MRI: Acquisition of a Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) for Earth and Marine Science Research

PI申请资金以获得LA-ICP-MS系统，用于地球科学，海洋学和气候变化研究中各种基质和材料的元素和同位素比率的高分辨率分析。购置LA-ICP-MS系统将为在瑞士日内瓦办事处和其他区域机构从事不同学科工作的研究人员提供服务。所要求的LA-ICP-MS系统是多个早期职业生涯，中级和高级研究人员的广泛研究项目所必需的。这些项目包括调查碳酸盐矿物学的时间趋势，开发多元素珊瑚古温度计以重建最近的气候变化，海洋酸化实验中碳酸盐外壳和骨骼的同位素标记，研究合成碳酸盐岩和生物碳酸盐岩中微量元素的分配，研究流纹岩岩浆的起源和演化，研究侵入岩和火山岩之间的关系，普查锆石U-Pb定年，评估河流和海岸环境中U和Th同位素向海洋的通量，更广泛的影响：拟议的活动将有助于促进地球科学一系列学科的科学进步，并有助于培训一系列研究人员及其同事。这将特别有利于在UNC-CH建立5名正在制定新研究方案的初级研究人员。已确定伯利兹的一名少数族裔博士后和两名少数族裔学生将在新设施接受培训。

The PI's request funding to acquire a LA-ICP-MS system to be used for the high resolution analysis of elemental and isotopic ratios of various substrates and materials in earth science, oceanographic, and climate change research. Acquisition of LA-ICP-MS would serve researchers working within various disciplines at UNC - CH and at other regional institutions. The requested LA-ICP-MS system is required for the broad range of research projects of multiple early career, mid-level, and senior researchers at UNC - CH. These projects include investigating temporal trends in carbonate mineralogy, developing a multielemental coral paleothermometer to reconstruct recent climate change, isotopic labeling of carbonate shells and skeletons in ocean acidification experiments, investigating trace element partitioning in synthetic and biogenic carbonates, investigating the origin and evolution of rhyolite magmas, investigating the relationship between plutons and volcanic rocks, reconnaissance U-Pb dating of zircons, evaluating the flux of U and Th isotopes from rivers and coastal environments to the ocean, diagenetic screening of paleoceanographic proxies, and elemental fingerprinting of fish otoliths to investigate patterns of fish migration, larval dispersal, and population connectivity.Broader Impacts: The proposed activity will contribute to the advancement of science in a range of disciplines in geoscience, and to the training of a range of researchers and their associates. It will especially benefit the establishment of 5 junior researchers at UNC-CH whom are in the process of developing new research programs. One minority post-doc and two minority students from Belize have already been identified to receive training in the new facility.