Wolfgang Kießling traces Earth’s history through layers of fossils. The data he uncovers together with his team serves to create a reliable database for climate research, opening up opportunities for nature-based conservation solutions.
Using smart sensor and measurement techniques to make farming more efficient and sustainable is the goal of a team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich.
Harnessing sunlight for a cleaner tomorrow: Five Bavarian universities unite in "SolTech" to pioneer next-gen solar energy technologies—from green hydrogen to hybrid systems—for a sustainable global energy future.
Research projects at HSWT are investigating the climate-protection potential of peatlands—and are at the heart of environmental protection efforts in Bavaria’s rural landscape.
Scientists at the University of Bayreuth are investigating how extreme weather events affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Together with their international partners, they study the local impacts of global climate change.
High up in the Alps, Dr. Homa Ghasemifard collected data to better understand climate change, identifying major pollution sources on the European continent – using an environmental research station that used to be a luxury hotel.
Although more than half of the world’s rivers have been altered by human activity and climate change, the floodplain ecosystems along the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan remain largely untouched.
Lightning has a greater impact on forests than previously thought. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed new model calculations that, for the first time, estimate the global influence of lightning on forest ecosystems. According to their findings, an estimated 320 million trees die each year due to lightning strikes. Tree losses caused by direct lightning-ignited wildfires are not included in these figures. In the future, lightning-induced tree mortality could rise due to an increase in flash frequency.
To meet Europe’s demand for green hydrogen, governments and the private sector have high hopes for production in Africa. A study led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now shown that the financing costs for production facilities in African countries would be much higher than previously assumed. Only 2 percent of around 10,000 investigated locations would be competitive for exports to Europe. This would require price and offtake guarantees from European governments.
Antarctic krill do not only react to external environmental influences such as light or food. They also use their internal clock to adapt to the extreme conditions of the polar environment. This is shown by a recently published study by an international research team led by the Alfred Wegener Institute and the University of Würzburg. The results are also indirectly important for studies on the regulation of the global climate.
