Questions about any of these projects, or interested in joining the lab as a student? Contact Dr. Schreiner at kschrein (at) d.umn.edu for more information about how to join our group.
Organic sulfur in Lake Superior
Lake Superior is a large, oligotrophic lake with very low sulfate concentrations: an ideal model for the Archaean Ocean. We are studying the chemical makeup and importance of organic sulfur contributions to the sulfur cycle in Lake Superior
Plastic pollution in MN lakes
Micro and nano plastics have been found in aquatic environments all over the US and the world - however questions remain as to the fate of these plastic particles in the environment. In collaboration with the MN DNR we are studying the source and fate of plastics in water, sediment, and fishes from Lake Superior and four inland lakes in Minnesota: Elk, Peltier, White Iron, and Ten Mile.
We are recruiting citizen scientists to help with this project: more info at mnplastics.org
Fungal contributions to soil organic matter
Ectomycorrhizal fungi live in symbiotic relationships with trees in forest environments, taking fixed organic matter from the tree and in exchange mining nutrients from the soil for the tree. In this project, we are studying the fate of this fungal organic matter in the soils, using detailed analytical chemistry techniques to track the chemical changes of the tissue as it degrades.
Marsh soils and organic carbon storage
Organic carbon stored in marsh soils, or “blue carbon” is one of the largest per-area stores of carbon on earth, but is under threat due to rising sea levels, river channelization, pollution, and human development. However, much is still unknown about the chemistry of the organic carbon stored in these soils. In this project, we are studying the chemical make-up of organic carbon in marsh soils, how it differs from environment to environment, and how these soils form.