A new method for the detection of trace elements in polar ice cores using laser ablation with subsequent inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis is described. To enable direct analysis of frozen ice samples a special laser ablation chamber was constructed. Direct analysis reduces the risk of contamination. The defined removal of material from the ice surface by means of a laser beam leads to higher spatial resolution (300-1000 µm) in comparison to investigations with molten ice samples. This is helpful for the detection of element signatures in annual layers of ice cores. The method was applied to the successful determination of traces for the elements Mg, Al, Fe, Zn, Cd, Pb, some rare-earth elements (REE) and minor constituents such as Ca and Na in ice cores. These selected elements serve as tracer elements for certain sources and their element signatures detected in polar ice cores can give hints to climate changes in the past. We report results from measurements of frozen ice samples, the achievable signal intensities, standard deviations and calibration graphs as well as the first signal progression of 208 Pb in an 8,000-year-old ice core sample from Greenland. In addition, the first picture of a crater on an ice surface burnt by an IR laser made by cryogenic scanning electron microscopy is presented.

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Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the most common human parasitic protozoa and is responsible for many waterborne outbreaks in several industrialized countries. The oocyst, which is the infective form, is known to be highly resistant to wastewater treatment procedures and represents a potential hazard to human populations through contaminated raw or treated wastewater. In this investigation, the occurrence of Cryptosporidium in wastewater samples was monitored and removal efficiency was assessed. Treated (effluent) and untreated (influent) wastewater samples were collected seasonally over a period of 2 years. Oocysts were repeatedly detected in influent and effluent samples collected from the treatment plant during all sampling seasons, with a mean concentration of 782 oocysts/L. The seasonal distribution showed that oocysts are predominant during autumn and winter. Molecular analyses via the small (18S) subunit of rRNA amplification and subsequent sequencing with an objective of characterizing the oocysts revealed that Cryptosporidium parvum was the dominant Cryptosporidium parasite present in wastewater.

A biologically motivated model for spatio-temporal coexistence of two competing species is studied by mean-field theory and numerical simulations. In d ≥ 2 dimensions the phase diagram displays an extended region where both species coexist, bounded by two second-order phase transition lines belonging to the directed percolation universality class. The two transition lines meet in a multicritical point, where a non-trivial critical behavior is observed.

Geringste Elementgehalte in tiefen polaren Eisschichten sind mit einem Analyseverfahren erfassbar, das Laserablation und induktiv gekoppelte Plasma‐Massenspektrometrie verbindet. bie Elementsignaturen lassen Rückschlüsse auf das Erdklima der Vorzeit zu.