National Environmental Isotope Facility (NEIF)

Lead Research Organisation: British Geological Survey
Department Name: NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory

Abstract

Determining the isotopic composition of a breadth of environmental materials underpins our ability to constrain, track and understand a wide range of environmental science processes. Isotopes are used to determine the age of materials, constrain rates of change, integrate disparate environmental records, and assess cause/effects hypothesis. Isotopes are also used to track a range of natural and anthropogenic processes operating across the planet, from the hydrosphere to the biosphere. Isotope science requires infrastructure at the leading edge; not only physical infrastructure such as state of the art equipment and well established laboratories, but as important are the experienced facility personnel who provide the expertise, drive development, explore new areas of application, and develop systems to ensure data are accessible, interoperable and reusable. The requirements for isotopes in environmental sciences necessitates national delivery of fundamental capabilities for the following reasons: (1) A compelling community need for fundamental and complex isotope analyses; (2) Continued investment in instruments and skilled people is required to remain at forefront of world isotope science; and (3) High demand and delivery required by the UK research portfolio. Where these requirements exist, national facilities are a demonstrably cost-effective mechanism to deliver and underpin environmental science research and innovation, now and into the future.
The National Environmental Isotope Facility (NEIF) is an evolution of facilities that builds upon a strong track record of NERC facilities for environmental isotope analyses. This single nationally distributed facility comprises a range of analytical capabilities and staff expertise for isotope analyses that underpins an array of multidisciplinary, cross themed, environmental science areas. NEIF capabilities are subdivided into two categories: Chronology and Environmental and Life Science Tracers. Combined, these support research in the areas of biogeochemistry, archaeology, palaeoclimatology and climate change, solid Earth processes (inc. natural hazards), human-landscape evolution and interactions (inc. the Anthropocene), evolution of life, ecology, pollution, the hydrological cycle, applied minerals and energy research.
NEIF will underpin the UKs environmental research community in areas where isotope analyses are required, facilitating, supporting and encouraging the best research, technology and new ideas. The unified capabilities and expertise delivered by the NEIF are technically unique within the UK and are delivered to the highest standard and quality. NEIF will deliver against a number of key objectives: to facilitate environmental research to support the provision of training for early career researchers, to deliver innovation, and to promote awareness of NEIF capabilities, their role in environmental sciences, related NERC activities, and public outreach.
The benefits of a single national facility are that it will be ''greater than the sum of its parts''. The combined strategic nature of NEIF, with clear community input via the Strategy Group, acts as a catalyst for the areas of environmental science covered by NEIF. In addition to the direct support of projects and provision of training, the sustained support of NERC facilities has enabled their evolution to best fit the user community needs enable facility staff to deliver a longer-term perspective, identify challenges and opportunities, in order to best service the environmental science community. The NEIF represents a major evolution in the provision of isotopes capabilities and expertise for the UK research community. It will provide increased community innovation and greater scope for flexibility, whilst retaining the core purpose of underpinning UK science, in addition to hosting internationally competitive state-of-the-art capabilities critically underpinned by a vastly experienced, unique staff assemblage.

Publications

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Allington M (2021) Obtaining archaeointensity data from British Neolithic pottery: A feasibility study in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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Banks D (2023) Dissolved sulfate d 34 S and the origin of sulfate in coal mine waters; NE England in Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology

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Bauld JT (2022) Can diet niche partitioning enhance sexual dimorphism? in Ecology and evolution

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Becerra-Valdivia L (2022) A chronology for the earliest human burials at Cuchipuy, central Chile in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

 
Description A SelFrag facility to underpin UK geoscience
Amount £300,000 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/T00925X/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2020 
End 03/2021
 
Description A Selective Fragmentation (SELFRAG) device for liberating minerals, microfossils from rocks: more efficient, effective and safer for the UK community.
Amount £293,443 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/T009233/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2019 
End 03/2020
 
Title A database of NERC radiocarbon measurements determined by accelerator mass spectrometry. 
Description The database contains radiocarbon (14C) measurements performed using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) by the NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory. Contextual information including sample type and sampling location, and associated publications are also provided 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2023 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Compilations of radiocarbon measurements performed by the NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory using radiometric methods have previously been made publicly available in research papers or databases. The new database is the first collection of radiocarbon measurements performed using accelerator mass spectrometry by the laboratory. The database provides a resource for researchers to access over 2000 radiocarbon measurements. 
 
