Head of department

Prof. Dr. Harald Kunstmann

Deputy Head of Department

PD Dr. Ralf Sussmann

Water and climate are of central importance for people, their environment and their future, and are one of the major scientific and socio-political challenges of our time. How much water is available where and when? How do water availability and flood risk change under transient climate conditions? What are the long-term interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere? What climate do we expect by the year 2100?

Further information on the Regional Climate and Hydrology working group.

The Atmospheric Variability and Trends working group conducts research in the field of atmospheric chemistry and physics. With the observatories Zugspitze (2964 m a.s.l.), Schneefernerhaus (2650 m a.s.l.) and Garmisch-Partenkirchen (734 m a.s.l.), our team is responsible for one of the best-equipped atmospheric observation sites in the world. We use upward optical sounding techniques together with numerical models for data analysis to address some of the fundamental questions in climate science.

Further information on the Atmospheric Variability and Trends group.

We investigate the air we breathe and the environment we live in. How do our urban cities, towns and settlements affect our exposure to heat, air pollution, and heavy rain? What actions can be leveraged to mitigate this exposure individually and at city scale?

Our approach involves observing, understanding and modelling the environments we study, to then apply and transfer findings to the stakeholders we work with. We contribute to the development of each of the tools we use: Measurement methodology, data flows, conceptual understanding and numerical models. Observational data we obtained from our measurement campaigns and contributions to larger scale networks are openly available.

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The Hydrometeorological Measurements and Machine Learning group works at the interface between hydrometeorology and data science, focusing on large remote sensing datasets, novel opportunistic sensors, weather model outputs and machine learning methods. The main goal is to provide more accurate high-resolution precipitation information to enable better warnings and decisions, especially in regions with sparse traditional observation networks in the global South.

Further information on the Hydrometeorological sensing and Machine Learning working group.

Head of Department

Dr. rer. nat. PD Ralf Kiese

Deputy Head of Department

Dr. Clemens Scheer

The work focuses on the detailed analyses and quantification of water, C and N states and fluxes in natural, semi-natural and agricultural ecosystems being sensitive to changes in climate, land use and management. Special emphasis is given to observation of environmental parameters, biogeochemical process rates and cross-compartment fluxes of e.g. C and N trace gases (CO₂, CH₄, NH₃, N₂, N₂O, NO) and nitrate. Comprehensive datasets allow better understanding and documenting of global change effects on biogeochemical nutrient cycling in the terrestrial biosphere and exchange processes with adjacent compartments of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. The activities comprise the establishment and operation of long-term measuring stations (e.g. TERENO) and project based field sites as well as laboratory process studies applying state of the art measuring techniques and stable isotope approaches. Datasets are used for further development and testing of biogeochemical models such as LandscapeDNDC.

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Reducing the environmental footprint of agricultural production systems requires to consider transport and transformation processes of environmental substances within landscapes and to work at scales at which most administrative regulations take effect. Our research uses measurement and modelling approaches to e.g.:

• understand the importance of landscape interfaces (e.g. terrestrial to aquatic systems) as mediators of matter transformations,
• identify flux hotspots within landscapes,
• test the effectiveness of feasible changes in land use and management to reduce environmental nutrient losses and to improve the GHG balance of agricultural production systems,
• visualize the impact of land management on e.g. GHG fluxes and nitrate leaching at various spatio-temporal scales,
• explore opportunities to reduce the GHG footprint of agricultural production while maintaining productivity and adapting to climate change.

More information about our Research Group

More than one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from agriculture, forestry, and land-use change. How to reduce agricultural emissions through improved farming practices while meeting an increasing demand for food is arguably one of the most important challenge for humanity in the coming century. Our research investigates the relationships between food production, fertilizer use and climate change. It particularly focusses on the effects of land use and farming on the exchange of GHGs between soils, plants and the atmosphere. The aim is to develop strategies for producing larger volumes of food at a lower environmental cost. We use state of the art analytical techniques combined with modelling approaches to:

• assess the effect of agricultural management on soil borne GHG emissions, soil carbon levels and environmental harmful losses of reactive nitrogen
• identify region-specific climate-smart field management solutions for profitable and environmentally sustainable food and fiber production.
• compile global inventories of GHG emissions from fertilised croplands and predict feedbacks of global change.

More information about our Research Topic

We use isotope ratios of elements to fingerprint ecosystem processes. Our ecosystem process research is used in close cooperation with the other groups of the division to develop environmental smart ecosystem management and for testing and informing the divisions’ models.
In this context, our scientific aims are:

• to study C, N and H₂O cycling of terrestrial ecosystems
• to quantify biosphere-atmosphere-hydrosphere exchange of environmentally important substances
• to study effects of global change and anthropogenic management on soil, plant and atmospheric processes.

The group runs the Center of Stable Isotope Analysis of IMK-IFU (CSI). CSI is a cross-cutting unit and provides its expertise and analytical capacities (analysis of C and N and O isotopes in solid, liquid and gaseous samples) to all divisions of KIT/IMK-IFU and to external scientific partners. In addition to standard isotopic analyses, we develop targeted novel analysis and automated sampling tools to meet the analytical needs in the fields of biogeochemistry, plant sciences and hydrology.

More information about our Research Group

Head of Department

Prof. Dr. Almut Arneth

Deputy Head of Department

Prof. Dr. Nadine Rühr

The Global Land Ecosystem Modelling group is interested in how land ecosystems, climate change and land-use change interact globally. A number of related key questions are explored through a range of modelling approaches, to also identify solutions to sustainable development arising from land system dynamics. We conduct our research as part of many international research co-operations and joint activities such as model-intercomparison projects.

Three core topics are covered by the group:

1. Land-climate interactions, specifically how the processes that control carbon, water and nitrogen flows in ecosystems respond to changes in temperature and precipitation
2. Ecosystem functional diversity and services, specifically how we can better link biodiversity and ecosystem processes in global-scale modelling
3. Impacts and future of land use, specifically how socio-economic factors and climate change affect productivity, crop and forest yields, and how different land management strategies could serve to maintain and enhance these sustainably.

More information about our research group

In our research we address the effects of climate change on fundamental plant physiological processes. Herein a research focus lies on the resilience of trees and forests to extreme climate events.

We combine controlled experiments, field observations and ecosystem modelling to achieve an integrative physiological process understanding and project future forest dynamics.

We teach students in ecophysiological research and provide knowledge transfer into schools and society.

More information about our research group

Head of Department

Prof. Dr. Mark Rounsvell

The Land Use Change and Climate Research division carries out a variety of research into how people use land and other natural resources, and the impacts that this has on socio-ecological systems. We explore the interactions, synergies and trade-offs between people and their environment from the past into the future and from local to global scales. In doing so, we aspire to identify sustainable land system solutions.

Weitere Informationen zur Arbeitsgruppe Land use processes analysis and modelling group.

The Land Use Change and Climate Research division carries out a variety of research into how people use land and other natural resources, and the impacts that this has on socio-ecological systems. We explore the interactions, synergies and trade-offs between people and their environment from the past into the future and from local to global scales. In doing so, we aspire to identify sustainable land system solutions.

Weitere Informationen zur Arbeitsgruppe Land use data analysis and modelling group.