Karl Meier

Research profile:

Monsoonal Systems are the dominating features controlling the climate in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The most striking characteristics of monsoons are seasonally contrasting climatic conditions (wet- and dry-seasons) in combination with a complete reversal of wind-directions. Consequently, monsoonal systems have a large impact on the hydrological cycle in the affected regions. Within my research, I focus on the South American Monsoon, which is mainly controlled by seasonal shifts in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (ITCZ & SACZ) across the continent.

Particularly, my research focusses on the reconstruction of dynamics and variations in the South American Monsoon and accompanying hydrographical changes in the tropical- and subtropical South Atlantic since the late Pleistocene. Additionally, the interplay of low-latitudinal climatic systems (i.e. ITCZ and SACZ) to high latitude climate forcing (e.g. the glacial-interglacial cycle) is another key aspect.

For that purpose, a multiproxy approach on marine sediment archives is used to reconstruct paleoclimatic and hydrographic feedbacks in response to changes in the monsoonal system. These geochemical proxies include:

• Sea Surface Temperature (SST) reconstructions from planktic foraminiferal Mg/Ca
• Reconstruction of continental river run-off by foraminiferal Ba/Ca
• Assessment of paleo salinities by combining δ¹⁸O and Mg/Ca derived temperatures from planktonic foraminiferal tests.
• δ¹³C to assess paleo-productivity 

Academic CV:

since 04/2019

PhD position at the Institute of Geosciences of Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg. Supervision: Dr. André Bahr

03/2019

M. Sc. Thesis: „Characterisation of water masses in the Southeast Indian Ocean based on radiogenic Nd isotopes and Nd concentrations”. Supervision: Prof. Dr. Martin Frank, Dr. Georgi Laukert

10/2016–03/2019

Master of Science Marine Geosciences, Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel

02/2016

B. Sc. Thesis: “Leeuwin Current dynamics during the last 150.000 years and its impact on the southwestern Australian continent”. Supervision: Prof. Dr. Dirk Nürnberg, Dr. Nina Keul

09/2011–03/2016

Bachelor of Science Geowissenschaften, Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel

Research Experience:

10/2021

RV AEGAEO, EUROFLEETS+ cruise "MYRTOON", SW Aegean Sea

06/2018–08/2018

SO264: “SONNE-EMPEROR”, RV SONNE, northern Pacific

09/2017–10/2017

M141: “Azores Tephras”, RV METEOR, tropical Atlantic

05/2017

M137: “SFB754 Climate – Biogeochemistry Interactions in the Tropical Ocean”, RV METEOR, eastern tropical South Pacific

11/2015–01/2019

Student Assistant Research Division 2: Marine Biogeochemistry, Research Unit Marine Geosystems, GEOMAR, Kiel
 

Conference Contributions:

Meier, K. J., Jaeschke, A., Hoffmann, J., Hennrich, B., Friedrich, O., Chiessi, C. M., et al., 2020. South American climatic response to changes in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean hydrography during Termination 1. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (p. 16361).

Publications:

(as of 01/2022)

Koutsodendris, A., Auer, G., Beny, F., Iatrou, M., Kern, O., Kolb, L., Livanos, I., Mantopoulos, P., Martinot, C., Meier, K., Morfis, I., Panagiotopoulos, I., Paraschos, F., Sakellariou, D., Tsampouraki-Kraounaki, K., 2021. Climate dynamics and environmental change in the Aegean Sea during the Holocene. EUROFLEETS+ Cruise Report ‘MYRTOON’, September 30^th – October 9^th, Piraeus (Greece) – Piraeus (Greece), 1-19. 

Meier, K. J. F., Bahr, A., Chiessi, C. M., Albuquerque, A. L., Raddatz, J., & Friedrich, O., 2021. Role of the tropical Atlantic for the interhemispheric heat transport during the last deglaciation. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020PA004107

Nürnberg, D., Riff, T., Bahr, A., Karas, C., Meier, K., & Lippold, J., 2021. Western boundary current in relation to Atlantic Subtropical Gyre dynamics during abrupt glacial climate fluctuations. Global and Planetary Change, 201, 103497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103497