Description 50 minute presentation on the Weymouth discovery of a Viking Age burial site and how isotopes were able to look at the origins of the men found there. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This talk was given to the Harrington Discussion Society. I was invited back having given a talk in 2018. This is group of local who gather regularly for such discussions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description A 50 minute talk about the discovery and analysis of Richard III's skeleton 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A presentation to the University of the Third Age group in Keyworth. Very interesting and diverse expertise within the audience resulting in 30 - 40 minutes of questions after the talk.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description A 50 minute talk about the discovery and analysis of Richard III's skeleton 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A talk about Richard III with a geological slant.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description BGS open day presentation to the general public on Richard III 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This was a talk targeted at the younger audience members aimed at showing the links between science and history
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Blog post 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Blogpost on BGS website describing the SelFrag instrument, its capabilities and future potential.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/exploding-rocks-the-uks-first-selfrag-machine/
 
Description Blogs 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Frequent blog posts on the BGS Geoblogy site, updating on the aims of the project and the progress made with the analysis of the samples.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020
 
Description Cosmo2022 Scotland. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Cosmo 2022 - Scotland workshop is a continuation of the previous four events known as the Nordic Workshop on Cosmogenic Nuclides. The three-day workshop and the oneday field excursion was jointly hosted by the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
(SUERC) and the University of Edinburgh, and held in Edinburgh, 7-9 June 2022. The workshop
Comprised of a scientific programme of oral and poster contributions by members of the international
cosmogenic nuclide community, discussions, short practical workshops, and an optional field
excursion the last day.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_845736_smxx.pdf
 
Description Diatom isotopes demonstration as part of the British Geological Survey Open Day October 2019 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact An exhibit was presented at the BGS Open Day on diatoms, single-celled algae with silica (glass) shells, and how they are used in climate and environmental change research. Visitors were able to view fossil diatoms through a microscope and see their structure from 3D-printed models. Poster boards provided information on what diatoms are, their composition, their importance to us and the planet, how we utilise them in scientific research, and gave an example project (DeepCHALLA) where diatom isotopes are pivitol for providing a better understanding of past climate and its influence on patterns on human migration out of Africa. The stand engaged younger children by helping them create diatom art and plasticine models of diatoms from example images. Feedback was very positive
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Facebook Live discussion for paper in Science Advances "Multi-isotope analysis reveals that feasts in the Stonehenge environs and across Wessex drew people and animals from throughout Britain" 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This was a four way moderated discussion, live on Facebook, organized by The VancePak Team Office of Public Programs (OPP) American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.facebook.com/ScienceAdvances/videos/793199927719821/.
 
Description Geochronology activity and demonstration as part of the British Geological Survey Open Day October 2019 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact 70 members of the public participated in a combined activity and demonstration around the theme of geochronology and geological time, as part of the annual British Geological Surveys public open day. The demonstration included a talk and discussion about geological time combined with the 'Corridor of Time' activity which comprised a 46 metre scaled timeline (1cm equals 1 million years) of Earth history, from human history back to the formation of the Earth and Solar System. This demonstrated the tempo of evolution and the vastness of geological time compared to human histories. This was combined with a 'Speed dating' activity where members of the public came into the mass spectrometry laboratory and we explained how we obtain absolute dates on rocks and minerals, and then they were given a chance to select a mineral for analyses then and there - the sample was a real research target that contains detrital grains with a range of ages, from ~400 to 2700 million years. Throughout the day as more minerals were dated we kept a leader board and a prize was given to the person who picked the oldest grain. The capacity of 70 participants was set by the size of the laboratory and the nature of the activity. Feedback from the participants was wholly positive.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019