The Dendrochronology Laboratory aims to reconstruct the temporal and spatial variability of the climate of the past utilizing multi-parameter tree ring analysis and to assess and verify the causes of climate change and its impact on woody plants. The lab is equipped with various technical field equipment, sample preparation tools, a LINTAB tree-ring measurement system and a calibrated optical scanner incl. analsysis software for dendrochronology, instruments to determine the wood chemistry …

In the Micro-CT laboratory, biological, paleontological, and geological objects are analyzed using computer-assisted methods. The laboratory is a hub both for research at the museum and for the digitisation of the scientific collections. In addition to various devices for three-dimensional scanning (a Phoenix Nanotom S X-Ray tomograph, an Artec Spider and an Artec EVA hand-held scanner), the laboratory has 12 powerful workstations for processing and analyzing the raw data using special 3D …

The microbiology-related work of our section is done in this lab, as it has the capabilities for preparing a wide range of media and sterile solutions though filtration, autoclaving or UV exposure. Two refrigerators are dedicated for culturing cryophilic and cryotolerant microbial species under different light exposures. Moreover, a circulating water bath allows the culture of microorganisms up to 40 °C. The lab is also equipped with Bunsen burners, a PCR chamber and a Class II Biological …

The micropaleontology lab is equipped to conduct morphological analyses including extraction, microscopic preparation and taxonomic investigations of microfossils from terrestrial plants e.g. pollen grains and aquatic organisms e.g. diatom valves and chironomids from lake sediment archives or permafrost deposits. Microfossil analyses are used to investigate spatial and temporal changes and environmental reconstructions in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems.
The extraction of microfossil remains …

The Omics Lab is currently equipped with all facilities to carry out DNA extractions, polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. Current research includes the biodiversity and functions of cryophilic microbiomes with the focus on snow and ice algal communities.
The main equipment consists of a low temperature chamber and a real-time thermal PCR Cycler. The environmental chamber (Percival LT-36VL) allows to perform incubation at set chosen environmental parameters, or following …

Processes related to the solvents extraction of snow and ice algae or particles are conducted in the Organic Microbial Geochemistry Lab. These processes are done in combination with ultrasonic bath, shaking, and solid phase extraction. Evaporation of organic extracts using nitrogen or argon gas, as well as various intermediate steps such as milling, acidification and filtration are also carried out in this lab.

The palaeogenetics lab is a part of the larger molecular genetic facility specialized to analyse ancient sedimentary DNA and is placed in a separate building apart from the modern and recent environmental lab and Post-PCR areas. In the palaeogenetics lab we analyse ancient DNA from sediment cores (lakes or marine archives) or permafrost deposits.
We apply DNA metabarcoding and metagenomics (shotgun and hybridisation capture) to investigate spatial and temporal biodiversity with the aim of …

With a walk-in plant growth chamber, about 6 m² of space are available to prepare and run experiments on soil-plant systems under controlled and near-natural conditions. The temperature can be set from +5 °C to +45 °C without irradiation and from +10 °C to +45 °C with irradiation. The humidity may range from 40% rH to 95% rH without irradiation and with irradiation from 40% rH to 85% rH.

The TOC Room houses the Shimadzu Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOC-L-CPH) with ASI-L Autosampler, which is used for the analysis of total carbon, total organic carbon and inorganic carbon to study the carbon content of snow, ice and sediments from environmental samples as well as their biological and geochemical transformation processes. Prior to analysis, water samples are prepared under the SafeFAST Classic Class II Biological Safety Cabinet and stored acidified (pH = 2) in a refrigerator.