Acquisition of High-Precision Water Isotope Analyzer for Arid-Zone Hydrology

干旱区水文高精度水同位素分析仪的配备

• 批准号: 1836868
• 负责人: Juske Horita
• 金额: $ 14.66万
• 依托单位: Texas Tech University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-03-15 至 2021-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1836868&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Acquisition; Precision; Water; Isotope; Analyzer

Arid and semi-arid zones are expanding and becoming drier due to increasing human activity, agriculture, and climate change. Sustainable development of the southwestern United States, including West Texas, critically depends on creative and efficient use of water resources, which are the most important natural resource to society. The transport of water at and below the surface plays a key role in the water cycle in arid and semi-arid environments. This grant from the National Science Foundation supports the purchase of a high-precision infrared laser spectrometer at Texas Tech University for isotopic analysis of water. This instrument will provide new research opportunities that will lead to better water conservation in these regions. It will also provide undergraduate, graduate and underserved minority students with opportunities to conduct scientifically and socially important research projects as part of their studies. This grant from the National Science Foundation supports the acquisition of a high-precision infrared (IR) laser spectrometer at Texas Tech University for isotopic analysis of water. This instrument is capable of measuring, in addition to conventional δ2H and δ18O values, the 17O-excess, which is a novel, very useful tracer of water for diffusion-controlled hydrologic processes such as evaporation of water from surface and soil waters. Thus, a combined use of δ2H - δ18O -17O-excess values can help advance our understanding of the behavior and transport of water in arid and semi-arid zones. To date, high-precision 17O-excess measurements of water have been conducted only by a select few laboratories via highly skilled isotope ratio mass spectrometry. However, recent developments of commercial, high-precision water isotope analyzers enable routine, high-precision measurements of 17O-excess (15 per meg), in addition to δ2H and δ18O values. The acquisition of this instrument will benefit several current and future isotope hydrology projects in West Texas and adjacent U.S. southwest regions, involving many researchers from Texas Tech University, and Federal and regional agencies. It will also provide undergraduate, graduate and underserved minority students with opportunities to conduct scientifically and socially important research projects as part of their curriculum.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

由于人类活动、农业和气候变化的增加，干旱和半干旱地区正在扩大并变得更加干燥。美国西南部（包括西德克萨斯州）的可持续发展关键取决于水资源的创造性和高效利用，水资源是社会最重要的自然资源。地表以下的水输送在干旱和半干旱环境的水循环中发挥着关键作用。美国国家科学基金会的这笔赠款支持在德克萨斯理工大学购买高精度红外激光光谱仪，用于水的同位素分析。该仪器将提供新的研究机会，从而更好地保护这些地区的水资源。它还将为本科生、研究生和服务不足的少数族裔学生提供开展具有科学和社会重要意义的研究项目的机会，作为其学习的一部分。美国国家科学基金会的这笔拨款支持在德克萨斯理工大学购买高精度红外 (IR) 激光光谱仪，用于水的同位素分析。除了传统的 δ2H 和 δ18O 值之外，该仪器还能够测量 17O-过量，这是一种新颖且非常有用的水示踪剂，用于扩散控制的水文过程（例如水的蒸发）来自地表水和土壤水。因此，结合使用δ2H - δ18O -17O-过量值可以帮助加深我们对干旱和半干旱地区水的行为和运输的理解。迄今为止，只有少数几个实验室通过技术精湛的同位素比质谱法对水进行了高精度 17O 过量测量。然而，商业高精度水同位素分析仪的最新发展，除了 2H 和 18O 值之外，还可以对 17O 过量（15 个/兆克）进行常规高精度测量。该仪器的收购将使西德克萨斯州和邻近的美国西南地区的多个当前和未来的同位素水文学项目受益，其中涉及德克萨斯理工大学以及联邦和地区机构的许多研究人员。它还将为本科生、研究生和服务不足的少数族裔学生提供开展具有科学和社会重要性的研究项目的机会，作为其课程的一部分。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过利用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响力进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。