Acquisition of New Thermal Analysis Instrumentation for Increased Capacity of Characterization of Organic Matter in Soils and Sediments

1541588计划地球科学仪器和设施计划拨款部门支持购买一台Netzsch同步热分析仪，用于分析土壤和沉积物有机碳。所请求的仪器包括自动操作的功能。该仪器将支持调查土壤、沉积物、堆肥、生物炭和其他环境样品中有机质的性质、稳定性和含量的研究，并将允许高通量、无人值守的分析，以支持大规模土壤生态系统研究。该仪器将支持本科生和研究生的研究培训。这种支持与NSFs促进科学进步和促进国家健康、繁荣和福利的使命是一致的，因为培训下一代科学工作者掌握现代地球化学分析和研究方法的技术的重要性，以及了解变化的气候和土地利用(包括农业实践)对土壤碳库的影响的社会重要性。使用该仪器的研究将允许探索土壤有机质的稳定性和组成，并补充识别特定土壤矿物(X射线衍射)、有机含碳化合物的结构(核磁共振)和有机碳库的年龄(AMS放射性碳测年)的技术。该仪器将通过使用来自许多NSF/EAR支持的临界区观测站的样本来支持对一系列土壤生态系统的研究，以更好地了解气候和土地利用变化对土壤碳跨空间和时间的影响。

1541588PlanteThis Division of Earth Science Instrumentation and Facilities Program grant supports acquisition of a Netzsch simultaneous Thermal Analyzer for analysis of soil and sediment organic carbon. The requested instrument includes the capabilities for automated operation. The instrument will support studies that investigate the character, stability and content of organic matter in soils, sediments, composts, biochars, and other environmental samples and will allow for high throughput, unattended analysis in support of large-scale soil ecosystem studies. The instrument will support undergraduate and graduate research training. This support is congruent with NSFs mission of promoting the progress of science and advancing the national health, prosperity and welfare given the importance of training the next generation scientific workforce in modern techniques of geochemical oanalysis and research methods and the societal importance of understanding the impacts of changing climate and land use, including agricultural practices, on soil carbon reservoirs.Research using the instrument will allow exploration of the stability and composition of soil organic matter and complement techniques to identify specific soil minerals (XRD), the structure of organic carbon bearing compounds (NMR), and the age of organic carbon pools (AMS radiocarbon dating). The instrument will support studies of a range of soil ecosystems through use on samples from numerous NSF/EAR supported Critical Zone Observatories to better understand the impacts of climate and land use change on soil carbon across space and time.