Biogeochemistry

The Biogeochemistry Group at Eawag Kastanienbaum studies biogeochemical processes in lakes and marine systems.
We have three main foci:

• Following degradation of organic material from the water surface through the water column and sediments using organic geochemical and isotopic tools
• Investigating the process of anaerobic methane oxidation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation in sediments and water columns of lacustrine and marine systems
• Estimating methane emissions including diffusive emissions and ebullition from lakes and reservoirs

Systems under investigation include African and Siberian lakes (Tanganyika, Kivu, Baikal), lakes in Switzerland (Lake Rot, Lago di Cadagno, Lake Zug, Lake Sihl), and the Black Sea.

Projects

• MAIOLICA: Modelling And experIments On Land-surface Interactions with atmospheric Chemistry and climAte [...]
  
• Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in freshwater systems – Lake Rotsee, Lago Cadagno [...]
• HYPOX - In situ monitoring of oxygen depletion in hypoxic ecosystems of coastal and open seas, and land-locked water bodies [...]
• Degradation and transformation of lacustrine organic nitrogen compounds: microbiology and biogeochemistry [...]
  
• Drilling of Lake Van within ICDP (2010) [...]
  
  
• Degradation of organic carbon in lakes and marine systems, finished 2008 [...]
• Climate gases (CH₄ and N₂O) in lakes and marine systems, finished 2008 [...]
  
• Redox cycling at oxic / anoxic interfaces – a biomarker and tracer study in the Eastern Black Sea, finished 2008 [...]
  
• Amino sugar concentrations / isotopes in anoxic basins, finished 2007 [...]
  
• EU Project CRIMEA: Methane cycling in the Black Sea, finished 2006 [...]
  
• Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) in freshwater systems – Lake Tanganyika, finished 2006 [...]

Team

Carsten Schubert, group leader
Gijs Nobbe, technician
Torsten Diem, postdoc
Dörte Carstens, PhD student
Sebastian Näher, PhD student