Teaching and Research Unit

The teaching and research area consists of the Department of Physical Geography and Water-Energy-Ecosystems-Food Security Nexus ( Prof. Dr. M. Fader), the Department of Applied Physical Geography and Environmental Modeling ( Prof. Dr. R. Ludwig), the Department of Physical Geography with a focus on Environmental Remote Sensing ( Prof. Dr. L. Lehnert) and the Department of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing and Process-based Modeling ( Prof. Dr. T. Hank) . The teaching and research focus is on the analysis of complex environmental systems with regard to causes, effects and management of global change processes.

The development of integrative methods for the spatially distributed analysis of interacting processes on the earth's surface plays a central role in this. An improved understanding of spatial interaction through process-oriented models (e.g. LPJmL) is made possible by the use of modern monitoring techniques (e.g. remote sensing) and methods for recording and processing environmental information (e.g. GIS).

Concrete research projects deal with:

the investigation of the complex nexus system in terms of the interactions between water security, food production, energy production and natural terrestrial ecosystems,
the analysis of trade-offs and synergies between water use, food security, energy production and nature conservation,
the global causes and regional consequences of climate change,
the causes of global change, e.g. population and technological change, land use change, overexploitation, pollution, etc,
Scenario-based integrative analysis of the regional impacts of global change, e.g. degradation of natural and anthropogenic ecosystems,
monitoring global change, e.g. by recording water, material, mass and energy flows on the land surface,
the resilience, adaptation and dynamic development of the global nexus system,
the development and application of remote sensing techniques,
spatial and integrated modeling of natural and anthropogenic systems,
the development of options for sustainable environmental management, e.g. in the areas of water resources, energy resources, species conservation and agriculture. This development takes place in cooperation and collaboration with stakeholders and decision-makers.

The teaching takes up these research topics with the aim of demonstrating the methods to experts, discussing current developments, projecting trends and offering the necessary training for future teaching and technical experts in the field of sustainability. The focus is on understanding and analyzing the dynamic and complex interactions between hydrology, the biosphere, climate, agriculture, the energy industry and society. The focus is on understanding and analyzing the dynamic and complex interactions between hydrology, the biosphere, climate, agriculture, the energy industry and society.