Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry Group (APCG)
IMAU
We offer a wide range of research projects for master students, bachelor students, and (to a limited degree) high school students. These projects are usually connected to our research program, so each student helps to keep our group at the forefront of science on an international level.
If you’re interested in an experimental project, please contact Thomas Röckmann
(t.roeckmann [at] uu.nl) or Rupert Holzinger (r.holzinger [at] uu.nl). For modeling projects, please contact Maarten Krol (M.C.Krol [at] uu.nl).
Student Projects
> Measurements of Trace Gases and Isotopes
> Modelling of Atmospheric Processes and Composition
> PT-RMS measurements of nanoplastics
Measurements of Trace Gases and Isotopes
Measuring methane (isotopes)
Master project 1: Estimating methane emissions from agriculture
Supervisor: Guud Velders (g.j.m.velders@uu.nl)
- Measuring with mobile imstrument close to local sources
- Modelling methane with WRF/Chem model with high resolution
- Comparing measured and modelled concentrations
- Estimating local emissions from agriculture or other sources
- Varying modelled emissions from different sources, sensitivities, deriving uncertainties
- Tandem project with methane city emission measurements
Master project 2: Isotopic composition of methane emitted from ditches in the Netherlands
Supervisors: Thomas Röckmann (t.roeckmann@uu.nl), Malika Menoud (m.menoud@uu.nl) & Carina van der Veen (c.vanderveen@uu.nl)
- Ditches are small areas with high methane emissions. There are > 300000 km of ditches in NL
- The project involves collecting samples from ditches, measuring their isotopic composition, determining the dependence on environmental paramters (temperature, water level, etc.). Then you will assess the contribution of ditches to the methane isotope budget.
- This project can be combined with the methane emissions from agriculture project with Guus Velders
Master project 3: Measurement and interpretation of high frequency methane isotope obserrvations
Supervisors: Thomas Röckmann (t.roeckmann@uu.nl), Malika Menoud (m.menoud@uu.nl) & Carina van der Veen (c.vanderveen@uu.nl)
- Analyze and interpret methane isotope time series from Cabauw and Utrecht Science Park
- Combine measurements with model output
- Estimate input from different methane source categories
- Evaluate emission inventories
- Operate isotope ratio mass spectrometry system
- Part of the Dutch Ruisdael observatory
Master project 4: Estimating methane emission from urban sources
Supervisors: Thomas Röckmann (t.roeckmann@uu.nl) & Hossein Maazallahi (h.maazallahi@uu.nl)
- Goal: Estimating/separating local emissions from urban sources
- Measuring with mobile instrument close to local sources
- Modelling CH4 with empirical equations
- Comparing measured and modelled emissions
- Estimating local emissions in urban area
- Varying modelled emissions from different sources, sensitivities, deriving uncertainties
- Tandem project with CH4-agriculture (Guus Velders)
Estimating GPP using D17O of CO2
Supervisors: Getachew Adnew (g.a.adnew@uu.nl) and Thomas Röckmann (t.roeckmann@uu.nl)
- Quantify total carbon dioxide uptake by plants
- Continue measurements at ecosystem stations Loobos (forest) and Cabauw (grassland)
- Samples from greenhouse in botanical garden
- Interpretation with conceptual models of biosphere-atmosphere exchange
