An Upgraded High Precision Stable Isotope System for Paleoenvironmental Applications

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This proposal request funding to upgrade a stable isotope mass spectrometry system in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill University. Stable isotope ratios are widely applied in the Earth sciences to reconstruct past environments. My research group applies multiple stable isotope systems, but the most central to our NSERC-supported research are the coupled carbon and oxygen isotope systems in carbonate minerals. As such, the mass spectrometry system in our laboratory, which is optimized for high-precision and high-sensitivity carbon and oxygen isotope analyses, is essential for our research. The data derived from this system are used to evaluate past temperatures, identify and quantity perturbations to the global carbon cycle, correlate and age-calibrate sedimentary carbonate successions, infer alteration of carbon sediments by diagenesis, and identify the effects of ocean acidification events in Earth's history, among other research topics. Carbon and oxygen isotope data on carbonates serve many other research programs as well, in particular in mineral exploration. As such, this instrument is heavily used. It is a key platform for training HQP and acquiring the required data for their research projects. Although the core of this instrument functions well, certain components, in particular the automated carbonate preparation device and the system for cryogenically removing water no longer function properly. The requested funding to replace and upgrade these components will maximize the potential of the mass spectrometry system to continue to acquire high quality isotopic data in support of my research program and the research of many HQP within the department.