UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE

 

CRC 1211 Earth-Evolution at the Dry Limit

CRC 1211 studies the mutual evolutionary relationships between Earth surface processes and biota arid to hyper-arid systems severely and predominantly limited by the availability of water. The research programme aims to identify and characterize thresholds for biological colonization and concurrent fluvial transformation of landscapes, the tipping point(s) of biotically and abiotically controlled Earth surface systems, and to establish detailed long-term climatic records of the oldest and most arid zones on Earth. Chronometric and spatial information on the colonization and radiation of biota will be related to the landscape evolution and their common driver, climate.

Patrick Grunert’s research topics within the programme:

The Humboldt Current System (HCS) has been identified as one of the main drivers of moisture transport to the hyperarid Atacama Desert. Based on microfossils (foraminifera) and sclerochronology (bivalves) from marine sediments, we explore the dynamic evolution of coupling processes between heat and moisture transport by the HCS and Atacama paleoclimate throughout the Neogene and Quaternary on different time scales. The new low‐ and high-resolution records provide unprecedented insights into forcings and feedbacks between HCS intensity, ENSO behaviour, upwelling properties, moisture flux to the adjacent continent and the spatial and temporal variability of palaeoclimatic fluctuations in the Atacama Desert.

Michael Staubwasser’s research topics within the programme...

... are the water budget, evaporation dynamics, and paleoclimatology in the past and present Atacama Desert using stable water isotopes (H/D, triple-O isotopes), stable isotopes in sulfates (triple-O, sulfur) and nitrate (triple-O, nitrate), salt and soil inorganic geochemistry, and salt mineralogy. A second research topic comprises the development of U-Th and U-Pb dating of gypsum and carbonate deposits found in the Atacama Desert.   

 

SPP 2238 - Dynamics of Ore Metals Enrichment – DOME

The over-riding goal of the DOME SPP is to find solutions to fundamental questions of element transport and mineralization in heterogeneous chemical systems that are complex, dynamic and highly transient. The topic of ore genesis has been studied for a long time from a combined field/laboratory perspective and also experimentally in simplified systems, but rarely have these techniques been integrated in a coordinated way with the third perspective from numerical process modeling. The originality and innovation potential of this SPP lies in the coordination of empirical field-related studies that define the geological/mineralogical framework of natural ore systems with experimental work and numerical models that provide a quantitative understanding of the processes involved.

Sandro Jahn’s research group...

... uses both experimental and computational approaches to study the molecular structure as well as the physical and thermodynamic properties of hydrothermal fluids. In the context of the DOME SPP activities are focussed on metal speciation and transport in ore-forming fluids and on theoretical predictions of stable isotope fractionation between fluids, melts and minerals. Model systems are studied by a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and in situ spectroscopic methods, e.g. by using micro Raman spectroscopy.

 

Transregional Collaborative Research Centre TR 172 ArctiC Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and SurfaCe Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms (AC)³

(AC)³ provides a unique research environment to study the increase of Arctic near-surface temperature during the last decades, which is commonly referred to as Arctic Amplification, from complementary viewpoints, bridging various observations and modelling approaches. The overarching scientific objective of (AC)³ is to identify, investigate, and evaluate the key processes contributing to Arctic Amplification, improve our understanding of the major feedback mechanisms, and quantify their relative importance for Arctic Amplification. Doctoral researchers are supported by the Integrated Research Training Group of TR 172, which promotes their further qualification and academic independence.

Susanne Crewell’s research topics within the programme:

• atmospheric water cycle processes (clouds, water vapour, precipitation)
• passive and active microwave remote sensing of the atmosphere from ground-based, aircraft, and satellite instrumentation
• high-resolution (~100m) modeling of mixed-phase clouds and the environment (turbulence, heterogeneous surfaces) at observational measurement sites