For analyzing hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of water in solids, liquids or the vapor phase, the CRDS technique (Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy, Fa. Picarro Inc.) is used. This technique is field deployable, and may be used for micro amounts of water, as it needs only a few μl per injection. The ISOLAB FACILITY of the AWI in Potsdam is equipped with five cavity ring down spectrometers operating in different measuring modes. Two devices are located at joint MPI-AWI Isotope Lab in Yakutsk and …

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 our laboratory, the stable isotopes of the light elements carbon (C), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H) in continental geoarchives such as lake sediments and speleothems as well as in precipitation and surface water are measured. Stable isotopes are non-radioactive nuclides of an element with the same number of protons and different numbers of neutrons and thus different atomic masses. This results in different physical properties that can lead to a shift in the isotope ratios in a …

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 …