CL
Climate: Past, Present & Future

Stephan Pötter

I am a postdoc at the RWTH Aachen University (Germany) in physical geography, focusing on paleoenvironmental research based on loess and related deposits. My methodological focus is on elemental and isotope geochemistry, as well as granulometric analyses, which I apply to understand the history of deflation, transport, preservation, and reworking of loess. Currently working mainly in the Middle and Lower Danube basins, I am also interested in Pleistocene paleoenvironments and geoarcheology of Central Europe.

Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return – palaeoclimatological implications of provenance studies of Southeast European loess deposits

and November 5, 2021
Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return – palaeoclimatological implications of provenance studies of Southeast European loess deposits
The loess cliffs of Vlasca, southern Romania (Photo credit: Stephan Pötter).

Previous blog posts have highlighted the importance of loess as an indicator of climate and environmental changes in the past. These posts showed the relevance of loess deposits as  archives of Pleistocene climates and environments, the importance of using novel approaches in mapping these and other Quaternary-related sediments,  the aspects of dating loess deposits, as well as the peculiarities o ...[Read More]

Presenting a new European loess map

and March 31, 2021
Presenting a new European loess map

Loess is a silt-sized, aeolian sediment that was produced in large quantities in past geological eras of mid-latitude Europe and Asia, among others (Fig. 1). It is used in Quaternary science to infer about past climatic and environmental conditions. Generally, layers of loess formed during cold and dry periods, while soils formed within/on top the loess during warmer and wetter periods. These soil ...[Read More]