„Vulnerable   
Coastal 
Ecosystems“

4 - 10 September

2023

TIMETABLE APPLY

"Vulnerable Coastal Ecosystems“

Challenges and consequences of increasing frequencies of extreme events

Global climate change comes with an increase in the frequency of extreme events such as storm surges and droughts. An extreme event can generate threshold values in, for instance, sea level or soil water deficit with severe consequences for coastal ecosystems. If a tipping point is reached, a shift in bio-geochemical processes could occur and last for decades. A possible consequence of this is the breakdown of ecosystem functions.

The Research Summer Camp brings together young PhD and advanced Master students who are planning a PhD study as well as Postdocs from all around the globe. Plenary sessions, keynote speeches and parallel work groups are held in a casual atmosphere designed to foster discussions on the topic of "Shifts in bio-geochemical processes following extreme events" (chair: Prof. Bernd Lennartz) The working group is led by Prof. Bernd Lennartz and Dr. Haojie Liu of the University of Rostock. Depending on the outcome of the discussions and work groups, the idea is to draft a joint paper, to identify knowledge gaps, to work on a common available database and maybe to develop a prospective research project. The Research Camp takes an interdisciplinary approach and is aimed at anyone with an interest in coastal sciences in the broadest sense.

Participants in the Research Summer Camp are expected to contribute their experiences gained from case studies, data analysis, write-ups, and so on. We aim to generate tangible output, including a review paper that will be published in an international journal.

The working group is led by Prof. Bernd Lennartz and Dr. Haojie Liu of the University of Rostock. Depending on the outcome of the discussions and work groups, the idea is to draft a joint paper, to identify knowledge gaps, to work on a common available database and maybe to develop a prospective research project. The Research Camp takes an interdisciplinary approach and is aimed at anyone with an interest in coastal sciences in the broadest sense.

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Costs & Fees

Participants must pay for their own travel expenses (arrival and departure) and meals. Accommodation (including breakfast) will be provided by the University of Rostock. The cost of the excursion is also paid by the University of Rostock. Entrance fees and costs incurred by the framework programme must be covered by the participants.

In individual cases and for students from certain universities, certain costs may be covered. Please contact us for further information.

Working group (chair: Prof. Bernd Lennartz)

Shifts in bio-geochemical processes following extreme events

Extreme events can cause a shift in geochemical boundary conditions at coastal sites. For instance, a coastal wetland that was previously disconnected from the sea could be flooded with saline water during a storm event. How does increased salinity change carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling? Likewise, a coastal wetland could be subjected to extreme droughts, causing alternations to geochemical cycling processes

(e.g. greenhouse gas emissions) and a shift in local plant communities. The 'Shifts in bio-geochemical processes following extreme events' research topic seeks to study the severity of changes observable after extreme events. It is also important to assess how long a system shift might last.

  • Case studies of extreme events
    • Flooding of low-lying coastal sites
    • Extreme drought and high temperature events
  • Indicators for a regime shift in geo-chemical cycling and biological setting
  • Changes in physical properties of soils and sediments following extreme events

The idea of the summer camp is to work together on data sets, which are provided by the participants, for instance by testing methods of time series analysis. We are looking to develop an interesting narrative to go with these case studies that can then be taken to the science community.

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Speakers

Dr. Sybille Bachmann

Vice Rector for International Affairs, Transfer and Communication Culture

Dr. Sybille Bachmann has been the Vice Rector for International Affairs, Transfer and Communication Culture since April 2023. Prior to that, she was a research associate at the University of Rostock from 1982. With her PhD on ”Church communities in Central America“, as well as a Masters degree in Business Administration, she has published various papers on different topics in the fields of politics, humanities and pedagogy. She now uses her knowledge and experience in the role of research associate at the Institute of Pedagogy and Social Pedagogy at the University of Rostock.
Prof. Bernd Lennartz

Professor of Soil Physics at the University of Rostock

Prof. Bernd Lennartz has been a Professor of Soil Physics at the University of Rostock since 2000. He completed his professorial thesis in the Department of Water Management and Hydrology at Kiel University on the topic "Spatial and temporal variability of solute transport characteristics in soils" and worked as a University Assistant (C1) at the Institute for Water Management and Landscape Ecology at Kiel University, from 1992 to 1998.
Haojie Liu

Research associate at the Chair of Soil Physics at the University of Rostock

Dr. Haojie Liu earned his PhD from the University of Rostock in 2016, specializing in soil hydrology. Since then, he has held a senior postdoctoral position, focusing on a range of research areas including soil and peatland hydrology, coastal wetland restoration, and study of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles in wetlands. Notably, Dr. Liu has recently led a significant project funded by the DFG, investigating the effects of climate change on water and carbon cycles in peatlands.
Prof. Maren Voß

Professor at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde

Prof. Maren Voß is a Professor at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde. She completed her professorial thesis at the University of Rostock on the topic "The marine nitrogen cycle: deciphering processes through knowledge of stable isotopes. Cumulative execution” in 2002. A major focus of her work is the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen compounds and related elements. For two decades, she has been leading a group of students and Postdocs supported by various projects funded by the German Science Foundation, the European Union and the Ministry of Science and Technology, as well as basic institutional funding. She has worked on several projects in the past focused on nitrogen fixation activity in the Baltic Sea, the South China Sea off Vietnam and the Atlantic Ocean under the present situation and under ocean acidification scenarios.
Michael Paulus

Director of Rostock International House

Since early 2013, Michael Paulus has been the Director of Rostock International House. He previously lived in Hong Kong and Seoul, where he directed the respective DAAD offices, and taught at the Hong Kong Baptist University and Yonsei University in the fields of European Studies and German Studies.
Keynotespeaker 1

tba
Keynotespeaker 2

tba
Please apply until 16 July 2023

Participants

List of participants (available shortly)