Inorganic Environmental Chemistry
Inorganic and novel particulate pollutants are an ongoing threat to many coastal ecosystems. This is especially due to their inherent toxicity, their inability to degrade and their large number of possible sources, which means that, in addition to “traditional” inorganic pollutants, new inorganic substances are increasingly introduced into the environment. Little is known about their impacts and their harmful, cumulative effects in connection with other substances. With the help of modern chemical-analytical methods, the department “Inorganic Environmental Chemistry” investigates the presence, transport, fate and effects of inorganic and novel particulate pollutants on land, in rivers, in the sea as well as in the coastal regions. In doing so, we contribute to the overall understanding of how these pollutants affect the global coastal system.