An Upgraded High Precision Stable Isotope System for Paleoenvironmental Applications

该提案要求提供资金，以升级麦吉尔大学地球和行星科学系的稳定同位素质谱系统。稳定同位素比值在地球科学中被广泛应用于重建过去的环境。我的研究小组应用多种稳定同位素系统，但我们NSERC支持的研究最核心的是碳酸盐矿物中的碳和氧同位素系统。因此，我们实验室的质谱系统，这是优化的高精度和高灵敏度的碳和氧同位素分析，是我们的研究必不可少的。从该系统获得的数据用于评估过去的温度，确定和量化全球碳循环的扰动，关联和年龄校准沉积碳酸盐演替，推断成岩作用对碳沉积物的改变，并确定地球历史上海洋酸化事件的影响等研究课题。碳酸盐岩的碳和氧同位素数据也服务于许多其他研究项目，特别是在矿产勘探中。因此，该工具被大量使用。它是培训HQP并为其研究项目获取所需数据的关键平台。虽然该仪器的核心功能良好，但某些组件，特别是自动碳酸盐制备装置和用于低温去除水的系统不再正常工作。所要求的资金，以取代和升级这些组件将最大限度地发挥潜力的质谱系统，继续获得高质量的同位素数据，以支持我的研究计划和部门内的许多HQP的研究。

This proposal request funding to upgrade a stable isotope mass spectrometry system in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill University. Stable isotope ratios are widely applied in the Earth sciences to reconstruct past environments. My research group applies multiple stable isotope systems, but the most central to our NSERC-supported research are the coupled carbon and oxygen isotope systems in carbonate minerals. As such, the mass spectrometry system in our laboratory, which is optimized for high-precision and high-sensitivity carbon and oxygen isotope analyses, is essential for our research. The data derived from this system are used to evaluate past temperatures, identify and quantity perturbations to the global carbon cycle, correlate and age-calibrate sedimentary carbonate successions, infer alteration of carbon sediments by diagenesis, and identify the effects of ocean acidification events in Earth's history, among other research topics. Carbon and oxygen isotope data on carbonates serve many other research programs as well, in particular in mineral exploration. As such, this instrument is heavily used. It is a key platform for training HQP and acquiring the required data for their research projects. Although the core of this instrument functions well, certain components, in particular the automated carbonate preparation device and the system for cryogenically removing water no longer function properly. The requested funding to replace and upgrade these components will maximize the potential of the mass spectrometry system to continue to acquire high quality isotopic data in support of my research program and the research of many HQP within the department.