Ion Microprobe Facility

High-resolution, spatially-controlled geochemical and isotopic analysis is a specialised area of mass spectrometry that requires the use of highly focussed scientific techniques using lasers or ion beams. The state-of-the-art ion microprobe facility (IMF) at the University of Edinburgh houses two such ion beam instruments that are central to NERC science and not available at other UKRI facilities or institutions. The combination of high-precision isotopic analysis and micron-scale spatial resolution is unique and crucial in earth and environmental-funded science.

The IMF supports high quality research of international importance into understanding natural resources, natural hazards, investigating the future green economy and exploring the implications of environmental change on our natural world. As examples, analysis of volcanic materials provides insight into the processes controlling the explosivity of eruptions, a key factor in determining the relative hazards represented by different volcanoes around the world. While the analysis of fish ear bones tracks the evolution of migratory patterns in fish e.g. salmon and tuna, in response to climate change and is informing our understanding of the factors influencing fish condition and affecting fisheries. Finally, research on coral skeletons identifies how the reef-building process in tropical corals responds to ocean acidification and rising seawater temperatures and allows us to predict the future of reef structures on which hundreds of millions of people rely for coastal protection, building materials, fisheries, and tourism. Research such as this is fundamental in tackling the grand challenges that face our communities and directly address UN sustainability development goals.

This proposal is to provide continued UK science community support for the world-class Edinburgh IMF that enables the UK to excel in the quantitative microanalysis of earth and environmental materials, and explore fundamental questions that have consequences for the planet, the environment and its population.