MRI: Acquisition of a Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) for Earth and Marine Science Research

The PI's request funding to acquire a LA-ICP-MS system to be used for the high resolution analysis of elemental and isotopic ratios of various substrates and materials in earth science, oceanographic, and climate change research. Acquisition of LA-ICP-MS would serve researchers working within various disciplines at UNC - CH and at other regional institutions. The requested LA-ICP-MS system is required for the broad range of research projects of multiple early career, mid-level, and senior researchers at UNC - CH. These projects include investigating temporal trends in carbonate mineralogy, developing a multielemental coral paleothermometer to reconstruct recent climate change, isotopic labeling of carbonate shells and skeletons in ocean acidification experiments, investigating trace element partitioning in synthetic and biogenic carbonates, investigating the origin and evolution of rhyolite magmas, investigating the relationship between plutons and volcanic rocks, reconnaissance U-Pb dating of zircons, evaluating the flux of U and Th isotopes from rivers and coastal environments to the ocean, diagenetic screening of paleoceanographic proxies, and elemental fingerprinting of fish otoliths to investigate patterns of fish migration, larval dispersal, and population connectivity.

Broader Impacts:

The proposed activity will contribute to the advancement of science in a range of disciplines in geoscience, and to the training of a range of researchers and their associates. It will especially benefit the establishment of 5 junior researchers at UNC-CH whom are in the process of developing new research programs. One minority post-doc and two minority students from Belize have already been identified to receive training in the new facility.