An isotope ratio mass spectrometer for tracking pathways of carbon flow within extreme and changing environments

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Funding is requested for an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) that is essential to the five applicants' and their students' cutting edge research in (1) carbon reservoir and (2) energy flow and food web dynamics within extreme and changing environments. Research enabled by the requested equipment will increase our fundamental understanding of global and ecosystem carbon cycling critical to predicting the ecological impact of environmental change on ecosystems and relevant to strategic management of forest resources, remediation efforts, and aquaculture practices in Canada. At present a relatively new gas chromatograph-combustion (GC-C) interface system is linked to a 21-year old IRMS providing Memorial University researchers, their students and collaborators unreliable access to compound-specific stable isotope analyses (CSIA) in addition to bulk stable isotope analyses via interface with three existing analyzers for elemental, gas preparative and headspace, and total organic and inorganic measurements. There is no other facility for CSIA in the Atlantic region and downtime associated with the age of the IRMS has slowed progress on collaborative research in the region. In addition to fulfilling the specific infrastructure need for the applicants' environmentally significant research programs, this equipment will serve the ever growing need for bulk stable isotope analyses and CSIA in the region.