Acquisition of a continuous flow isotope ratio mass analyzer for tropical paleoclimatology

这个奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助的。这项合同将有助于购买连续流动同位素比质谱仪。所要求的是带Conflo-IV接口的Thermo Delta V。要求该仪器提高样品灵敏度(从而减少必要的样本量)，因为目前部门的仪器资源已全部使用。该仪器将与现有的外围设备接口，其中包括可进行碳酸盐和水准备的Gasbench-II和PAL-80自动取样器，以及Costech高温发生器/元素燃烧系统(HTG/ECS)。PI将承担全面的操作、维护和监督责任。将在赠款支持下聘请一名半职实验室经理，协助仪器操作、维护和培训。学生也将发挥主要作用。UMD将为购买这一仪器提供资金。此外，该大学将翻新空间，将IRMS和WEAM实验室纳入地质系。国际和平研究所将利用这一仪器进行两大主题的研究，即热带同位素树状气候学和年代际海洋/大气气候变异性的珊瑚年表。在第一个主题下，PI打算通过缺乏年轮的树木的氧同位素组成来更好地了解热带气候地区的季节性。氧同位素可以作为对流降雨的替代指标。内部开发的系统允许高样品吞吐量和快速分析，从而能够产生非常高分辨率的同位素代理数据。初步结果表明，同位素气候重建与ENSO事件有很好的相关性。在第二个主题(珊瑚年表)下，改进的样品处理技术提供了与连续流动模式下的双进气口测量相当的精度。这使得对珊瑚样本进行高分辨率碳和氧同位素测量的速度达到每天约120次。因此，可以进行多十年的替代测量，以更好地了解过去的气候(并对当前和未来的气候进行建模)。同时，该仪器还将成为提供广泛学生培训的气候科学课程的基础。该实验室将资助高中生，并为高级顶石研究计划和“地球、生命和时间”学者计划提供分析可能性。PI将在他的项目中促进妇女和少数族裔的发展(他在过去的项目中非常成功)。***

0929983Evans"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." This award will facilitate the purchase of a continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Requested is a Thermo Delta V with Conflo-IV interface. This instrument is being requested to increase sample sensitivity (and thereby decrease necessary sample size) and because current departmental instrument resources are fully committed. The instrument will be interfaced with existing peripherals These include a Gasbench-II and PAL-80 autosampler allowing carbonate and water prep, and a Costech High Temperature Generator/Elemental Combustion System (HTG/ECS). The PI will assume overall operation, maintenance and oversight responsibility. A half-time laboratory manager will be hired on grant support to assist with instrument operation, maintenance and training. Students will also play a major role. UMd will contribute funds towards the purchase of this instrument. In addition, the University will renovate space to include an IRMS and wet lab within the Department of Geology. The PI will use this instrument for research in two broad themes, Tropical isotope dendroclimatology, and Coral chronologies of interdecadal ocean/atmosphere climate variability. Under the first theme, the PI intends to better understand seasonality in tropical climate regions through oxygen isotopic compositions in trees lacking annual rings. Oxygen isotopes can be used as a proxy for convective rainfall. The in-house developed system allows high sample throughput and rapid analyses so that very high resolution isotope proxy data can be generated. Preliminary results show good correlation between isotope climate reconstructions and ENSO events. Under the second theme (coral chronologies), enhanced sample processing techniques offer precision comparable to dual-inlet measurements in a continuous flow mode. This allows high-resolution carbon and oxygen isotope measurements from coral samples at a rate of ~120 per day. Multi-decadal proxy measurements can thus be made to better understand past climates (and model current and future ones). While forming the basis of the PI?s analytical laboratory at UMd, this instrument will be the foundation of a climate science curriculum offering broad student training. The laboratory will sponsor high school students and provide analytical possibilities for the senior capstone research program and "Earth, Life and Time" Scholars program. The PI will promote women and minorities in his program (of which he has been very successful in the past). ***