Permafrost Carbon and Nitrogen Lab (CarLa) focuses its efforts on the characterization of carbon and nitrogen vulnerability in thawing permafrost as well as carbon and nitrogen quantification and paleo-environmental reconstruction. The following parameters are recorded: bulk total carbon and nitrogen, total organic carbon and lipid biomarkers.

A LECO Truspec CHN + S-Add-On Elemental Analyzer is used for solids, aqueous and paste-like samples to determine carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S).

By using this elemental analyzer (Euro EA 3000) it is possible to determine the concentration of nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen in solid samples. The substance to be analysed is digested by an oxidative combustion of samples packaged in tin foil. The combustion takes place explosively in a highly oxygen enriched He atmosphere. Gases that generated during the combustion are led by the carrier gas (helium) into the separation column. CO₂, H₂O, N₂ and SO₂ are separated chromatographically within …

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 …

The laboratory deals with the chemical and physical investigation of soil, water and plant materials. The samples to be processed here come, for example, from research projects in the Spreewald, the Lower Havel or Mongolia.
During their studies of geoecology, the students carry out internships in the laboratory. In addition, students from various faculties work on their final theses in the laboratory. Close cooperation takes place with the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry and Didactics of …