Our research interest

Our research contributes to the overall understanding of the role of the oceans and freshwaters in our planet. The know-how of our research interests can be highlighted in the following groups:

Ecological and evolutionary micropalaeontology

  • Ecology and evolution of the marine microplankton
  • Bioproduction and carbon binding as mediated by the marine microplankton

Palaeoenvironmental analysis

  • Stratigraphy and age determination based on calcareous nannoplankton and Foraminifera or using chemostratigraphical methods – Sr stratigraphy
  • Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of marine and freshwater environments based on ecological markers, geochemical proxies and palaeobiological approaches
  • Palaeoclimatic reconstructions based on multi-proxy approaches – palaeoenvironmental analyses, direct proxies and palaeobiological analyses

Geochemistry

  • Geochemistry of the oceans mirrored in biogenic carbonate – testing geochemical proxies in extreme conditions
  • Biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems tracked in lake sediments – cycles of phosphorus and silica, leaching of dissolved organic matter, pedogenesis