International Workshop on Tracer Applications of Noble Gas Radionuclides in the Geosciences

University Of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

International Workshop on Tracer Applications of Noble Gas Radionuclides in Geoscience Research Neil Sturchio, University of Illinois-Chicago This proposal is for support of an International Workshop on Tracer Applications of Noble Gas Radionuclides in Geoscience Research, which will be held at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago on June 21-22, 2012. This workshop is in response to the recent technical advances in atom-trap trace analysis (ATTA), a novel analytical method for measuring isotopic abundances of the ultratrace noble gas radionuclides 81Kr, 85Kr and 39Ar in natural samples of air, water, and ice, using a laser-based magneto-optical atom trap apparatus (http://www.phy.anl.gov/mep/atta/research/atta.html). The leading facility in terms of ATTA development thus far has been Argonne National Laboratory, but several other laboratories in Asia, Europe, and the US have been pursuing ATTA instrumentation and/or methods for sample collection and sample preparation for ATTA. The potential tracer applications of noble gas radionuclides provide a unique and powerful set of isotopic tools that can be used for a broad spectrum of geosciences research, including hydrology, oceanography, glaciology, paleoclimatology, and volcanology. For example, key applications of ATTA include determining residence times of very old groundwater, brines, and glacial ice using 81Kr; determining circulation and mixing time scales in the deep tracing circulation patterns of the ocean using 39Ar; and tracing young groundwater using 85Kr and 39Ar. The new technology of ATTA opens the door to these applications, as well as many other scientific opportunities that are less obvious but equally transformative. The major objectives of this workshop are (1) to identify the salient scientific opportunities provided by ATTA, (2) to increase awareness and to catalyze more widespread application of ATTA in a broad range of transformative geosciences research, and (3) to map out the optimal path for rapid deployment of ATTA in the relevant international scientific communities. ATTA is likely to have broad impact in a wide range of geoscience applications.