- Type of event
- Cups&Cakes Webinar
- Format
- Online
- Open to
- Restricted event
- Date
- 31 May 2021
Presentation abstract
The Earth’s surface is modulated by fascinating interactions between climate, tectonics, and biota. These interactions are manifested over diverse temporal and spatial scales ranging from seconds to millions of years, and microns to thousands of kilometers, respectively. Investigations into Earth surface shaping by biota have gained growing attention over the last decades and are a research frontier. Examples of the scales of biotic interactions with surface processes range from microbial and fungal consumption of mineral surfaces over short temporal and small spatial scales, to vegetation interactions with climate, sedimentation and erosion over time scales of hours (individual storms) to millennia (global climate change), and spatial scales of centi- to kilometers (encompassing individual plants to catchment scale biomes).
In this lecture, I present an integration of research activities and opportunities related to this topic with an emphasis on processes spanning from human to geologic timescales. This lecture is intended for a general audience of viewers.
Todd Ehlers is a Professor of Geosciences at the University of Tübingen, Germany.
His research interests are in the interactions between climate, tectonics, surface processes, and biota as applied to the evolution of Earth’s topography. His research involves an integration of field and geochemical observations with physics-based models of landscape evolution, plate tectonics, dynamic vegetation modeling, and climate. Professor Ehlers is the speaker for the German priority research program EarthShape (Earth Surface Shaping by Biota), an elected member of Academia Europaea, and a recipient of the European Geosciences Union Bagnold Medal.
Information and registration
- Monday 31 May, 2021 - 10:00-11:00 CET
- Registration: as this event is only offered to the CIVIS Community, please contact Julie Hyzewicz for more information.