A ThermoFisher Delta-V Mass Spectrometer has been purchased in 2015 for carbon and nitrogen isotope analytics of sediment and organic matter samples. This method is mainly employed for ecological research questions in the terrestrial Arctic realm (Siberia, Canada, Alaska). The ThermoFisher Delta-V Mass Spectrometer comprises a ConFlo IV gas mixing system and a Flash EA 2000 Autosampler and Elemental Analyzer for the measurement of stable C and N isotope composition.
For this method, sediment …

In the Isotope Laboratory, stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen are investigated by determining the ratio of individual isotopes (atoms of one element whose nuclei contain different numbers of neutrons) in the sample material. The isotopic composition of the sample allows conclusions about, for instance, the prevailing temperature and precipitation regime when the material was formed. In addition to paleoclimatology, stable isotopes are also utilized in geological, …

In the Organic Surface Geochemistry Lab (OSGLab) of the Geomorphology section, the smallest of molecules and isotopes open a door to the past. In the OSGLab we conduct research on regional differences of the causes and effects of past climate change and variations in biochemical cycles. In some projects, we can determine the "traces" of climate change down to a decade, in other projects biogeochemical processes are traced over millions of years.
In the laboratory, changes in the carbon …