Geology Club Seminar

Biogeochemical cycling of earth's most biologically important elements is linked by the presence, transport, and transformations of organic matter (OM).  Understanding the chemical composition and isotopic ratios of different OM components can provide insight to not only the origin and age of the material, but also how that material is assimilated and transported between carbon reservoirs.  Large lakes are particularly suited to this type of investigation given their high organic content in both the biologic and geologic realms, and can inform about the applicability of these methods in other systems.  Here, multiple stable and radioisotope-based investigations of aquatic OM source and cycling are presented.