Research Area

My research area is the triple oxygen isotope composition of tropospheric CO₂ and and the various CO₂ sources to the troposphere (DFG-project PA909/4-1,-2). The triple oxygen isotope composition of CO₂ from the bio- and hydrosphere is controlled by mass-dependent fractionation. In contrast, stratospheric carbon dioxide inherits a large oxygen isotope anomaly from stratospheric ozone produced by mass-independent fractionation. Finally, anthropogenic CO₂ posses a distinct triple oxygen isotope composition because the oxygen isotope anomaly of atmospheric O₂ is transfered to carbon dioxide during the combustion process.

Currently, I carry out modeling studies in order to test the potential of the triple oxygen isotope composition of carbon dioxide as a new tracer for the global carbon cycle. In addition, our group analyzes the triple oxygen isotope composition of tropospheric CO₂ sampled in two-week intervals in Göttingen and we will soon compare these data to carbon dioxide from the free troposphere.