温室气体倡议（RGGI涉及九个州）提供与政策相关的科学，以及在全球规模上对甲烷循环的广泛影响。该仪器将支持整个大学系统的各种研究活动，其长期目标是30％的外部地球科学用户，他们将利用其扩展其科学和社会相关的工作的能力。该仪器将在实验室研究中发挥核心作用，包括指导来自当地高中，本科生和其他机构的访客的学生。特别是在马里兰大学，这些活动将扩大代表性不足的群体（妇女，非裔美国人，西班牙裔）的参与。从吸引公众的活动的角度来看，该乐器将被纳入现有计划中，包括史密森尼机构国家空气和太空博物馆青年计划，马里兰州巴尔的摩大学（UMBC）选择计划，UMD大一新生创新与研究经验（FIRE）计划（FIRE）计划，以及〜75,000个游客到达校园时的马里兰开放日。