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Peter van der Beek during a sampling campaign in the Alps | Foto: T.F. Schildgen

Looking at smallest atoms to understand large-scale Mountain ranges – A welcome to Peter van der Beek at the Institute of Geosciences

Peter van der Beek has joined the academic leadership at the Institute of Geosciences at Potsdam University. The internationally well-known Earth... more
Humboldt Fellow Gautier Nicoli (3.v.l.) does his research at the Skaergaard Intrusion, Greenland …

Seen from the root of mountains – Humboldt Fellow Gautier Nicoli links plate tectonics and the carbon cycle

As a petrologist, Gautier Nicoli deals with the occurrence, composition and formation of rocks. He collects samples of metamorphic rocks from all over... more
The Olorgesailie Basin in the Kenya Rift Valley, part of the Eastern Branch of the East African Rift System. In the background the high topography of the Rift’s border faults. | Photo: Corinna Kalich, University of Potsdam

Calculated – Why a whole region is rotating in the middle of Africa

For the first time ever, the causes for the strange motion of a tectionic plate have been identified by using three dimensional computer models. The... more
Eva Eibl documents the status of a station after recording overnight and before it is moved to a new location. The steam of the hot water in the pool is visible in the background. | Photo: Daniel Vollmer

Fire and Ice – why Eva Eibl does research in Iceland in the mid of winter

Iceland is worth a trip or two. Well known for its awesome landscape, its famous horses and its un-pronounceable volcanoes Iceland is flooded by... more
Paleoclimatologist Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr | Photo: Antje Horn-Conrad

Popcorn and Snail Shells – Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr Measures Climate “Pulse” with Microfossils and Statistics

Some look like popcorn, others like flattened snail shells - protozoa floating in the ocean or colonizing its ground. The microorganisms known as... more
Prof. Peter van der Beek. Foto: T. Schildgen.

The Ups and Downs of Mountains – Peter van der Beek, guest scientists at the University of Potsdam, obtains an ERC Advanced Grant

The internationally well-known geologist Prof. Peter van der Beek who is currently a guest professor and scientist at the Institute for Geosciences... more
Simon Schneider und Yannick Garcin. Foto: Corinna Kallich.

The Mystery of the Rainforest – Geoscientists show that humans were already shaping the central African landscape 2,600 years ago

Fields, roads, and towns but also forests planted in neat rows, and dead-straight rivers: people shape nature to better suit their purposes. The fact... more
Die historischen Wassermühlen am Karun-Fluss im Iran. Hier wird die Energie des Wassers seit über 2500 Jahren genutzt. Foto: Axel Bronstert.

Essential for Life and yet not available everywhere - Prof. Dr. Axel Bronstert coordinates a sub-project on water resources management

Households in Germany consume about 120 liters of water per capita, per day. Furthermore, industry, power plant cooling and agricultural irrigation... more
Diskussion am Kalderarand des Mount Longonot. Foto: Henry Wichura.

Underway in Kenia – February, 15: “Oloonong’ot – mountain of many ridges

 Geoscientists on an Excursion in the East African Rift System
February, 15th Today we want to study one of the largest caldera volcanoes of the Kenya Rift - Mount Longonot at an elevation of about 2560 m.... more

Detecting abrupt transitions – be it in ocean heat or financial markets

From stock indices to sea surface temperatures, a lot of relevant data comes in the form of time series. Reliable detection of abrupt transitions such... more
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