This course gives an introduction into Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), the most sensitive method for measuring long-lived radionuclides in natural samples.

Radiocarbon (14C) dating is the most eminent dating tool for carbon containing samples younger than ~50 kyr and a useful tracer of the carbon cycle. Within this lab course, the sample preparation and 14C analysis of wood samples (or upon agreement other samples) will be performed.

This blended learning course will provide an overview of cosmogenic and anthropogenic radionuclides, powerful tools for understanding a wide range of environmental processes. Besides exploring their applications as tracers in the environment this course will foster the life skill of smart notetaking.