Ecological Chemistry

Our team elucidates the structure, origin, transformation, aggregation, ecological function and distribution of organic compounds in the changing polar ocean.

We aim to understand the function of marine organic compounds, both, as diagnostic markers to decode biogeochemical processes and as drivers of chemical interactions between species.

Organic molecules

render or result from important physiological processes of polar organisms, e. g. during photosynthesis, nutrient acquisition and storage of energy.
orchestrate species interactions affecting organismal abundance, physiology, performance, resilience and adaptation.
represent fingerprints of organic matter transformations and can thus serve as biogeochemical proxies.

Head:

Dr. Scarlett Trimborn

Deputy:
Prof. Dr. Boris Koch
Prof. Dr. Tilmann Harder

Assistance:
Gesa Duhme

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News & Facts

New method for organic mass spectrometry applied to original seawater analysis

We are very excited that we can now analyse dissolved organic matter (DOM) in original seawater using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry - 15 GB of data on organic compounds in 100 microlitres of water. In collaboration with Dr. Oliver Lechtenfeld’s group Dr. Oliver Lechtenfeld at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ Leipzig), we present a new method for DOM characterization, which allows direct injection of original (i.e., non-extracted), filtered ocean water samples at native salt and DOC concentrations.

To achieve this, we used reversed-phase liquid chromatography, enhanced by an isocratic elution step and a postcolumn counter gradient, hyphenated with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LC-FT-ICR MS).
Lechtenfeld et al. 2024