The Chair of Climate Geography contributes in particular to the courses offered in the field of physical geography for bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in geography. However, we also offer numerous connections, especially to the faculty’s natural science degree programs. Topics covered include:
Fundamentals of climate geography and general meteorology and climatology
General physical geography
Quantitative methods, basic and advanced statistics
Scientific programming with Python and other programming languages
Geographic information systems (GIS)
During shorter and longer field trips, processes and interrelationships are examined in the field and geographical thinking is sharpened. Thematic focal points are extreme weather and climate events, mountain regions, and the topic of natural hazards and risk.
In addition to the subject matter, emphasis is placed on the independence, reflection, and critical judgment of the students.
Extreme weather events in the Alps: An analysis of topography and weather conditions (2025)
Education for climate protection: Climate change communication for schoolchildren, visual representations and their implementation in a concept for prospective students (2025)
Simulation of cold air outflows in the Münstertal valley. What effect do cold air outflows have on the thermal conditions of the town of Staufen im Breisgau? (2025)
Consequences of climate change for winter tourism on the Feldberg (2025)
Observation of the Northern Lights: Climate influences and effects on tourism (2025)
Analysis of the adaptation process and measures based on Pforzheim’s climate impact adaptation concept (2024)
The influence of the Föhn effect on runoff values in the Alps. An analysis of Swiss locations with a special focus on snowmelt (2024)
Spatial patterns of and social vulnerability to heavy precipitation in the greater Freiburg area (2024)
Physical vulnerabilities in mountain communities – A comparison of physical vulnerabilities in mountain communities in the European Alps and the Himalayan region to landslides and debris flows (2023)
Patterns of Severe Convective Weather in the Western Alpine Region. A Climatology of Clustered Hailstorm Types (2023)
Completed master's theses
Development of heat events in the context of climate change – A time series analysis of meteorological data in Germany (2026)
Risk assessment for crop hail damage in Switzerland under current and potential future scenarios (2025)
Spatio-temporal analysis of the use of daytime resting sites by wild wolves in north-eastern Germany. A telemetry-based study of environmental and wildlife ecological factors influencing the resting behaviour of wild wolves (Canis lupus) (2025)
How do different precipitation patterns influence the mass balance of glaciers? (2025)
Completed master’s theses with primary supervision at other professorships:
Comparing, Modeling and Reprojecting Water Temperatures Along the River Course of the Wieslauter (2025, with Chair of Physical Geography)
Debris Flow Dynamics in the Swiss Alps – Linking Natural Hazards to Large-Scale Weather Patterns, Percipiation Variability, and Seasonal Impacts (2025, with Chair of Geomorphology)
Assessing the Adaptive Capacity of Municipal Preschools to Heat Waves in Two Coastal Cities in the Brazilian Northeast: João Pessoa and Recife (2025, with Chair of Environmental Meteorology)
Spatio-temporal shifts of seasonal vegetation cycles in Europe (2025)
Atmospheric Influences on Permafrost in the Argentine Andes: A Comparison of MODIS Data and Local Observations (2024)
Einfach vulnerabel? Die Integration des Faktors Vulnerabilität in Hochwasserrisikobeurteilungen
Characterizing Rock Glaciers in the Central Andes under a Changing Climate using Grain Size Distribution and Remote Sensing
On the Frontlines of Climate Disasters – Exploring Women´s Intersectional Vulnerabilities to Extreme Weather Events in LoÃza, Puerto Rico (2024, with Chair of Political geography)
Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf den SPI und den SPEI im Einzugsgebiet der Wieslauter im Rahmen des Interreg-Projektes RiverDiv (2024, with Chair of Physical Geography)
