Total carbon and nitrogen analyzer for biogeochemical research spanning the terrestrial-aquatic-extraterrestrial realms

用于跨越陆地-水生-地外领域生物地球化学研究的总碳氮分析仪

• 批准号: RTI-2022-00643
• 负责人: Ziegler, Susan
• 金额: $ 4.89万
• 依托单位: Memorial University of Newfoundland
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=743093
• 关键词: Total; carbon; nitrogen; analyzer; biogeochemical

Our ability to predict the impacts of climate and environmental change on ecosystems and resources relies upon understanding the dispersal, distribution, and cycling of elements (e.g. nutrients such as nitrogen; N) and energy (tracked as reduced and oxidized forms of carbon; C) within and among biogeochemical ecosystem components. Ziegler, Leroux and Morrill's research programs focus on improving our understanding of C and N cycling supporting the predictive understanding of ecosystem responses to change, including C cycling and climate feedbacks, informing management, and mitigation and adaption strategies by rights holders, governments, and industries. For example, applicants' effort to understand controls on C and N fluxes associated with the terrestrial-aquatic interface, herbivore impacts on terrestrial ecosystem properties and deep biosphere reservoirs help to address the large uncertainty in Earth System Models of terrestrial C sequestration or exchange. These research programs, focusing on the biogeochemistry and ecology of high latitude landscapes, watersheds, coastal ecosystems, and the deep biosphere, rely upon accurate and rapid measurement of C and N in water and various soil and geological extracts. These are fundamental measures required to calculate fluxes and stocks, evaluate compositional change within surface and ground waters, soil and geologic pools, and estimate microbial biomass in response to environmental change. Therefore, we are requesting a replacement for a 15-year old total organic, and inorganic, C (TOC, TIC) and N (TN) analyzer with a liquid autosampler (TC/N analyzer) capable of supporting these fundamental measures. Over the past 18 months, this failing TC/N analyzer has costed about $9K in repairs due to broken parts, electronic and communication issues. These continue to persist such that current operation is not yet possible and costs are prohibitive given the age of this instrument resulting in the applicants having spent $17K in analytical costs for samples sent away over this period. Further delay in access to the requested equipment will continue to reduce highly qualified personnel (HQP) training, slow and reduce the scope of research and availability of funds for other research activities supporting the three applicants' research programs. Management of the training, operation and maintenance will fall under the guidance of the three applicants who collectively have 35 years of training and laboratory management experience. This includes recent training and actions specific to enhancing equity, diversity and inclusion by reducing well known barriers that women and BIPOC members of our society face in their natural science careers. The requested TOC/N system will operate full-time to support the three applicants' NSERC research programs and provide research training and marketable job skills for their students with a minimum of 30 HQP to be trained using this equipment over the next five years.

我们预测气候和环境变化对生态系统和资源的影响的能力依赖于理解元素（例如氮等营养素; N）和能量（以碳的还原和氧化形式追踪; C）在地球化学生态系统组成部分内和之间的分散，分布和循环。齐格勒，Leroux和莫里尔的研究项目侧重于提高我们对碳和氮循环的理解，支持生态系统对变化的预测性理解，包括碳循环和气候反馈，为管理提供信息，以及权利人，政府和行业的缓解和适应战略。例如，申请人努力理解与陆地-水生界面相关的C和N通量的控制、食草动物对陆地生态系统性质和深层生物圈储集层的影响，这有助于解决陆地C固存或交换的地球系统模型中的大的不确定性。这些研究项目重点关注高纬度景观、流域、沿海生态系统和深层生物圈的生物地球化学和生态学，依赖于对水以及各种土壤和地质提取物中的C和N的准确、快速测量。这些都是计算通量和存量、评估地表和地下沃茨、土壤和地质池内的成分变化以及估计环境变化引起的微生物生物量所需的基本措施。因此，我们要求用能够支持这些基本测量的液体自动进样器（TC/N分析仪）替换使用了15年的总有机和无机C（TOC，TIC）和N（TN）分析仪。在过去的18个月里，由于零件损坏、电子和通信问题，这台故障的TC/N分析仪已经花费了大约9000美元进行维修。这些问题继续存在，使得目前的操作尚不可能，并且考虑到该仪器的年龄，成本过高，导致申请人花费了17 K美元用于在此期间发送的样品的分析成本。进一步拖延获得所要求的设备将继续减少高素质人员的培训，减缓和减少研究范围以及支持三个申请人研究方案的其他研究活动的资金供应。培训、操作和维护的管理将由三名申请人指导，他们总共有35年的培训和实验室管理经验。这包括最近的培训和具体行动，以通过减少我们社会的妇女和BIPOC成员在自然科学职业生涯中面临的众所周知的障碍来加强公平，多样性和包容性。所要求的TOC/N系统将全职运行，以支持三个申请人的NSERC研究计划，并为他们的学生提供研究培训和市场工作技能，在未来五年内至少有30名HQP将使用该设备进行培训。