Project Details
Projekt
Holocene drought and fire history of the Upper Rhine region (DaFUR)
Applicant
Professor Dr. Frank Preusser
Subject Area
Palaeontology
Geology
Physical Geography
Geology
Physical Geography
Term
since 2026
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 577167961
Future climate change is likely to increase the frequency of pronounced summer droughts, which will have a major impact on ecosystems in Europe. Peatlands in particular will be affected due to low water supply, and the number and intensity of forest fires could increase significantly. One way to assess the potential impacts of future climate change, including drought and fire risk, on middle mountain ecosystems is to track their response to past climate variability. Peatlands are excellent archives of past environmental conditions as they preserve organic fragments such as pollen and charcoal particles. However, the history of peat development in the Black Forest and the Vosges has rarely been studi on or low sedimentation rates during parts of the Holocene. Narrowing down the geographical and temporal extent of such events will allow a more accurate assessment of the impact of climate variability on peat growth. In addition, analysis of peat deposits can be used to gain information on fire history, and the minerogenic component contained is a proxy for dust input. The aim of this project is to contribute to the knowledge of peatland and forest dynamics in the Upper Rhine region by determining water stress (droughts) in wetlands and the frequency of forest fires during the Holocene (last 11,500 years). Information on dust input will also be obtained as an indicator of overall environmental conditions and atmospheric circulation pattern. This will be achieved by analysing sediment cores from bogs in the Black Forest and the Vosges. For the reconstruction of drought periods, special emphasis will be placed on precise dating, whereby disturbances of peat growth will be identified by a combination of high-resolution palynological investigations, luminescence screening and radiocarbon dating of macrofossils. Stable isotopes in biolipids will be tested as a proxy for past environmental conditions at selected sites. Charcoal particle concentrations, reflecting the frequency of forest fires, will be determined by both classical counting and an innovative approach using the Morphologi 4ID instrument. Geochemical analyzes of the minerogenic component of the deposits will make it possible to determine whether this component is related to local surface runoff or dust input. The identification of specific source of the material (Upper Rhine Plain or Sahara) can provide information on the general climatic conditions. Overall, the analysis of past dynamics should provide helpful insights into possible future developments.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
Australia, France, Switzerland
