BECC Action Group: Synchrotron applications in environmental sciences

The MAX IV laboratory is opening its first beamlines in 2016, and is aiming to achieve an internationally renowned profile in environmental science applications. However, getting started for environmental scientists as BECC members can be very difficult as much knowledge is required from researchers to understand both possibilities and obstacles of synchrotron analyses. These reach from translating environmental research questions to ways that can be analysed with a synchrotron over sample preparation requirements to data treatment and interpretation.

Synchrotron analyses can be a valuable addition for many fields of BECC research: e.g. the study of the micro-distribution of elements in soil/sediments/minerals/tissue, the chemistry of soil or sediments that affect greenhouse gas emissions, or the examination of a high-resolution 3D structural and chemical distribution in these.

The action group will create a platform for environmental researchers that would like to start with synchrotron analyses, collect questions and answer them or aid to find answers in an organized way. The platform will facilitate experience exchange within the group of new users.

The action group will organize internal workshops for information and collection of needs, and international workshops to stimulate exchange of results and ideas on a research frontier level. We will further compose a paper on the prospects of using synchrotron analysis in climate relevant biogeochemical research.