Topic for a master thesis (e.g. Geoscience, Landscape Sciences) with Prof. Dr. Guggenberger and Dr. Peplau at the institute of soil science.
Global warming leads to strong environmental changes. To understand how climate change, thawing permafrost and production greenhouse gases interact, there is a need for gaining a detailed knowledge of the ongoing processes. The analysis of the dissolved organic matter in soil water allows to identify leaching and transport processes in thawing permafrost, which is of great importance for the carbon cycle. The aim of the master thesis is to investigate the most important organic substances in pore water samples from Greenland. The laboratory work will take place in the laboratory of the institute of soil science and includes wet chemical experiments and subsequent photometric analysis. In-depth knowledge of the methodology is not required but first experience in lab work is mandatory.
Tasks:
- Literature review about microbial stabilization and break down processes of soil organic matter
- Formulating research hypotheses
- Lab work (after extensive training on the method): Analysis of hexoses, pentoses, phenols, proteins and amino acids with component-specific reagents with subsequent photometry and UV-VIS analysis for the classification of the aromaticity of the dissolved organic matter
- Evaluation and discussion of the results
