Björn KlaesUniversität Trier · Department of Geology
Björn Klaes
Dr. rer. nat.
About
17
Publications
3,900
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
49
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
Based at the Geology Department of Trier University, my research interest covers topics in Quaternary geology, soil science, biogeochemistry, volcanology, and - in particular - the reconstruction of past climate and environmental conditions. This also includes nutrient cycles and biogeochemical weathering processes (e.g., of volcanic ash) as well as detailed studies of high-resolution geological archives (in particluar non-karst speleothems and sediment cores from southernmost South America).
Additional affiliations
January 2021 - present
Publications
Publications (17)
For FULL TEXT, please use the attached LINK down below.
ABSTRACT:
Global competition in timber market leads to
intensive mechanization of harvesting processes. Consequently
heavy equipment is needed, which induces
tremendous soil stresses, resulting in severe compaction
and degradation of top- and subsoils, especially under
moist conditions. Under...
Link (expring on March 4th, 2022):
https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1ePUpB8ccudKN
Rock weathering and pedogenesis are fundamental processes for element mobility in terrestrial bio-geochemical cycles and for the regulation of primary productivity in adjacent coastal marine ecosystems. Here, soils developed from volcanic ash under extreme climate cond...
Volcanic ash layers are important markers for the chronostratigraphy of paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental archives at the southern tip of South America. However, this requires that tephras are well-dated. We report geochemical data from stalagmite MA1 formed in a non-karst cave near Mt. Burney volcano in southernmost Patagonia (~53°S). High-resol...
The repeated expansion of East Asian steppe cultures was a key driver of Eurasian history, forging new social, economic, and biological links across the continent. Climate has been suggested as important driver of these poorly understood cultural expansions, but paleoclimate records from the Mongolian Plateau often suffer from poor age control or a...
Redox-driven biogeochemical cycling of iron plays an integral role in the complex process network of ecosystems, such as carbon cycling, the fate of nutrients and greenhouse gas emissions. We investigate Fe-(hydr)oxide (trans)formation pathways from rhyolitic tephra in acidic topsoils of South Patagonian Andosols to evaluate the ecological relevanc...
Climate fluctuations and the pyroclastic depositions from volcanic activity both influence ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial and marine environments globally. These controlling factors are crucial for the evolution and fate of the pristine but fragile fjord ecosystem in the Magellanic moorlands (~53°S) of southernmost...
Soils of the super-humid southernmost Patagonian Andes between 49°S and 55°S, the core zone of the southern westerly wind belt (SWW), are still poorly studied. Such soil types include acidic Andosols (pH = 5 – 4) from the Magellanic moorlands (~53°S). They contain up to 20 wt.% total organic carbon and developed in volcanic ash deposits from the 4....
Redox-driven biogeochemical cycling of iron plays an integral role in the complex process network of terrestrial ecosystems, such as carbon and phosphorous cycling, the fate of nutrients and greenhouse gas emissions. We investigate Fe-(hydr)oxide (trans)formation pathways from volcanic glass and titanomagnetite phenocrysts in acidic topsoils of Sou...
The repeated expansion of East Asian steppe cultures was a key driver of Eurasian history, forging new social, economic, and biological links across the continent. Climate has been suggested as important driver of these poorly understood cultural expansions, but paleo-climate records from the Mongolian Plateau often suffer from poor age control or...
South Africa is a key region to reconstruct and understand past changes in
atmospheric circulation, i.e. temperate westerlies and tropical easterlies.
However, due to the scarcity of natural archives, South Africa's
environmental evolution during the late Quaternary remains highly debated.
Many available sediment archives are peri-coastal lakes and...
Volcanic ash layers are important markers for the chronostratigraphy of paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental archives at the southern tip of South America. However, this requires that tephras are well-dated. We report geochemical data from the MA1 stalagmite formed in a non-karst cave near Mt. Burney volcano in southernmost Patagonia (~53°S). High-r...
South Africa is a key region for paleoclimate studies reconstructing and understanding past changes in atmospheric circulation, i.e., temperate Westerlies and tropical Easterlies. However, due to the scarcity of natural archives, the environmental evolution during the late Quaternary remains highly debated. Many archives that are available are peri...
On a global scale, ombrotrophic peatlands in westerly-dominated regions are important terrestrial carbon sinks that react highly sensitive to environmental changes. In particular for oceanic peat ecosystems, the deposition of sea-salt introduces various elements (e.g. selenium) and has been considered as the most important nutrient source with a si...
Projects
Project (1)
Detrital components in stalagmites may comprise paleoclimatically and environmentally relevant information but studies on impurities in speleothems are rare. High-resolution Synchrotron XRF element mapping of detrital and authigenic particles embedded in calcite laminae (e.g., micro-tephra and soil-derived weathering products) in stalagmite MA1 can provide important insights into fabric formation from organic-rich drip waters and the incorporation of such particles. This study aims to identify the calcite growth mechanisms preserving different forms of micro-debris in annual laminae of speleothems.
This research is supported by The Australian Synchrotron (ANSTO) Research Facilities (grant AS223/XFM/18868)
