International Workshop on Tracer Applications of Noble Gas Radionuclides in the Geosciences

neil Sturchio，伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校，该提案是为了支持将于2012年6月21日至22日在芝加哥附近的阿贡国家实验室举行的“稀有气体放射性核素示踪剂在地球科学研究中的应用”国际研讨会。本次研讨会是为了响应原子阱痕量分析（ATTA）的最新技术进展，ATTA是一种新的分析方法，用于测量空气、水和冰的自然样品中超痕量稀有气体放射性核素81Kr、85Kr和39Ar的同位素丰度，使用基于激光的磁光原子阱装置（http://www.phy.anl.gov/mep/atta/research/atta.html）。迄今为止，阿贡国家实验室是ATTA发展方面的领先机构，但亚洲、欧洲和美国的其他几个实验室也一直在追求ATTA仪器和/或方法，用于ATTA的样品收集和样品制备。惰性气体放射性核素的潜在示踪剂应用提供了一套独特而强大的同位素工具，可用于广泛的地球科学研究，包括水文学、海洋学、冰川学、古气候学和火山学。例如，ATTA的关键应用包括使用81Kr确定非常古老的地下水、盐水和冰川冰的停留时间；利用39Ar确定环流和混合时间尺度，在深海追踪环流模式；利用85Kr和39Ar追踪年轻地下水。ATTA的新技术为这些应用以及许多其他不太明显但同样具有变革性的科学机会打开了大门。本次研讨会的主要目标是(1)确定ATTA提供的突出科学机会，(2)提高ATTA在广泛的变革性地球科学研究中的认识并促进其更广泛的应用，以及(3)为ATTA在相关国际科学界的快速部署制定最佳路径。ATTA可能在广泛的地球科学应用中产生广泛的影响。

International Workshop on Tracer Applications of Noble Gas Radionuclides in Geoscience ResearchNeil Sturchio, University of Illinois-ChicagoThis proposal is for support of an International Workshop on Tracer Applications of Noble Gas Radionuclides in Geoscience Research, which will be held at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago on June 21-22, 2012. This workshop is in response to the recent technical advances in atom-trap trace analysis (ATTA), a novel analytical method for measuring isotopic abundances of the ultratrace noble gas radionuclides 81Kr, 85Kr and 39Ar in natural samples of air, water, and ice, using a laser-based magneto-optical atom trap apparatus (http://www.phy.anl.gov/mep/atta/research/atta.html). The leading facility in terms of ATTA development thus far has been Argonne National Laboratory, but several other laboratories in Asia, Europe, and the US have been pursuing ATTA instrumentation and/or methods for sample collection and sample preparation for ATTA.The potential tracer applications of noble gas radionuclides provide a unique and powerful set of isotopic tools that can be used for a broad spectrum of geosciences research, including hydrology, oceanography, glaciology, paleoclimatology, and volcanology. For example, key applications of ATTA include determining residence times of very old groundwater, brines, and glacial ice using 81Kr; determining circulation and mixing time scales in the deep tracing circulation patterns of the ocean using 39Ar; and tracing young groundwater using 85Kr and 39Ar. The new technology of ATTA opens the door to these applications, as well as many other scientific opportunities that are less obvious but equally transformative.The major objectives of this workshop are (1) to identify the salient scientific opportunities provided by ATTA, (2) to increase awareness and to catalyze more widespread application of ATTA in a broad range of transformative geosciences research, and (3) to map out the optimal path for rapid deployment of ATTA in the relevant international scientific communities. ATTA is likely to have broad impact in a wide range of geoscience applications.