Total carbon and nitrogen analyzer for biogeochemical research spanning the terrestrial-aquatic-extraterrestrial realms

我们预测气候和环境变化对生态系统和资源的影响的能力依赖于对生物地球化学生态系统组成部分内部和之间元素（如氮、N等营养物质）和能量（以碳的还原和氧化形式追踪）的扩散、分布和循环的理解。Ziegler、Leroux和Morrill的研究项目侧重于提高我们对碳和氮循环的理解，以支持对生态系统对变化的响应的预测性理解，包括碳循环和气候反馈，为管理提供信息，并为权利人、政府和行业提供缓解和适应策略。例如，申请人努力了解与陆水界面相关的碳和氮通量的控制，食草动物对陆地生态系统特性和深层生物圈储层的影响，有助于解决陆地碳封存或交换的地球系统模型中存在的巨大不确定性。这些研究项目侧重于高纬度景观、流域、沿海生态系统和深层生物圈的生物地球化学和生态学，依赖于对水、各种土壤和地质提取物中碳和氮的准确和快速测量。这些是计算通量和储量、评价地表水和地下水、土壤和地质池内的成分变化以及估计微生物生物量对环境变化的响应所需的基本措施。因此，我们要求用能够支持这些基本措施的液体自动进样器（TC/N分析仪）替换已有15年历史的总有机和无机，C （TOC， TIC）和N （TN）分析仪。在过去的18个月里，由于零件损坏、电子和通信问题，这台故障的TC/N分析仪已经花费了大约9000美元进行维修。这些问题持续存在，使得目前的操作还不可能进行，而且考虑到该仪器的使用年限，成本过高，导致申请人在此期间为寄出的样品花费了17K美元的分析成本。进一步延迟获得所要求的设备将继续减少高素质人员（HQP）的培训，减缓和缩小研究范围，并减少其他研究活动的可用性，以支持三个申请人的研究项目。培训、运行和维护的管理将由三位申请人指导，他们共有35年的培训和实验室管理经验。这包括最近的培训和具体行动，通过减少我们社会中妇女和BIPOC成员在自然科学职业生涯中面临的众所周知的障碍，加强公平、多样性和包容性。所要求的TOC/N系统将全职运行，以支持三个申请人的NSERC研究项目，并为他们的学生提供研究培训和市场就业技能，在未来五年内使用该设备进行至少30 HQP的培训。

Our ability to predict the impacts of climate and environmental change on ecosystems and resources relies upon understanding the dispersal, distribution, and cycling of elements (e.g. nutrients such as nitrogen; N) and energy (tracked as reduced and oxidized forms of carbon; C) within and among biogeochemical ecosystem components. Ziegler, Leroux and Morrill's research programs focus on improving our understanding of C and N cycling supporting the predictive understanding of ecosystem responses to change, including C cycling and climate feedbacks, informing management, and mitigation and adaption strategies by rights holders, governments, and industries. For example, applicants' effort to understand controls on C and N fluxes associated with the terrestrial-aquatic interface, herbivore impacts on terrestrial ecosystem properties and deep biosphere reservoirs help to address the large uncertainty in Earth System Models of terrestrial C sequestration or exchange. These research programs, focusing on the biogeochemistry and ecology of high latitude landscapes, watersheds, coastal ecosystems, and the deep biosphere, rely upon accurate and rapid measurement of C and N in water and various soil and geological extracts. These are fundamental measures required to calculate fluxes and stocks, evaluate compositional change within surface and ground waters, soil and geologic pools, and estimate microbial biomass in response to environmental change. Therefore, we are requesting a replacement for a 15-year old total organic, and inorganic, C (TOC, TIC) and N (TN) analyzer with a liquid autosampler (TC/N analyzer) capable of supporting these fundamental measures. Over the past 18 months, this failing TC/N analyzer has costed about $9K in repairs due to broken parts, electronic and communication issues. These continue to persist such that current operation is not yet possible and costs are prohibitive given the age of this instrument resulting in the applicants having spent $17K in analytical costs for samples sent away over this period. Further delay in access to the requested equipment will continue to reduce highly qualified personnel (HQP) training, slow and reduce the scope of research and availability of funds for other research activities supporting the three applicants' research programs. Management of the training, operation and maintenance will fall under the guidance of the three applicants who collectively have 35 years of training and laboratory management experience. This includes recent training and actions specific to enhancing equity, diversity and inclusion by reducing well known barriers that women and BIPOC members of our society face in their natural science careers. The requested TOC/N system will operate full-time to support the three applicants' NSERC research programs and provide research training and marketable job skills for their students with a minimum of 30 HQP to be trained using this equipment over the next five years.