A Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (SIRMS) for Carbonate-Based Paleoceanographic Studies at Brown University

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

OCE 99-86757 Prell Award is for acquisition of a stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer (SIRMS) that will be dedicated to measuring oxygen and carbon isotopes of sediment carbonate samples, with a focus on measuring samples from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and other sediment cores that address paleoceanography and paleoclimate problems. This instrument is needed to replace an obsolete, 14-year-old instrument that is limited in throughput and sample size requirements, and increasingly inadequate to support the needs of an active and growing (in both size and research directions) Earth Systems History group at Brown University. The SIRMS unit to be acquired will likely be either a Finnegan MAT252 or a Micromass Optima, with the exact model to be determined later. Either device would be fitted with an auomated sampling device for on-line preparation and analysis of CO2 derived from marine carbonate sediments. ***