Biogeochemistry

A large share of our studies addresses the reactivity of organic matter: to which extent is organic matter degraded by microbes to carbon dioxide or methane, and why? And under which circumstances does organic matter escape microbial attack? We study both dissolved organic matter in the water column as well as particulate organic matter in sediments, and even in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. We approach these questions with experiments ranging from the micro-scale to mesocosms, with field campaigns as well as regional and global data syntheses.

Biogeochemical fluxes of ecosystems are sensitive to climate change. We therefore also study the impact of climate change on lake ecosystems through dynamic ecosystem modelling, in close collaboration with the climate modelling community. Our long-term monitoring data series in Lake Erken is central to most modelling efforts.

We study the cycling of energy and matter through inland water ecosystems, at scales ranging from molecules and microbes to the entire biosphere. An important perspective addressed in our research is the coupling of inland waters to the surrounding landscape and to the atmosphere.