- Departments
- Department of Biogeochemistry
- Greenhouse Gases Research Group
- People
- Judith van der Giessen
Judith van der Giessen
MPI for Marine Microbiology
Celsiusstr. 1
D-28359 Bremen
Germany
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Room: |
3129 |
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Phone: |
Research Interests
I study the role of microorganisms in methane cycling in freshwater lakes and coastal systems. My research sites include stratified lakes in Switzerland and seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean Sea:
- In large lakes, the majority of the produced methane by oxygen sensitive methanogens in sediments is depleted before it reaches the surface waters. Nonetheless, methane super-saturation has been reported to occur in oxic surface waters of freshwater lakes. I study which microbial processes contribute to this so called ‘methane paradox’ in lakes.
- Seagrass ecosystems store carbon in the form of peat deposits. Due to the high organic matter content and anoxic conditions in the underlying sediment, they are also systems in which methane production by methanogens readily occurs. However, less is known about aerobic methane production in seagrass meadows and oligotrophic surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea. I am interested how microorganisms associated with the seagrasses as well as the overlaying oligotrophic watercolumn contribute to the ‘methane paradox’.
Key techniques
In my doctoral study, I perform stable isotope incubation experiments followed by isotope-ratio mass spectrometry analyses. These will be combined with biogeochemical in situ profiles (e.g. nutrients and gases) and molecular methods(e.g. DNA/RNA sequencing and cell visualization).
Expeditions
| 2024 |
Research cruise on North-Atlantic (Research Vessel Meteor: M203, August-September): Aerobic methane formation |
| 2023 |
Mallorca sampling trip (June): Aerobic methane formation linked to water column Elba sampling trip (August): Aerobic methane formation linked to water column and seagrass plants |
| 2022 |
Lake Zug sampling trip (May): Aerobic methane formation linked to water column Elba sampling trip (October): Aerobic methane formation linked to water column and seagrass plants |
| 2021 |
Lake Zug sampling trip (November): Aerobic methane formation linked to water column |
Curriculum Vitae
| 2021-present |
PhD student Topic: Aerobic methane production in coastal systems Supervisor: Dr. Jana Milucka |
| 2020 |
MSc Research Internship at Center for Electromicrobiology, Aarhus University Thesis: Interspecies electron transfer hypothesis between cable bacteria and associates; A design to study bacterial isolates for swarming around cable bacteria using fluorescence microscopy. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Andreas Schramm |
| 2019-2021 |
MSc Biology at Wageningen University Thesis: The effect of crude oil on the bacterial sponge community and the bioremediation potential of Chondrosia reniformis. Supervisor: Dr. Ronald Osinga |
| 2018 |
Erasmus Exchange Semester at Copenhagen University Aquatic and Arctic Biology |
| 2015-2018 | BSc Biology at Wageningen University |