[Summary of the lecture] This course explains methodology of decoding origins and histories of environmental materials using abundance and variation of their isotopic substitutes. Especially, this course explains some new methodology using multiple isotopic substitutes such as mass-independent fractionation, multiply substituted species and position-specific isotope analyses as well as the methodology using single isotopic substitute analysis.
[Aim of the lecture]The purpose of this course is to understand the concepts of isotopic analysis for decoding origins and histories of environmental materials.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
(1) Explain the principle and practice about material analyses of environmental substances using their isotopic substitutes on light element.
(2) Determine deductively the precursors, source, sink, mixing, transport and diffusion of environmental substances by the observation of spatio-temporal distributions of their isotopic substitutes.
material cycles, isotopic substitutes
✔ Specialist skills | Intercultural skills | Communication skills | Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
At the end of each class, students are given exercise problems related to the lecture given that day to solve.
Students must familiarize themselves using course materials provided before coming to class.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Basic concept of material cycle analysis | Understand the concept of material cycle analysis. |
Class 2 | Nitrogen cycles | Explain nitrogen cycles on the surface environments of the Earth . |
Class 3 | Oxygen and sulfur cycles | Explain oxygen and sulfur cycles on the surface environments of the Earth . |
Class 4 | Hydrogen cycles | Explain hydrogen cycles on the surface environments of the Earth . |
Class 5 | Carbon cycles | Explain carbon cycles on the surface environments of the Earth . |
Class 6 | Food chemistry, metabolite analysis | Explain how isotopic analysis is applied for Food chemistry and metabolite analysis |
Class 7 | Paleoenvironmental analysis | Explain how isotopic analysis is applied for paleoenvironmental reconstruction |
Class 8 | Frontier of material cycles using isotopic substitutes | Understand the Frontier of material cycles analysis using novel isotopic techniques |
None required
Course materials are provided before class.
Students’ course scores are based on final exams (50%) and exercise problems (50%).
Students must have successfully completed Advanced Geochemistry (CAP.I435.E) or have equivalent knowledge.