Our research infrastructure
The research infrastructure at the Department of Earth Sciences includes databases, research facilities, high-tech laboratories and field stations in Earth System Science. Our field stations are also an important asset in teaching students.
Our research stations
Skogaryd
Skogaryd is part of the research network SITES - Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science. The station promotes long-term world-class field-based ecosystem research by providing unique infrastructure and expertise to both Swedish and international researchers.
Latnjajaure
At the Latnjajaure field station outside Abisko, the University of Gothenburg has conducted research within the framework of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) since 1990.
The research group Alpine and Polar Ecology at the University of Gothenburg (APE) acts as scientific coordinators for the field station.
Our labs
Stable Isotope Facility ISOGOT
The ISOGOT facility offers analytical capabilities for the measurement of stable isotopes in various media and analysis of greenhouse gases and elements/nutrients.
Dendrochronology laboratory
The University of Gothenburg Laboratory for Dendrochronology (GULD) is a fully equipped laboratory for tree ring research. The research focuses on climate variability during the late Holocene and its impact on forest ecosystems and humans. The lab includes equipment such as the Skippy system for digitizing tree rings from cores and disks, LinTab tree ring measuring stages and core microtomes.
Gothenburg University Laboratory for Dendrochronology
Weather stations
We have two climate stations in Gothenburg that have been running since the 1990s. Climate data is updated half an hour after every full clock hour.
Microgeochemistry laboratory
This is one of the best facilities for mineral analysis in Sweden, with a state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope with X-ray spectrometers and two inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers. (Laser ablation) ICP-MS offers the quantification of trace element concentrations and isotope ratios for a wide variety of solid and liquid samples. Scanning electron microscopy allows high resolution imaging as well as quantification of major element concentrations of both inorganic and organic substances.
Instrumentation
- Agilent 8800-ICP-MS/MS, ESI NWR 213 laser ablation, clean-room embedded Agilent ASX-500 auto sampler.
- JEOL JCM-7000 Neoscope, Hitachi S-3400N; BSE, SE and CL detector, software packages for particle and phase analysis
Ice Laboratory
This laboratory is used to analyse microplastics from different sources and in combination with the Raman laboratory, and analyse frozen material, i.e. ice and snow.
Instrumentation
- ~9m² large walkable freezer room (-18°C - 25°C) equipped with, automatic fabric analyser microscope (G60), Metabo bandsaw (BAS 318), Proxxon bandsaw (MBS 240E), Zeiss sledge microtome.
~9m² walkable cooling room (8°C) - main analytical lab equiped with, 2x 400l freezer boxes (-30°C), 2x deformation press for cm-sized samples under simple and pure shear, 1x simple shear deformation press for dm-sized samples, OceanView light spectrometer (SR-6XR250-10) with UV to near IR light source (DH-2000FHS-DUV-TTL), microplastic sample pump from water bodies (KC Denmark, Model 23.565 - 750 W) with filter set (20µm-3mm), extraction and filtration setup for microplastic extraction from different material such as water, 3x ultrasonic measurment device with Exponential Transducers 54 KHZ (Pundit-200, Eagle Screen Technology), 1x Schmidt Hammer (Rockschmidt Typ N), 1x DJI Mavic Pro drone with smart controller (RGB camera)
Software, Agisoft Metashape, Oceanview,
Drone Laboratory
Smaller to larger drones with Lidar, multispectral and thermal-IR sensors, as well as software and computer for data processing. RTK-GPS equipment.
Instrumentation
- Two DJI Mavic 3M RGB-NIR multispectral cameras
- One DJI Phantom 4 drone with Multispectral camera
- One DJI Phantom 4 drone with RGB camera
- Two Emlid RTK-GPS receivers/base stations
- DJI Matrice 210 v2 drone with thermal-IR camera and RGB 4K camera.
- DJI Matrice 300 with YellowScan Mapper+ Lidar sensor.
- Software: YellowScan Cloud Station, Pix4D Mapper, Agisoft Metashape, DJI Terra, Erdas Imagine
