Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer for Ecological Research

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This award provides support for the acquisition of an isotope ratio mass spectrometer with elemental analyzer and gas-sampling peripherals for the Stable Isotope Ratio Facility for Environmental Research (SIRFER) at the University of Utah. The Facility is a leader in the expansion of stable isotope analyses into ecological and environmental sciences, currently processing approximately 16,000 samples a year. SIRFER now operates 4 isotope ratio mass spectrometers for ecological and environmental research that are available for use by investigators and students from the University of Utah and from other institutions throughout the nation. In addition to purchase of the mass spectrometer, the award will enable purchase of peripherals to upgrade an existing mass spectrometer, a UV laser for ablation of carbonates, and a micromill for high-resolution sampling of tree rings. The new equipment will permit compound-specific analyses at concentrations smaller than currently possible, determination of high resolution temporal - spatial information, use of laser-based high resolution approaches, and training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in these latest methods and instruments. Isotope-ration mass spectometry plays an important role in modern ecological research aimed at measuring chemical constituents of existing and past environments, as well as the elemental makeup of living and fossilized organisms.