Research

The surface of our Earth is constantly changing due to geomorphological processes. Our research focuses on studying these dynamics, particularly in the context of permafrost degradation and the transformation of fluvial systems. We employ a variety of methodological approaches, including sedimentological descriptions, remote sensing, dating techniques, as well as geophysical and hydrological measurements, to understand the underlying mechanisms and their impacts on the environment in the past, present, and future.

Research projects

Research Project

Geomorphic and hydrologic implications of permafrost degradation in high-mountain environments

High-mountain environments are highly sensitive towards a warming climate, which is dramatically reflected by the shrinkage of alpine glaciers. With more and more glaciers disappearing, attention has moved towards the hydrological importance of ice stored in the periglacial environment. However, surprisingly little is known about the current state of the ice stored in the periglacial zones of alpine landscapes. Our research aims to investigate permafrost landforms in high mountain environments and to learn more about their current state and future fate. To achieve this, we combine sedimentological descriptions, remote sensing approaches, dating methods as well as geophysical and discharge measurements.

Research Project

Deciphering the fluvio-social metabolism of the Upper Rhine area (DEMUR) – Factors and actors in the transformation towards a Fluvial Anthroposphere prior to the industrial period

We use the concept of the Fluvio-social Metabolism to illustrate the complex interactions between anthropogenic and natural processes that determine the transition of pristine river systems into a Fluvial Anthroposphere. The Fluvio-social Metabolism is understood as the result of interactions between social, climatic and geomorphological systems and is reflected in time- and site-specific patterns of material fluxes in the catchment and floodplain. We hypothesise that specific socio-natural and political constellations, including territorial shifts, economical exploitation, institutions, conflicts, climatic variability and extremes, as well as riverine floods, determined path dependencies and trajectories of fluvial landscape evolution that found their expression in the floodplain record as legacy sediments. The aim of the project is to establish a process-related system understanding of pre-industrial floodplains of tributary river systems in the Upper Rhine region. The necessary reconstruction of significant changes is carried out by determining the Fluvio-Social Metabolism.

Research Project

Inventory and chronology of mass movements in the Black Forest

Gravitational mass movements such as landslides, rockfalls or debris flows repeatedly cause significant economic and social damage. In the steep valleys of the Black Forest, the highest mountain range in Germany, no year passes without such movements threatening infrastructure such as roads, railway tracks, or hiking trails.
These events are often triggered by intense precipitation, the frequency and intensity of which are changing due to climate change. However, other factors, such as seismic activity, glacially oversteepened slopes and ongoing weathering of bedrock, also play an important role as preparatory conditions and potential triggers of mass movements.
Although recent events are systematically documented and the locations of some prehistoric mass movements are recorded in geological maps, there is currently no comprehensive and detailed inventory of mass movements in the Black Forest. However, a robust chronology and analysis of the spatial distribution of these events could make a significant contribution to understanding the future hazard potential and at the same time provide insights into landscape evolution since the end of the last Ice Age.

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