Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometers for Environmental Research

用于环境研究的同位素比质谱仪

• 批准号: 0722598
• 负责人: James Ehleringer
• 金额: $ 40.62万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-09-01 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0722598&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Isotope; Ratio; Mass; Spectrometers; Environmental

This award is for the acquisition of an isotope ratio mass spectrometer with extended plane optics and several peripherals for automated, small sample, and compound-specific analyses. These instruments will become part of the university's Stable Isotope Ratio Facility for Environmental Research (SIRFER). Natural variations in the stable isotope abundances of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur are used to study biological, ecological, hydrological, and geochemical problems at and near the Earth's surface; these analyses are applied as well to human-related research from anthropology through forensic sciences. Current research projects include: Determination of isotope turnover times in animal tissues, leading to understanding metabolic routing and dietary histories of wildlife; Forensics applications determining the origins of unidentified humans; Reconstructing the migration routes of whales through their dietary inputs; Metabolism of toxins; Cycling of carbon within ecosystems; Estimates of stress responses in plants at the stand level; Reconstructing climate through tree rings; Determination of precipitation inputs relative to evaporative losses in river systems; Determination of nitrogen input sources and nitrogen transformation in rivers; and, in urban environments, Understanding both nitrogen deposition and partitioning of carbon dioxide sources from fossil fuels used in energy production versus biogenic activities. In addition to valuable ecological research, this mass spectrometer will be used for undergraduate research and education, including the course, "Stable Isotopes in Ecosystems. There is also an annual short course in Stable Isotope Ecology for students and faculty from other universities. Many of the students trained in these courses have gone on to establish their own stable isotope laboratories at other universities.

该奖项是为了获得一台同位素比质谱仪，该质谱仪具有扩展的平面光学和几个外围设备，用于自动化，小样品和特定化合物的分析。这些仪器将成为该大学环境研究稳定同位素比设施（SIRFER）的一部分。氢、碳、氮、氧和硫的稳定同位素丰度的自然变化被用于研究地球表面及其附近的生物、生态、水文和地球化学问题;这些分析也被应用于人类学和法医学等与人类相关的研究。目前的研究项目包括：确定动物组织中的同位素周转时间，从而了解野生动物的代谢途径和饮食历史;确定身份不明的人类起源的法医应用;通过饮食输入重建鲸鱼的迁移路线;毒素的代谢;生态系统内的碳循环;估计林分一级植物的压力反应;通过树木年轮重建气候;确定河流系统中相对于蒸发损失的降水输入;确定河流中的氮输入源和氮转化;以及在城市环境中，了解能源生产中使用的化石燃料与生物活动中的氮沉积和二氧化碳源的分配。除了有价值的生态学研究，这台质谱仪将用于本科生的研究和教育，包括课程，“生态系统中的稳定同位素。每年还为来自其他大学的学生和教师举办稳定同位素生态学短期课程。在这些课程中接受培训的许多学生后来在其他大学建立了自己的稳定同位素实验室。