Research Groups Involved
Physical Geography
“The past is the key to the future” is the guiding principle of the research group. It deals with the analysis of sediment archives in order to reconstruct the Quaternary paleoenvironment. The core of the methodological approach is the chronological classification of these archives using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). Other areas of focus include historical soil erosion research and geoarchaeology.
Climate-Environment-Human Relationships
The field of “Climate-Environment-Human Relations” covers a wide range of possible questions and interdisciplinary approaches. The central research focus of our research group is dendrochronology, i.e., the study of tree rings. As “contemporary witnesses,” tree rings shed light on scientific aspects of tree growth and are also an important method of analysis in historical and archaeological work. Dendrochronology is at the intersection of geographical research and helps to link the existing fields of research at the Department of Geography in Giessen.
Climatology, Climate Dynamics and Climate Change
The research group focuses on analyzing regional to continental climate fluctuations over the last 2,000 years. Its research concentrates on understanding natural climate fluctuations and those attributable to human influence, as well as comparing these with climate models. Another focus is the modeling and analysis of past, present, and future extreme events.
Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing
Space, as the central object of study in geography, determines our daily lives, not only when navigating via smartphone. Spatial processes determine the geomorphological features of the Earth, the climate, ecology, and environment, settlement development, and many other facets of geography. Geoinformatics analyzes these spatial processes and interactions using machine-readable models and special computer programs called geographic information systems (GIS).