The Dendroclimatology Laboratory serves for the reconstruction of temporal and spatial variability of the climate of the past utilizing multi-parameter tree ring analysis.

Aims:

• to reconstruct the temporal and spatial variability of the climate of the past utilizing multi-parameter tree ring analysis
• to assess and verify the causes of climate change and its impact on woody plants
  
  

Tasks:

• quantitative analysis of the climate-signal transfer from atmosphere through soil …

Tephra, the Greek word for ash, is used to describe any material that is ejected by a volcano into the atmosphere (pyroclasts). Tephra includes dense blocks and bombs (> 64 mm), and lighter materials such as scoria, pumice and ash (< 2 mm). As one moves away from a volcano, the tephra deposits become finer grained (smaller particles) and thinner. This is because small airborne particles hover longer and stay within the atmosphere for a greater distance from the volcano. These particles of ash …

In the Organic Surface Geochemistry Lab (OSGLab) of the Geomorphology section, the smallest of molecules and isotopes open a door to the past. In the OSGLab we conduct research on regional differences of the causes and effects of past climate change and variations in biochemical cycles. In some projects, we can determine the "traces" of climate change down to a decade, in other projects biogeochemical processes are traced over millions of years.
In the laboratory, changes in the carbon …

In the laboratories for stable isotopes in sediments and water, the isotope ratios of the light elements nitrogen (N), carbon (C) and oxygen (O) in continental geoarchives such as lake sediments and speleothems as well as oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H) in precipitation and surface water are determined. This allows us to decipher changing environmental conditions and climate fluctuations in continental climate archives. For a better understanding of the archives, we use monitoring systems that …