MRI: Acquisition of a carbon dioxide isotope analyzer for monitoring real-time carbon fluxes in extreme environments and training the next generation of environmental scientists

德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校（UTEP）获得了一台超便携式高精度二氧化碳同位素分析仪。这种专门的仪器用于根据二氧化碳分子的分子指纹（同位素特征）跟踪碳在空气、土壤、水和植物中的运动。面对不断上升的大气二氧化碳，这种能力对于管理碳至关重要。该仪器将用于培训UTEP的下一代碳循环专家，包括来自美墨边境的研究生和本科生。特别是研究生将从这种培训中受益，因为在他们的研究中使用该仪器将使他们能够发展关于碳如何在不同的生态系统中移动和储存的新知识。该仪器还将用于公共活动演示以及UTEP的实验课，如植物生态学，土壤生态学和以碳循环为重点的新课程。在UTEP现有同位素分析能力的基础上，该仪器将加强致力于解决环境问题的生物和地质研究团队之间的伙伴关系，包括西南地区和北极冻土带地区农业和牧场环境中的碳管理。该奖项由生物科学理事会的生物基础设施司和地球科学理事会的地球科学司共同支持。该仪器将支持UTEP生物科学和地质科学系的各种项目，重点是了解极端环境下的碳循环，包括沙漠和北极苔原。极端环境在碳循环研究中呈现出诱人的奥秘，尽管人们越来越认识到极端环境是全球碳循环的主要参与者，但对其的研究还不够充分。该仪器能够识别生态系统内的碳源，将帮助UTEP的科学家调查驱动当地和全球碳循环的潜在机制。在沙漠中，该仪器将帮助确定植物叶片、植物根、土壤微生物和土壤碳酸盐如何驱动自然、管理和农业系统的总体碳平衡。在北极，该仪器将用于调查生态系统呼吸变化在多大程度上可归因于较高的植物活动或土壤分解增加。它还将用于研究水陆界面的碳循环，这将进一步了解前所未有的北极变暖如何导致碳循环的快速变化。通过这些项目，该仪器增强了UTEP的实地研究组合，并为地球化学、植物-土壤相互作用、碳循环和全球变化等领域的发现创造了机会。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to acquire an Ultraportable High Precision CO2 Isotopic Analyzer. This specialized instrument is used to track the movement of carbon through air, soil, water, and plants based on the molecular fingerprints (isotope signatures) of CO2 molecules. This type of capability is essential for managing carbon in the face of rising atmospheric CO2. This instrument will be used to train the next generation of carbon cycling experts at UTEP, including both graduate and undergraduate students from the U.S.-Mexico borderland. Graduate students, in particular, will benefit from this training, as use of the instrument in their research will allow them to develop new knowledge about how carbon moves through and is stored in different ecosystems. The instrument will also be used for demonstrations at public events as well as in laboratory classes at UTEP, such as Plant Ecology, Soil Ecology, and a new course focused on carbon cycling. Building on existing isotopic analysis capabilities at UTEP, this instrument will enhance the partnership between biological and geological research teams working to solve environmental problems, including carbon management in farming and ranching contexts in the Southwest and at Arctic tundra sites. This award is supported by both the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Division of Earth Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences.The instrument will support a variety of projects in the UTEP Biological Sciences and Geological Sciences departments that focus on understanding carbon cycling in extreme environments including deserts and Arctic tundra. Extreme environments present enticing mysteries in the study of carbon cycling, and though increasingly recognized as major players in the global carbon cycle, are understudied. This instrument, which is able to identify carbon sources within ecosystems, will help UTEP scientists investigate the underlying mechanisms that drive local and global carbon cycles. In the desert, the instrument will help determine how plant leaves, plant roots, soil microbes, and soil carbonates drive the overall carbon balance in natural, managed, and agricultural systems. In the Arctic, the instrument will be used to investigate the extent to which changes in ecosystem respiration can be attributed to higher plant activity or increased soil decomposition. It will also be used to investigate carbon cycling at the aquatic-terrestrial interface, which will further understanding of how unprecedented Arctic warming could lead to rapid changes in carbon cycling. Through these projects, the instrument enhances UTEP's field research portfolio and creates opportunities for discovery in the areas of geochemistry, plant-soil interactions, carbon cycling, and global change.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.