I am a dendrochronologist, geographer and ecologist with a strong background in climatology. I founded "Nature Rings - Environmental Research and Education" and work as independent researcher based in Mainz, Germany. My research area is generally focused on tree-rings but the spectrum of topics is actually quite broad, as trees with their long lifespan and annual resolution can tell a variety of different stories. I use different tree-ring parameters, such as tree-ring width, stable isotopes and maximum latewood density, for studying various forest ecosystems mostly across Europe. 

Examples of my research include studies with… 

…ecological background:

• Vulnerability of mountain forest tree species to climate change with a focus on drought events
• Determination of the bioclimatological envelope required for insect mass outbreaks in the European Alps
• Effects of micro-site conditions on boreal forest growth
• Impact of varying biotic and abiotic factors on Corsican pine tree-ring parameter 
• Surviving severe drought at the edge of species distribution ranges in recent years

…(palaeo)climatological and environmental context: 

• Comparison of millennium-length tree-ring based temperature reconstructions with climate model simulation across the Northern Hemisphere
• Determining the effects of large volcanic eruptions on proxy based temperature reconstructions
• Development of robust millennium length-chronologies and temperature reconstructions
• Assessing the effects of volcanic degassing on tree rings

…socio-historical and ecological relevance: 

• Revealing forest damage caused by a quite specific form of pollution, namely smoke screens consisting of chlorosulfonic acid, which was used by the German Kriegsmarine to hide the battleship Tirpitz during the Second World War in a fjord in Northern Norway