The first M. Sc. Thesis of the project / 10.10.2019

At the beginning of October 2019, we welcomed our first M. Sc. student, who will perform some mesocosm experiments with samples from Ljubljanica fluviokarst aquifer

As a part of the second phase of the project, the partition of Mg and Sr between rocks and soil in the Ljubljanica aquifer and related isotope fractionation of these elements will be studied. Mr. Mišel Gorenčič, a master student of Environmental Engineering programme at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maribor joined the project team and started his master thesis with a day of field work. He collected an extensive set of soil and bedrock samples, which are now analysed for elemental and isotopic composition. The laboratory study of leaching of metals from natural samples will provide some insight into the isotope fractionation of Sr and Mg during dissolution of carbonates, which is a process of utmost importance for the study of  carbon cycling and storage in terrestrial carbonates. The thesis is expected to be completed until the end of June 2020.