Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences - Climate Geography

Reconstruction of climate and growth relations of selected tree species for the north-east German lowlands

 

Announcement for a bachelor's/master's thesis regarding the reconstruction of climate and growth relations of selected tree species for the north-east German lowlands in cooperation with Section 5.2: Climate Dynamics and Landscape Evolution of the German Research Center for Geosciences Potsdam

 

Trees as an important interface between soil and atmosphere are closely linked to the changes in climate and site conditions, and they represent an excellent natural archive of environmental dynamics. For the reconstruction of the temporal‐spatial dynamics in the past, dendrochronological standard methods (dating and tree‐ring width measurements) are combined with chemical‐physical techniques (measurements of wood anatomic cell structures and stable isotopes). As part of the "TERENO ‐ Northeast" project, environmental changes and the responses of the ecosystems are recorded in different time periods.

Aim:
The focus of this dendroclimatological study will be the investigation of climate‐growth relations over the past 200 years. The analyses focus on selected tree species, whereby wood anatomical and chemical‐physical tree‐ring parameters are being recorded and used for the reconstruction of temperature and precipitation variabilities.

Requirements:
The announcement is mainly aimed at students of natural sciences, with a focus on meteorology, physical geography, forestry or botany. Basic statistical and English skills are an asset. Knowledge of English is necessary to communicate with our international staff.

Start:
Start is negotiable.

Contact:
Dr Ingo Heinrich
Coordinator TERENO Northeast
Department 5: Geoarchives
Tel.: +49 (0)331/288‐1915 or ‐28988
Fax: +49 (0)331/288‐1302
Email: heinrich@gfz‐potsdam.de
www.tereno.net