SGER: Investigation of Electrospray Mass Spectrometry (ES/MS/MS) for Chemical Analysis of Polar Ice Cores

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal is a request to explore the use of electrospray mass spectrometry (ES/MS/MS) to the analysis of polar ice cores. This technique is capable of rapid, sensitive detection and speciation of a wide range of organic and inorganic analytes in aqueous solution. The technique has the potential to 1) expand ice core analysis to a wide range of ionic and polar organic analytes, which can potentially provide new tracers for air mass origin, atmospheric reactivity, and biogeochemical activity, and 2) greatly improve the speed, sensitivity, and accuracy of existing analyses of major and minor ions. The ultimate goal of this effort is to identify new chemicals in ice cores that are sensitive to environmental change, such as products of biomass burning, soil types, and marine organics. The ES/MS/MS instrument will be housed in the Department of Earth System Science. It will be utilized in research, in graduate education, and in undergraduate education as part of the Earth and Environmental Sciences program.