MRI: Acquisition of a MIni CArbon DAting System (MICADAS) for climate change and air quality research

This MRI award provides funding for new instrumentation at the W. M. Keck Carbon Cycle Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (KCCAMS) facility at the University for California, Irvine to support research on greenhouse gases and aerosols affecting climate and air quality.

The investment will enable high quality measurements of a radioactively decaying isotope of carbon (“radiocarbon”) in carbon-containing substances influencing atmospheric composition and the global carbon cycle. The new instrument is a commercially available system that combines a compact accelerator mass spectrometer with several automated delivery systems to facilitate an efficient and comprehensive analysis of gases and organic solids.

In addition to radiocarbon, the system also measures the carbon and nitrogen content and stable isotope composition of samples. This new technology allows for a more rapid and accurate analysis of organic solids (e.g., plant tissue, organic soils, bulk aerosol) and carbon dioxide.

The increased sample throughput will enable a research team from several Southern California institutions (UC Irvine, UC Riverside, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory) to (1) identify contributions of fossil fuels to carbon dioxide and methane emissions; (2) quantify how carbon cycle processes impact future levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and climate warming, including the impacts of permafrost thaw and intensifying wildfire regimes; (3) separate fossil, biomass burning, and biogenic contributions to carbonaceous aerosols that influence the Earth’s radiation budget and air quality; and (4) understand long term changes in the contemporary and future global carbon cycle. The acquisition of this instrument will provide research and technical training opportunities for a diverse community of students and will significantly strengthen the ability of U.S. researchers to study the changing land surface and atmosphere.

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.