Funds from this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant will support the acquisition of equipment to for use in paleolimnology and paleoclimate studies in the Geology Department at Middlebury College, an undergraduate institution. Specific equipment to be acquired will include a Carbon/Nitrogen (CN) analyzer, a pycnometer, a freeze-dryer, and a coring system. The CN analyzer will be used to gauge the relative contribution of terrestrial and aquatic organic matter in lacustrine sediment samples, and to determine the makeup and extent of decomposition of organic matter in soils. The pycnometer will be used to make accurate bulk density determinations for vesicular sediment samples. The freeze-dryer will be used to prepare samples for carbon/nitrogen analysis, for biogenic silica and mineral phosphorous analysis using other currently available equipment, and for drying samples for stable archiving. The instruments will support the research and research training programs of three faculty members in the Department of Geology including studies of late Quaternary paleoclimate based on proxies recorded in lacustine and marine sedimentary archives and studies of climatic controls on soil development.
