The Hydrochemistry Lab aims to investigate the origin and fate of trace substances in different types of natural waters, covering precipitation, the seasonal snow pack, ice of alpine glaciers and rock glaciers, and headwater lakes and streams. The lab allows for the analysis of major solutes in these matrices. We apply ion exchange chromatography and standard electrochemical methods.
Since its setup in the 1990s, the lab has contributed to various studies on atmospheric deposition and the high-alpine and arctic seasonal snow cover as a temporary storage and collector of atmospheric pollutants and nutrients, which makes the snowpack an important factor for alpine ecosystems and supports the wider field of precipitation and air chemistry.
Recent activities are dedicated to the investigation of alpine permafrost. We study the impact of rock glaciers on the quality of surface waters and we seek to understand the origin of solutes accumulated in the ice matrix of rock glaciers.
Contact: ulrike.nickus [at] uibk.ac.at