Christian von Sperber
Title:
Assistant Professor
Link(s):
Research areas:
Biogeochemistry
Nutrient cycling in soils
Stable isotopes
Current research:
My research focuses on the biogeochemistry of phosphorus and nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems, with a special emphasis on soils. I am particularly interested in understanding how biogeochemical processes in soils change along environmental gradients. For this purpose, I often use stable isotopes as a tool to characterize and trace such processes, both, in controlled laboratory settings and in environmental systems.
Current Projects
-
The cycling of phosphorus and nitrogen in forest ecosystems
-
The effect of land-use changes on soil nutrient pools
-
The biogeochemistry of phosphorus along riparian buffer zones
Degree(s):
- Senior Scientist, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bonn, Germany (2016 - 2018)
- Postdoc, Department of Biology, Stanford University, USA (2014 - 2016)
- PhD, Department of Environmental Science, ETH Zurich, Switzerland (2014)
Selected publications:
- Bauke S., Wang Y., Saia S., Popp C., Tamburini F., Paetzold S., Amelung W., von Sperber C. (2022). Phosphate Oxygen Isotope Ratios in Vegetated Riparian Buffer Strips. Vadose Zone Journal.
- Warrack J., Kang M. and Sperber C. von (2021) Groundwater phosphorus concentrations: global trends and links with agricultural and oil and gas activities. Environmental Research Letters 17, 014014.
- Helfenstein, J., Tamburini, F., von Sperber, C., Massey, M.S., Pistocchi, C., Chadwick, O.A., Vitousek, P.M., Kretzschmar, R., Frossard, E., (2018). Combining spectroscopic and isotopic techniques gives a dynamic view of phosphorus cycling in soil. Nature Communications 9, 3226.
Teaching
- GEOG 203 - Environmental Systems
- GEOG 290 - Local Geographical Excursion
- GEOG 305 - Soils and Environment
- GEOG 495 - Field course on Mont Saint-Hilaire
- GEOG 505 - Global Biogeochemistry
Group:
Faculty