Masterclass with Professor Stefan Peiffer

Coupling of hydrology and biogeochemistry to control export of dissolved organic from catchments

A Masterclass presented by Professor Stefan Peiffer, University of Bayreuth, and UWA Robert & Maude Gledden Senior Visiting Fellow.

In the last decades increasing stream DOC concentrations have been observed in the Northern hemisphere which raised a discussion about the causes of this increases. It turned out that transfer of DOC from source areas to the stream is dependent on stream connectivity with the source areas (hydrological control) and on exposure time to conditions allowing for mobilisation of DOC in the source areas (biogeochemical control).

This masterclass will emphasize on an understanding of the most important hydrological (eg. transmissivity feedback) as well as biogeochemical process underlying DOC mobilisation (eg. the importance of the redox chemistry of iron).

Part 1: Wednesday Sept 20 | 10am-4pm

Part 2: Wednesday Sept 27 | 10am-4pm

Professor Stefan Peiffer has worked on aquatic redox processes for more than 30 years with a focus on coupled geochemical and microbial processes in sedimentary and ground water environments, with a particular focus on the interactions between the iron cycle and the carbon and sulphur cycles. Stefan's current research includes the kinetics and mechanisms of surface-mediated mineral transformations with special emphasis on the fate of contaminants such as microplastic particles, and the coupling of hydrological and biogeochemical processes during groundwater surface-water interactions. He has published more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed international journals.