Acquisition and Commissioning of a Carbonate Preparation Device for Stable Isotope Analysis

该项目支持购买、安装和调试一种新的计算机自动化设备，该设备可以溶解化石贝壳和其他由碳酸钙制成的矿物材料，为高精度地对其碳和氧同位素组成进行专门分析做准备。对该设备的投资增强了稳定同位素设施的分析能力，该设施被一大批美国科学家使用，并将促进数十年的广泛实验。化石贝壳中碳的同位素是有用的，可以作为碳如何在各种形式之间移动的化学指纹，例如大气中的二氧化碳、海洋中的溶解碳，以及由动植物形成的有机材料中的碳。氧的同位素通常用于跟踪物理环境的变化，如过去的温度变化，水通过蒸发、雨或雪的移动，冰川的生长或融化，以及淡水流入海洋。这对于从根本上理解气候和地球生命之间的自然相互作用是重要的，并为美国与自然环境变化有关的政策利益提供了科学背景。该设备支持学生的教育和培训，包括STEM领域的体验式学习。通过该项目获得的基尔-IV高真空酸消化设备正在推动新的研究方向，并提高俄勒冈州立大学/地球、海洋和大气科学学院稳定同位素实验室的分析能力，以测量超小碳酸盐样品(如化石有孔虫和其他生物成因碳酸盐)中的氧和碳同位素。该仪器作为入口系统与现有的ThermoFisher 253Plus同位素比质谱仪相连。这种新设备服务于NSF资助的大量调查人员，因此将为许多项目提供便利。主要应用于古气候学和古海洋学。该设备还用于本科生和研究生的STEM体验式学习。在过去的五年里，来自美国各地机构的100多名学生使用了现有的设施；随着设施采用现代最先进的设备进行更新，教育机会预计将增加。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project supports the purchase, installation, and commission of a new computer-automated device that dissolves fossil shells and other mineral materials made of calcium carbonate, to prepare them for specialized analysis of their carbon and oxygen isotopic composition at high precision. The investment in this equipment enhances the analytical capabilities of a stable isotope facility that is used by a large community of US scientists and will facilitate a broad range of experiments for decades. Isotopes of carbon in fossil shells are useful as a chemical fingerprint of how carbon moves between various forms such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, dissolved carbon in the ocean, and as carbon incorporated into organic materials formed by plants and animals. Isotopes of oxygen are typically used to trace changes in physical environments, such as past temperature changes, and movement of water through evaporation, rain, or snow, growth or melting of glaciers, and freshwater flows into the ocean. This is important for fundamental understanding of the natural interactions between climate and life on earth, and provides scientific background for policy interests of the United States related to changes in natural environments. The equipment supports education and training of students, including experiential learning in STEM fields. The Kiel-IV high-vacuum acid-digestion device acquired through this project is enabling new research directions and improves the analytical capabilities of the Oregon State University/College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences Stable Isotope Laboratory for measuring oxygen and carbon isotopes in ultra-small samples of carbonate (such as fossil foraminifera and other biogenic carbonates). The instrument is attached as an inlet system to an existing ThermoFisher 253Plus isotope-ratio mass spectrometer. This new equipment serves a large community of NSF-funded investigators, so will facilitate many projects. Primary applications are in paleoclimatology and paleoceanography. The equipment is also used in STEM experiential learning for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Over the past five years, more than 100 students from institutions throughout the US have used the existing facility; educational opportunities are expected to grow as the facility is updated with modern state-of-the-art equipment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.