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A new spectrometer facility at the University of �Ӱ�ԭ�� Fairbanks will let researchers see chemical components of materials in the parts-per-trillion range, advancing environmental science across �Ӱ�ԭ��.

The will build the facility with $877,501 over three years from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Ocean Sciences.

The award will enable the purchase of a high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The spectrometer, the only one of its kind in �Ӱ�ԭ��, will reduce the need to send samples out of state for analysis. The facility is expected to be publicly available and self-supporting.   

Laura Whitmore, a research assistant professor at IARC, leads the team that secured the NSF award. Whitmore, along with co-leaders Ana Aguilar-Islas at the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and Mette Kaufman at IARC, expects the instrument to boost research capacity in the state and beyond. 

“The oceanographic community nationwide faces significant instrument downtime as aging high-resolution mass spectrometers reach end-of-life,” Whitmore noted. “A new, well-maintained facility in �Ӱ�ԭ�� strengthens collaborative networks and provides continuity of critical environmental analyses.”

The university has other types of mass spectrometers. However, the new one will analyze elemental and isotopic composition at much lower concentrations with high precision. 

Some potential research applications include:

• Analysis of ocean and sea ice metal micronutrients, such as iron, copper, nickel and zinc, that influence the marine food web.
•  Water quality monitoring to track potentially toxic elements before they enter the food web.
• Analysis of rare earth elements for new industries.
• Analysis of iron in seawater to help determine conditions for potential marine carbon dioxide removal in �Ӱ�ԭ�� waters.
• Climate and carbon cycle research using other elements as tracers to understand how much carbon is transferring between the atmosphere, marine life and the ocean floor.
• Monitoring of contaminants like mercury. 
• Reconstruction of ancient ocean conditions.
• Aiding geochemical studies of phenomena such as “rusting rivers,” where metals leach into rivers due to permafrost thaw, turning them bright orange. 

Plans for the facility also include partnerships with educational programs to help train the next generation of scientists. These include an integrated analytical chemistry curriculum at UAF, participation in summer outreach programs for rural students, and training for graduate student researchers. 

The team plans a staged approach to opening the facility to ensure the instrument and analysis process is running smoothly. The facility will first be available to the university community, with plans to open to the public by the end of 2029.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Laura Whitmore, lmwhitmore@alaska.edu; Ana Aguilar-Islas,  amaguilarislas@alaska.edu; Mette Kaufman, mrkaufman@alaska.edu

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