A portable spectroradiometer for calibrating the weathering state of sediments and landforms as a chronometer

地貌和沉积物保存了关于古代气候变化如何影响地球表面的宝贵信息。这些信息为未来提供了重要的指导。然而，这些记录无法解锁，除非沉积物的年龄是已知的，不幸的是，现有的测年技术是复杂的，昂贵的和耗时的。我们的目标是探索一种新的方法来估计景观特征和沉积物的年龄，根据他们经历了多少风化的特点。风化涉及矿物的逐渐改变，导致沉积物、岩石和土壤的成分发生可预测的、时间敏感的变化。初步结果表明，一个简单的风化指数，使用这些材料在不同波长的光的亮度测量，具有很大的潜力，作为一个可靠的和可访问的年龄预测。我们正在申请资金购买一台便携式分光辐射计，该设备将使我们能够探索各种景观的风化路径和动力学。所产生的数据将使我们能够探索这种方法来估计河流，山体滑坡，冰川和其他景观特征留下的沉积物的年龄。该工具将使多个研究领域取得重要进展。特别是，加拿大有机会率先采用这种新的、低成本的、基于实地的计时方法，并具有广泛的预期应用。一个重要的应用将是生成古代气候变化如何影响地球表面环境的详细重建，提供关于未来气候变化影响的重要见解，无论是在加拿大还是其他地方。便携式分光辐射计将为我们的地貌、地质、地球化学、工程和环境研究和培训计划带来广泛的好处。

Landscapes and sediments preserve valuable information about how ancient climate changes affected Earth's surface in the past. Such information offers a critical guide for the future. However, these records cannot be unlocked unless the ages of sedimentary deposits are known, and unfortunately existing dating techniques are complex, expensive and time consuming. We aim to explore a new approach to estimating the ages of landscape features and sediments, based on characterising how much weathering they have experienced. Weathering involves the gradual alteration of minerals, resulting in predictable, time-sensitive changes in the composition of sediments, rocks and soils. Preliminary results show that a simple weathering index, measured using the brightness of these materials in different wavelengths of light, has great potential as a reliable and accessible age predictor. We are requesting funds to purchase one portable spectroradiometer, a device that would enable us to explore weathering pathways and kinetics across a range of landscapes. The data generated would allow us to explore this approach to estimating the ages of sediments left behind by rivers, landslides, glaciers, and other landscape features. The instrument would enable important progress on multiple research fronts. In particular, there is an opportunity for Canada to pioneer this new, low-cost and field-based chronometric approach with widespread anticipated applications. One important application will be the generation of detailed reconstructions of how ancient climate changes affected Earth's surface environments, providing important insights about future climate change impacts, both here in Canada and elsewhere. A portable spectroradiometer would bring broad benefits to our geomorphological, geological, geochemical, engineering, and environmental research and training programs.