Expanding the Role of Carbon Isotopes in Marine and Organic Geochemical Research

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Pathways of carbon-flow in depositional environments can be identified using biomarker identities and distributions in conjunction with compound-specific isotope analyses. The factors influencing the isotopic composition of individual compounds can be interpreted in terms of known processes affecting bulk organic matter. However, this approach is limited and there is a lack of data for individual compounds in modern environments. This work aims to characterize isotopic consequences of biogeochemical processes at the molecular level, specifically for those processes associated with the production and degradation of organic matter in the water column. The ultimate goal is to expand the role of carbon isotopes in marine and organic geochemical research. Three efforts towards this goal are proposed. 1) The first is to establish a facility for the isotopic analyses of organic compounds at Pennsylvania State University. 2) This facility will be used to continue research started during the P.I.'s graduate studies, specifically, to characterize processes that control the isotopic compositions and distributions of individual compounds. 3) The facility at PSU will be used to foster workshops and iterlaboratory comparisons of irm-GCMS operations and performance. In addition, it will enable further analytical developments if urn-GCMS and related methods.