International Research Fellowship Program: Depth Profile Variability in the Stable Carbon Isotopic Composition of Organic Matter from Australian Soils

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0107264WynnThe International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will provide eighteen months of support to Dr. Jonathan G. Wynn to work with Dr. Michael I. Bird at the Australian National University's Research School of Earth Sciences on the depth profile variability in the stable carbon isotopic composition of organic matter from Australian soils.The project involves the study of carbon isotopes from modern savanna soil of Australia. It will provide better constraints on variability in these ecosystems, which can be used to address issues of global change and paleoecology. Detailed depth-specific measurements will be taken of stable carbon isotope ratios in organic matter from diverse soil types of the tropical savanna biome in Australia. This research will expand the analytical tools which are currently being applied to studies of paleoenvironmental records derived from carbon isotope measurements of ancient soils, and contribute to studies of the processes controlling carbon sequestration and cycling in the terrestrial biosphere.Dr. Bird is currently active in a wide range of stable carbon isotopic research, which has centered around the study of natural and anthropogenic influences on the global carbon cycle. In addition to the high caliber research facilities, Australia has an environment which provides a wide diversity of savanna ecosystems and soil types within an accessible region ideal for this study.