Acquisition of a tunable diode laser system (TILDAS) Aerodyne Mini-TILDAS CO2 Isotope Monitor for triple isotope analyses of CO2 gas from carbonates

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

This Division of Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities Program grant supports acquisition of device that permits analysis of all the stable isotopes of Oxygen (16O, 17O and 18O) contained in carbon dioxide gas liberated from carbonate rocks and minerals to enable advanced studies of Earth’s past climate and environmental conditions as recorded in the stratigraphic record. The instrument will serve the research needs of a large number of faculty and students, initially supporting the education of two graduate students, a postdoctoral scientist and two early career scientists on the investigator team. The instrument will be housed in the University of New Mexico Center for Stable Isotopes (CSI) which hosts weekly student seminars and hosts an annual student competition to support meritorious project laboratory analytical costs. A tunable infrared laser direct absorption spectroscopy (TILDAS) will be acquired. The investigators will employ the instrument for triple oxygen isotope studies of sedimentary carbonates as proxies of the temperature of their formation and isotopic composition of formation fluids. A TILDAS tuned for 17O measurements is a new instrument with anticipated analytical precision rivaling the traditional fluorination method. TILDAS analysis times are 30 minutes versus 4 days for fluorination followed by traditional gas source stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (SIRMS). TILDAS can analyze sample sizes an order of magnitude smaller than SIRMS. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.