Stechlin LakeLab- an unusual lab in an unusual place

Most of the time, outdoor is not the right place for science or experiments. That's why many scientists and ecologists do their experiments inside in a specifically built laboratories. But now the story is different. 'LakeLab' in Lake Stechlin of Brandenburg, Germany, is a large experimental setup of Leibniz Institute of Freshwater ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB). Here scientists are studying the effects of climate changes on lakes. 

One of the 24 aluminium floating rings is placed into the Lakelab

In the Lakelab, 24 lake-water basins each 9 metres in diameter and around 20 metres deep are isolated from the rest of the lake. In these experimental cylinders, future climatic scenarios will be simulated and their effects on the lake researched. Their walls are made of special plastic sheets fastened to a floating aluminium ring and stabilized by a supporting underwater structure. To the bottom, the sheets reach down into the sediment of the lake. The enclosures are held together by steel cables and are surrounded by a floating circular walkway. The entire setup is anchored to the lake ground preventing the LakeLab from drifting.

All enclosures are identically equipped. That ensures that all experiments for which the system is conceived can be performed in every enclosure, with a total of 24 experimental units in all. Three different probe types are used. Electrical equipment such as winches and computers are protected inside steel boxes against the weather. The measured data are transmitted to IGB over a fibre optic cable. Four additional measuring stations simultaneously measure the conditions in the open lake. In each enclosure traps are installed. Sinking algae and other organisms collect inside these, along with other dead and mineral materials, including calcareous precipitates. These sediment traps, which weigh around 80kg, can be lifted out of the water using a crane construction when they are ready to be emptied for the sediment analysis in the lab. 

The LakeLab is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), the Senate of Berlin (Department of Economy, Technology and Research), and the Leibniz Association. It is a winner of the 2012 competition. 

Mattihias-Tobias-Frank

Mattihias, Tobias and Frank, are professional divers at Wittman Tauchen in Henstedt-Ulzburh, Germany. They were tasked with the underwater construction of the LakeLab. For this, they first had to install an aluminium supporting structure extending about 20 metres down into the water from each floating aluminium ring. Next, they had to mount the sheets, delivered in strips, onto the floating ring, unroll them downwards and fasten them onto the frame. They then joined the individual strips together by a zip system.