The acquisition of a specialized sulfur isotope mass-spectrometer, construction of a custom designed, semi-automated sample preparation-fluorination system, and support for early..

33S和36S的测量(除了更传统的32S和34S测量之外)极大地扩展了我们对早期地球环境的认识。这些测量还有助于开发特定大气化学和生物过程的新的同位素指纹。然而，这一领域的进展受制于缓慢和耗时的样品采集，因此，这些测量对更广泛的与地球科学有关的问题的适用性仍然没有得到解决。为了克服这些限制，需要新的技术。这项奖励将支持对Thermo Science MAT 253气源质谱仪的改进，建造和实施半自动样品制备-氟化系统，以及技术支持的工资。该系统除了半自动外，还将提供更高的生产能力，从而减少每个样品的工时。对质谱仪的改进还将考虑到更低的背景和更高的精度。总而言之，这些变化将允许产生更大、更精确的数据集，这反过来将使我们能够提出一系列令人兴奋的新科学问题。其中，积极研究的领域包括：破译不同微生物过程对整个海洋同位素记录的贡献，并在实验(例如，无机、微生物和动物)和自然(例如，重金属污染场地、微生物垫)系统中使用少量硫同位素作为示踪剂。

The inclusion of 33S and 36S measurements (in addition to the more traditionally measured 32S and 34S) greatly expanded our picture of early Earth environments. These measurements further allowed for the development of new isotopic fingerprints of specific atmospheric chemistries and biological processes. However, the advancement of this field has suffered from slow and time-intensive sample throughput, and as such, the applicability of these measurements to a wider range of Earth science related questions remains unresolved. In order to overcome these limitations, new technologies are required. This award will support modifications on a Thermo Scientific MAT 253 gas source mass-spectrometer, the construction and implementation of a semi-automated sample preparation-fluorination system, and salary for technical support. This system will provide higher throughput capability in addition to being semi-automated, allowing for less person-hours per sample. Modifications to the mass spectrometer will also allow for lower backgrounds and better precisions. Together, these changes will allow for the generation of larger, more precise data sets, which will in turn enable us to ask a suite of exciting new scientific questions. Among these, areas of active research include: deciphering the contribution of different microbial processes to an overall marine isotope record and using the minor sulfur isotopes as tracers in experimental (e.g., inorganic, microbial, and animal) and natural (e.g., heavy metal contaminated sites, microbial mats) systems.