This MRI award supports the acquisition of an inductively coupled-sector field mass spectrometer (ICP-SFMS) to extract atmospheric trace element histories from ice cores and to assess contemporary water quality. The intellectual merit and the scientific motivation for acquiring this instrument arises from the urgency to document and understand both contemporary and past Earth system changes. Trace elements are exceptional tools for reconstructing past processes in the Earth?s system and as some toxic species are produced by human activities, for monitoring the global anthropogenic footprint. The ICP-SFMS allows simultaneous analysis of numerous trace and ultra-trace elements from small mass samples and will allow new proxy information to be extracted from both new and archived ice cores. The analyses will make it possible to identify sources of impurities in ice cores and other water samples from which knowledge about past atmospheric circulation patterns, anthropogenic emissions, extraterrestrial contributions and volcanic circulation patterns can be derived. The broader impacts of the work relate to the societal relevance of the science and the strong education and outreach activities of the principal investigators. Students will receive training on state-of-the-art instrumentation which will support their graduate research training.
