Laboratories
Sedimentology
Aim:
- Study of transport and accumulation of permafrost-related deposits
- Classification of sediment sequences in general
Parameters:
- Sediment structure description
- Grain-size distribution
- Mass specific magnetic susceptibility
Laboratory Equipment:
- Sample preparing (freeze drying, grinding, splitting)
- Particle size analysis (2x ATM Sonic Sifter, 2x Gil Sonic for dry and wet screening, Atterberg-Method), Laser grain size measuring instrument (Malvern Mastersizer 3000, LS Coulter 200)
- Microscopy: binocular and polarization microscopes
- Preparation for clay mineral studies
- Heavy mineral separation
Carbon / Nitrogen
Aim:
- Characterization of carbon and nitrogen vulnerability in thawing permafrost
- Carbon and nitrogen quantification and paleo-environmental reconstruction
Parameters and devices:
- Bulk carbon + nitrogen (Vario EL III, Elementar Analysesysteme)
- Total organic carbon (varioMax C, Elementar Analysesysteme)
- Lipid biomarkers (e.g. alkanes, fatty acids, alcohols) using an accelerated solvent extractor (ASE 350, Dionex), a medium pressure liquid chromatograph (MPLC, Köhnen-Willsch Chromatography) as a GC-MS (TRACE 1310 + ISQ 7000, ThermoFischer,)
Future Expansion:
- Gas production concentrations after incubation (incubators and GC)
Hydrochemistry
Aim:
- Analysis of surface and ground water, pore water, seawater, snow and ice samples, and water extracts for water chemistry.
- Hydrochemical characterisation of permafrost regions.
Parameters:
- Electrical conductivity, alkalinity, pH
- Dissolved ions, dissolved carbon, and element concentrations.
Laboratory Equipment:
- ICP-OES Optima 8300 DV (Perkin Elmer): Measurement of cations in diverse liquid solutions.
- Ionen-Chromatograph ICS 2100 (Dionex/Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH): Measurement of anorganic anions in various aquatic solutions using electrical conductivity detection.
- TOC-VCPH (Shimadzu): Measurement of total and dissolved carbon, inorganic carbon, and organic carbon (non purgeable carbon for the latter).
- Automatic Titration System „794 Basic Titrino“ (Metrohm): Measurement of alkalinity / bicarbonate via potentiometric pH value.
- WTW Multi 540: Measurement of pH and electrical conductivit in aquatic solutions.
- Standard laboratory equipment: MQ system (Millipore Advantage A10) for productino of ultrapure water, drying ovens, analytical balance, precision scales, fume hoods, muffle furnace.
Soil Physics
Aim:
- Calibration, testing and quality control of meteorological and soilphysical sensors for polar environments in long-term observations
- Experimental bridge between field observations and numerical modelling; testing and unravelling complex physical processes
Parameter:
- Soil physical and thermal properties of undisturbed and artificial samples (i.e. porosity, thermal and hydraulic conductivity)
Laboratory Equipment:
- Climatic chamber (1000 liter, temperature range: -72 to +180 ° C, humidity range: 10 to 98% rh)
- Universal Oven (260 liter, temperature range: +30 to +300 °C)
- Various sensors (temperature, soil moisture, soil heatflux, electric conductivity, etc.) for experimental setups
- Electronics workshop for production and operation of various measurement systems
Remote Sensing
Aim:
- Quantification of permafrost landscape change
- Upscaling field measurements
- Products suitable for model parametrization and validation
Parameters:
- Land cover changes and trends
- Thermokarst, erosion, and other disturbance dynamics
- Surface deformation
