Projects

changes in sea level as observed along coastlines are produced by the interplay of eustatic processes (eg, melting ice sheets) and earth-driven processes (eg, tectonics, sediment compaction, glacial isostatic adjustment). The study of geological sea-level proxies has long been used to quantify the net of tectonics or other earth-driven processes, the eustatic sea level (and ice volume) during past interglacials (eg, MIS 5e, the Last Interglacial), Analogues for future warm climate conditions. The magnitude of sea-level changes in these periods, much less research has been directed towards the spatial variability of the eustatic sea level signal (the 'fingerprint'). Fingerprinting. The ice was originated.Fingerprinting shells requires a close collaboration between geophysicists and sea-level geologists, and thus requires retrieval of sea-level information from geological proxies with much higher levels of accuracy than hitherto done. Geological proxies can also provide insights on the occurrence, after periods of near-sea level rise within past interglacials, of extreme sea-storms (referred to as 'superstorms'). Within this project we aim to: Fingerprinting shells requires a close collaboration between geophysicists and sea-level geologists, and THEREFORE requires retrieval of sea-level information from geological proxies with much higher levels of accuracy than hitherto done.Geological proxies can also provide insights on the occurrence, after periods of near-sea level rise within past interglacials, of extreme sea-storms (referred to as 'superstorms'). Within this project we aim to: Fingerprinting shells requires a close collaboration between geophysicists and sea-level geologists, and THEREFORE requires retrieval of sea-level information from geological proxies with much higher levels of accuracy than hitherto done. Geological proxies can also provide insights on the occurrence, after periods of near-sea level rise within past interglacials, of extreme sea-storms (referred to as 'superstorms'). Within this project we aim at: extreme sea-storms (referred to as 'superstorms'). Within this project we aim to:of extreme sea-storms (referred to as 'superstorms'). Within this project we aim at:
• Integrate more precise proxies-based sea level reconstructions with coupled earth and ice models across large geographic transects in order to unravel spatial patterns in the eustatic sea-level signal.
• Identify thresholds in the climate signal corresponding to rapid eustatic sea level changes during past interglacials.
• Evaluate the 'superstorms' hypothesis and provide more reliable geological constraints to evaluate the feedback between climate and wave processes.

Principal investigator (s)
Dr. Alessio Rovere (MARUM-ZMT)

Main collaborators 
Prof. Maureen E. Raymo (LDEO, Columbia University, USA) / Dr. med. med. med.med. med. Michael J. O'Leary (Curtin University, Perth, Australia) Thomas Felis (MARUM) Paolo Stocchi (NIOZ, the Netherlands)

PhD student 
Thomas Lorscheid (MARUM-ZMT)

Funding
DFG Excellence Initiative.

The world's coastlines, and in particular low-lying shorelines in tropical areas, are facing significant challenges. Higher sea levels have the potential to change the way in which they return to the sea inner lagoon. What is the faith of coral reefs with higer sea levels? This question is still largely unexplored.
There have been comparatively few studies examining the process of corporal reef formation (including biological assemblages and geomorphic structure), function, and fluid flow reef settings of differing energy regimes. This declines our ability to perform reliable, near-shore hydrodynamic models, so applying scenarios of sea-level rise to test the effects of changing sea levels on coral reefs.
We aim to produce one of the holistic data sets examining both the hydrodynamic processes of coral reef systems and the geomorphic and biological setting of coral reefs found in low-to-super-energy settings. Here we aim to:
• Review the hydrodynamic and wave conditions of low to super energy reefs and calibrate hydrodynamic models using pressure sensors on the reef flat and back-reef lagoonal environments.
• determine the biological assemblages and carbonate producers on the fore-reef slope and reef flats of low to super-energy reefs as well as the reef geomorphology;
• to determine the recent geomorphic history of the reef systems and the geological scale of carbonate production using archived and collected data
• model reef response under changing conditions of sea level rise, changes in sediment production, hydraulic roughness and coral reef growth.

Principal investigator (s)
Dr. Alessio Rovere (MARUM ZMT)

Main Collaborators 
Dr. Daniel Harris (University of Queensland, Australia) Valeriano Parravicini (EPHE University of Perpignan - CRIOBE, France).

Funding 
DFG Excellence Initiative / Leibniz ZMT

Summary
This project aims to investigate Holocene relative sea level (RSL) changes in South East Asia. Holocene sea level histories in the region and with predictions of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in order to derive uplift or subsidence patterns in the area, We focus on an area Makassar, in Sulawesi. This region includes the Spermonde Archipelago, which is believed to be sensitive to RSL changes.
During this study we will review the datasets from SE Asia into global databases. Although we want to focus on coral micro-atolls, they are one of the most accurate RSL indicators.
GIA effects in the study area, and evaluate processes that might exacerbate current sea level rise problems. Attention wants to be given to the long-term effect of potential subsidence processes caused by the presence of heavily populated islands of the Spermonde archipelago. Bayesian statistical analysis, aiming at the question: What are the most vulnerable regions to future sea-level rise in South East Asia?

Principal investigator (s)
Dr. Alessio Rovere (MARUM-ZMT) / Dr. med. med. med. Thomas Mann (ZMT) / Prof. Hildegard Westphal (ZMT) / Prof. Tilo Schöne (GFZ Potsdam)

Main collaborators 
Prof. Benjamin P. Horton (Rutgers University, USA) / Prof. Adam Switzer (Singapore Earth Observatory) / Robert E. Kopp (Rutgers University, USA) Paolo Stocchi (NIOZ, The Netherlands) / Prof. Jamaluddin Jompa (MaCSI, Hasanuddin University Makassar) Muhammad Lukman (MaCSI, Hasanuddin University Makassar)

PhD student
Maren Bender (MARUM-ZMT)

Funding
DFG SPP 'Sea Level'