Opinion: Why we need a centralized repository for isotopic data
- aDepartment of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706;
- bCenter for Stable Isotopes, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131;
- cMuseum of Southwestern Biology, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131;
- dInstituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1270300, Chile;
- eUS Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Madison, WI 53706;
- fDepartment of Entomology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706;
- gDepartment of Computer Science, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, NB, Canada E2L 4L5;
- hDepartment of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, WY 82071;
- iVertNet/iDigBio, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611;
- jDepartment of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112;
- kMuseum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720;
- lPublic Library of Science, San Francisco, CA 94111;
- mDepartment of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012;
- nCenter for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark;
- oAmerican Institute of Biological Sciences, Washington, DC 20005;
- pEnvironment Canada, Saskatoon, SK Canada S7N 3H5;
- qTexas Advanced Computing Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78758;
- rFlorida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611;
- sDepartment of Anthropology, University of Georgia, GA 30602;
- tDepartment of Geography, University of Georgia, GA 30602;
- uPrivate address, Oakland, CA 94610;
- vCentre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1;
- wUS Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Denver, CO 80225;
- xGeorge Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030;
- yStable Isotope Facility, University of California, Davis, CA 95616;
- zBiology Department, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada E3B 5A3
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Stable isotopes encode and integrate the origin of matter; thus, their analysis offers tremendous potential to address questions across diverse scientific disciplines (1, 2). Indeed, the broad applicability of stable isotopes, coupled with advancements in high-throughput analysis, have created a scientific field that is growing exponentially, and generating data at a rate paralleling the explosive rise of DNA sequencing and genomics (3). Centralized data repositories, such as GenBank, have become increasingly important as a means for archiving information, and “Big Data” analytics of these resources are revolutionizing science and everyday life.
Organizational structure for the proposed IsoBank. A central executive group would oversee four subcommittees (SC): Information technology, integrative disciplinary, education and training, and analytical expertise. GNIP, Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation; IAEA, International Atomic Energy Association; QA/QC, quality assurance/quality control.
However, to date a centralized database for the management of isotopic data does not exist. We believe that the absence of such a resource has impeded research progress through the unnecessary duplication of effort, restricted the near-boundless application of stable isotopes, and curtailed the exchange of information among researchers. The creation of such a centralized database would be more than a silo for data; it would be a dynamic resource to unite disciplinary fields and answer pressing questions in agriculture, animal sciences, archaeology, anthropology, ecology, medicine, nutrition, physiology, paleontology, forensics, and earth and planetary sciences. We believe that a centralized database for isotopes would accelerate and enhance such global and multidisciplinary endeavors, thus broaden the reach of isotope science. Here, we—a group of stable isotope scientists, data managers, museum curators, journal editors, and educators—offer a vision for the public repository’s identity, structure, and long-term sustainability.
The Need for IsoBank
Stable isotopes play a ubiquitous role in modern science; hence, the benefits of IsoBank are potentially immense. Isotopes have been used to …
↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: jnpauli{at}wisc.edu.
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