Column with artificial soil used for transport experiments

Research

Hydrogeological research at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena is focused on a in-depth understanding of structure, dynamics and functioning of the part of the earth's crust, which forms under the influence of atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere and is termed the "critical zone". Apart from soils in the more narrow sense, the critical zone also includes the unsaturated zone and the near-surface hydrogeosphere.

Column with artificial soil used for transport experiments

Image: Katharina Lehmann

Research Approach

We follow a complementary scientific approach, integrating the four elements laboratory experiments, field experiments, formulation of concepts and modeling and simulation. In interdisciplinary research projects beyond boundaries of classical fields of study we collaborate in working groups with different scientific and engineering disciplines to solve problems. New input for teaching and university education results from involving methodological and theoretical principles and concepts from material science, solid state physics, nano technology, molecular- and biotechnology.

Research Topics

Image: Robert Lehmann

Protection and Remediation of Soil and Groundwater Resources Subsurface ecosystem services such as the provision of "clean drinking water", "biodiversity" and "soil fertility" are increasingly threatened. Protection and remediation of soil and groundwater are major tasks at the chair of hydrogeology, in particular in view of change in in climate and land use.
Image: Hydrogeologie

Formation and Alteration of Organo-Mineral Associations and Microaggregates Microagregates are crucial for the function of soils as filters, buffer, and reservoir. Knowledge about their formation and structure is rare and may help to elucidate essential soil functions.
Image: Robert Lehmann

Hydrogeology of the Aeration Zone We investigate the properties, functions and habitat in the aeration zone, which is essential for groundwater quality, yet rarely characterized.
Image: Hydrogeologie

Biogeochemical Cycles and Reactions at Biogeochemical interfaces Our research focuses on entangling the interactions and process that operate at biogeochemical interfaces in soil and rock.
Image: Thomas Ritschel

The role of modeling in hydrogeology We develop and maintain a broad suite of analytical and numerical models from the scale of atoms and molecules to scale of catchments.
Image: Hydrogeologie

Reactive and carrier-facilitated transport in natural permeable porous media The mobility of (in)organic colloids has massive consequences for the transport of hydrophobic organic contaminants, which may associate with mobile colloids and therefore gain mobility themselves.