MRI: Acquisition of a carbon dioxide isotope analyzer for monitoring real-time carbon fluxes in extreme environments and training the next generation of environmental scientists

德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校（UTEP）获得了一个超便携式高精度CO2同位素分析仪的奖项。这种专门的仪器用于根据CO2分子的分子指纹（同位素特征）跟踪碳在空气，土壤，水和植物中的运动。这种能力对于在大气CO2上升的情况下管理碳至关重要。该仪器将用于培训UTEP的下一代碳循环专家，包括来自美国的研究生和本科生。墨西哥边境特别是研究生，将受益于这种培训，因为在他们的研究中使用该仪器将使他们能够开发有关碳如何移动并储存在不同生态系统中的新知识。该仪器还将用于公共活动以及UTEP实验室课程的演示，例如植物生态学，土壤生态学和一门专注于碳循环的新课程。在UTEP现有同位素分析能力的基础上，该仪器将加强生物和地质研究团队之间的伙伴关系，以解决环境问题，包括西南部和北极苔原地区农业和牧场的碳管理。 该奖项得到了生物科学局生物基础设施处和地球科学局地球科学处的支持，该仪器将支持UTEP生物科学和地质科学部门的各种项目，这些项目专注于了解沙漠和北极苔原等极端环境中的碳循环。极端环境在碳循环研究中呈现出诱人的奥秘，尽管越来越多地被认为是全球碳循环的主要参与者，但研究不足。该仪器能够识别生态系统中的碳源，将帮助UTEP科学家研究驱动本地和全球碳循环的潜在机制。在沙漠中，该仪器将有助于确定植物叶子、植物根系、土壤微生物和土壤碳酸盐如何驱动自然、管理和农业系统的整体碳平衡。在北极，该仪器将用于调查生态系统呼吸作用的变化在多大程度上可归因于植物活动增加或土壤分解增加。它还将用于调查水-陆界面的碳循环，这将进一步了解前所未有的北极变暖如何导致碳循环的快速变化。通过这些项目，该仪器增强了UTEP的实地研究组合，并为地球化学，植物-土壤相互作用，碳循环和全球变化领域的发现创造了机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to acquire an Ultraportable High Precision CO2 Isotopic Analyzer. This specialized instrument is used to track the movement of carbon through air, soil, water, and plants based on the molecular fingerprints (isotope signatures) of CO2 molecules. This type of capability is essential for managing carbon in the face of rising atmospheric CO2. This instrument will be used to train the next generation of carbon cycling experts at UTEP, including both graduate and undergraduate students from the U.S.-Mexico borderland. Graduate students, in particular, will benefit from this training, as use of the instrument in their research will allow them to develop new knowledge about how carbon moves through and is stored in different ecosystems. The instrument will also be used for demonstrations at public events as well as in laboratory classes at UTEP, such as Plant Ecology, Soil Ecology, and a new course focused on carbon cycling. Building on existing isotopic analysis capabilities at UTEP, this instrument will enhance the partnership between biological and geological research teams working to solve environmental problems, including carbon management in farming and ranching contexts in the Southwest and at Arctic tundra sites. This award is supported by both the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Division of Earth Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences.The instrument will support a variety of projects in the UTEP Biological Sciences and Geological Sciences departments that focus on understanding carbon cycling in extreme environments including deserts and Arctic tundra. Extreme environments present enticing mysteries in the study of carbon cycling, and though increasingly recognized as major players in the global carbon cycle, are understudied. This instrument, which is able to identify carbon sources within ecosystems, will help UTEP scientists investigate the underlying mechanisms that drive local and global carbon cycles. In the desert, the instrument will help determine how plant leaves, plant roots, soil microbes, and soil carbonates drive the overall carbon balance in natural, managed, and agricultural systems. In the Arctic, the instrument will be used to investigate the extent to which changes in ecosystem respiration can be attributed to higher plant activity or increased soil decomposition. It will also be used to investigate carbon cycling at the aquatic-terrestrial interface, which will further understanding of how unprecedented Arctic warming could lead to rapid changes in carbon cycling. Through these projects, the instrument enhances UTEP's field research portfolio and creates opportunities for discovery in the areas of geochemistry, plant-soil interactions, carbon cycling, and global change.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.