Findings and Recommendations - Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science - page 99

• are among the important applications that are especially suited to this
approach. The geosciences community should provide leadership in the
development of these technologies, as it has successfully done with
synchrotron facilities.
• “Smart” synchrotron beamlines, fully instrumented for multiple probes
simultaneously characterizing a sample with high spatial resolution : For
example, an X-ray/infrared beamline could be combined with
sophisticated optical, magnetic, and laser instrumentation to probe
processes on many different length and time scales (e.g., in situ
determination of acoustic velocities and crystal structures of samples at
the high-pressure and temperature conditions of the Earth's deep interior).
• New laser-based experiment and analysis technologies : These include (1)
laser-driven shock-wave methods for achieving 1-10 TPa pressures
relevant to reproducing giant-planetary and small-star (or brown-dwarf)
interiors, and (2) fourth-generation synchrotron beams, whether based on
“tabletop” lasers or large free-electron laser systems.
• Geochemical facilities and instrumentation : The growing need for
geochemical analyses with higher precision, spatial resolution, and
detection limits necessitates the development of new instrumentation.
These advances will be needed to more fully characterize both terrestrial
and extraterrestrial samples in the coming decade. The instrumentation
will include multiple-collector ion probes, inductively coupled plasma
mass spectrometers, and advanced electron microscopes. In addition,
studies of the Critical Zone will require far more detailed characterization
of organic substances than presently available, using techniques such as
nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, and
various types of mass spectrometry of organic molecules.
• Improved access to geochronometry : There is an increasing need for
routine access to rapid, high-precision dating, which is particularly acute
in fields requiring ages, especially radiocarbon ages, determined by
accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The capacity of existing AMS
facilities is inadequate to meet current demands. Improvements should be
made to the throughput at current multiuser dating facilities, and the
construction of a new-generation AMS facility should be considered.
• Mobile instrumentation for ground-based remote sensing of key
hydrologic variables (e.g., atmospheric moisture content, wind speeds,
and cloud characteristics): Relevant instruments include dual-polarization
Doppler radar, lidar, and Doppler sound detection and ranging wind
profiler. Enhanced ground-penetrating radar, capable of more fully
characterizing the subsurface, and fixed ground-based hydrologic
instrument clusters will also be required.

• Microbiological instrumentation and facilities, including mobile

laboratories: Facilities are needed for culturing organisms under a
variety of conditions, including anaerobic chambers, equipment for
amplifying and