Bernasconi, Stefano, Prof.

ETH Zürich Prof. Dr. Stefano Bernasconi Geologisches Institut NO G 51.3 Sonneggstrasse 5 8092 Zürich Phone: +41 44 632 36 93 E-Mail:

Scientific Interests

• Biogeochemical cycles
• Lacustrine and marine biogeochemistry
• Soil formation and evolution
• Climate and environmental change through Earth's history
• Application of stable isotopes and organic geochemical techniques as tracers for element cycles in the environment.
• I am leading of the Stable Isotope- and the organic geochemistry laboratory of the Group.

Teaching

• Isotope geochemistry and isotope geology
• Topics in geochemistry
• Analytical methods in Geology and Geochemistry

Projects

• - BigLink: Biosphere-Geosphere interactions: Linking climate change, weathering, soil formation and ecosystem evolution
  I am the principal investigator of this multidisciplinary project, involving various departments of the ETH, WSL and EAWAG, investigating biogeochemical processes during the initial phase of soil formation in a Glacier Forefield. The Project is funded by CCES (Competence Centre Environment and Sustainability) of the ETH Domain. For more information: BigLink
• -SoilTrec: Soil TRansformations in European Catchments.
  In this FP7-EU project the the BigLink field site is one of 4 european soil observatories which form, with the US based soil observatories related to the Critical Zone Exploration Network CZEN and one site located in the People's Republic of China a worldwide network of soil observatories for the study of the life cycle of soils. The project is coordinated by Steve Banwart, University of Sheffield.For more infomation: Eu press release and SoilTrec
• - Compound-specific radiocarbon analysis of soils and lacustrine sediments.
  In the framework of BigLink, we are developing a system for compound-specific carbon-14 analysis of organic substances. We are applying compound specific radiocarbon dating to understand carbon cycling in soils and as a dating tool for lake sediments. These developments are carried out in cooperation with the ETH/PSI radiocarbon laboratory.
  Post doctoral Researcher: Rienk Smittenberg
  Ph.D students: Axel Birkholz, Merle Gierga
• - Clumped isotope thermometry of carbonates, a novel thermometer based on the abundance of the 13C-18O bonds in carbonates
  We have implemented and improved in our laboratory the analytical techniques originally developed by the group of John Eiler at CALTECH.We have an automated analytical system allowing to measure the abundance of 13C-18O (measured on CO₂ at mass 47) on samples of carbonate in the 100-200 microgram range. We apply the method to paleoclimatological problems.
  Project funded by ETH. Ph.D student: Thomas Schmid
• - Multidisciplinary study of continental/ocean climate dynamics using high-resolution records from the eastern Mediterranean: MOCCHA. In this EUROCORES-EUROMARGIN project in cooperation with the universities of Utrecht and Bremen we are analyzing sediment cores from the Gulf of Taranto to reconstruct climate change at decadal resolution.
  Ph.D student: Anna-Lena Grauel
• - Oxygen isotope geochemistry of phosphates as tracers for phosphorus cycling in natural and agricultural soils and watersheds
  In this project we are developing extraction procedures for waters and soils, in order to analyze the oxygen isotope composition of phosphate and use it as tracer for phosphate cycling.
  This is a joint project with Prof. Emmanuel Frossard, group of Plant Nutrition, Department of Agricultural and Food Science of the ETH.
  Funding COST/ETH. Researchers: Dr. Federica Tamburini, Verena Pfahler
• -Tracing nitrate in water from the forest to the aquifer using stable isotopes of oxygen and nitrogen.
  A project in cooperation with Elisabeth Graf Pannatier and Jörg Luster of the WSL Birmensdorf. Ph.D. student Bejamin Huber. For more information click here
• - Tracing microbial sulfate reduction with sulfur and oxygen isotope geochemistry of sulfate
  This is a long standing cooperation with Benjamin Brunner (MPI-Bremen) Uli Wortmann (Univ-Toronto) Michael Böttcher (Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung, Warnemünde) aiming at a better understanding of the natural variation of sulfur isotope fractionation in nature.
  Our current studies build on results from the Great Australian Bight, showing that sulfate reducers can induce sulfur isotope fractionation of up to 70 permil without the involvement of the oxidative sulfur cycle.
• - Mid-Cretaceous greenhouse climate and opening oceanic gateways: in search for feedbacks between tectonics, climate and oceanography
  Funding SNF
  Principal investigator: Prof. Helmut Weissert
• - Serpentinization and Life
  Cooperation with G-Früh-Green. Funding SNF.
  For more information: Serpentinization

Publications

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