Dr. Friederike Wagner-Cremer

Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University
Position: Assistant professor at Palaeoecology

Academic education

• MSc degree in Geology: Palaeoecology and Biostratigraphy (supervisors Prof. Dr. R. Below, Bochum; Prof. Dr. H. Visscher, Utrecht) Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, 1992.
• PhD degree: Thesis: The influence of environment on the stomatal frequency in Betula (Promotor Prof. Dr. R. Below, Prof. Dr. H. Visscher), Utrecht University, 1998

Research experience

• 1988 – 1991: Institute of Geology, Ruhr University Bochum, student-assistant at the Department of Geology
• 1990: Bochum, Germany, Research assistant at Deutsches Bergbau Museum (German Mining Museum)
• 1992-1994: Junior Palynologist at LPP Foundation, contract work for NorskHydro and Statoil (N)
• 1994-1998: (post-graduate) research assistant, University of Bonn, Germany
• 1998- 2000: PostDoc (NWO) at Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Utrecht University
• 1998- 2000: Principle investigator “Proxy data for Holocene fluctuations in atmospheric CO₂ content in Southern Scandinavia” at National Museum of Denmark, Natural Science Research Unit.
• 2000-2001:  PostDoc NWO/ALW (PULS project = Veni oude stijl)

substituted by:

• 2001-2006: VIDI (Vernieuwings Impuls) Department of Palaeoecology, Faculty of Biology, Utrecht University
• Since 06. 2006: Assistant Professor (UD1) Paleoecology, Faculty of Biology, Utrecht University
• Since 2002: Lecturer for Earth and Life Sciences at the University College Utrecht

Current projects

2004: Evolución de las condiciones climáticas durante el Holoceno en el noroeste de la Península Ibérica: Estudio multidisciplinary del registro sedimentario litoral y de las tendencies a corto y medio plazo

(Evolution of the climatic conditions during the Holocene at the north-west coast of Spain).

Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology. Project coordination: Dr. A.A. Millan, Univ. De a Coruña, Spain.

Understanding the climatic changes during the Holocene is considered today to be a key factor for an evaluation of the present day situation and the prediction of future changes. This project will provide an integrated study of the parameters and environmental conditions that characterized and shaped the climate at the north-west coast of Spain during the last deglaciation. The sedimentary record of estuaries, covering the entire Holocene) and lagoonal settings covering the mid- to late Holocene will be studied. Analysis of geodynamic, geochemical and palaeontological aspects of sediment sequences obtained during highway construction will provide multiproxy data sets. Integration of these data enables an evaluation of the climate dynamics during the Holocene. Detection of trends and cyclicities will help to better predict future developments.


2005: “Millennium” European climate of the last millennium.

EC FP6 Integrated Project Sub-Priority 6.3 – Global Change and Ecosystems.

http://www.millenniumproject.net/

Summary

2006: "Hurricanes and global change"

 ‘High Potential’ programme of the Utrecht University, April, 2006

Dr. Stefan C. Dekker
(Assistant professor Environmental Sciences – Copernicus Institute)

Dr. Gert-Jan Reichart
(Assistant professor Organic Geochemistry – Earth Sciences)

Dr. Friederike Wagner
(Assistant professor Paleoecology- Biology)

Summary

If and how global warming affects hurricane activity is a topic of considerable interest and intensive research efforts. The available instrumental record, however, is still too short to document and understand the complex links within the climate system responsible for hurricanes. Only through extending the records beyond the instrumental measurements by paleo–data, we can capture the full range of natural variability inherent to the climate system. This allows quantification of the separate effects of changing environmental variables. We aim to construct detailed paleo-records from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico for the past 10.000 years which trace back the conditions within the natural system that trigger intensive hurricane seasons. For the first time, paleo-records of precipitation, vegetation, storm induced runoff and sea surface temperatures will be combined in a modeling environment. Only long-term records integrated by modeling the ocean-atmosphere-biosphere system enable the detection of any deviations from the normal state that may consequently be ascribed to ongoing and future human interference with the system.

Research vision and strategy

General development of research interests: During my scientific carrier so far, I have been working in a variety of different research areas in the fields of geology and biology. Starting off during my masters with lower Devonian basin analysis and Cretaceous sequence- and biostratigraphy, I employed this background after my masters degree to work as a Junior palynologist at the LPP foundation where I conducted contract work for oil companies including NAM, NoskHydro and Statoil. After two years in the exploration sector, I realized that I was more attracted by active research rather than applied science alone.

During my PhD project funded by the German Research Council (DFG), I took the chance to start working on climate change related topics, the main research area I’m still focussing on. With this work, I “changed” from the marine realm to the terrestrial realm, utilizing fossil plant remains to detect changes in the atmospheric CO₂ concentration throughout the Quaternary. Working on the development and validation of the stomatal numbers on the leaf surface as a new proxy for atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, I got introduced to the field of plant physiology, an area that provides extremely valuable information on plant adaptation to changing environments.

This intensive verification procedure exhibited systematic pattern in leaf development not only induced by CO₂, but also a variety of other environmental, climate relevant parameters. Most importantly at that time, the signals of drought stress that can be traced back in fossil leaf remains. This aspect became the main focus for my PostDoc positions, where drought stress signals due to changes in precipitation were studied. This work was carried out in the Florida wetlands of the Everglades area, which is extremely sensitive to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation system (ENSO). To maximize information density and accuracy I included pollen analysis to accompany the study of leaf remains. At this point I recognized the enormous added value of multi-proxy analysis in the field of past environmental change and palaeo-climatology.

Based on the outcomes of the VIDI project, I attempted to intensify the studies on climate change in the Florida region, and bring the palaeo-reconstructions to a higher level of complexity and comprehensiveness. Together with UU partners from the Copernicus Institute and Organic Geochemistry we are now running the most complex project on Holocene climate dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico, entitles “Hurricanes and Global Change” – a UU funded High Potential Programme project.

Next to the study of sub-tropical environments, I took up again some aspects of the work performed for my PhD project, where leaf adaptation to changing temperature regimes and growing season characteristics play the key role. This work, focussing on the high northern latitudes currently contributes to the “Millennium” project (FP6; see below). The techniques developed enable the reconstruction of changing growing season length, a parameter of environmental and societal importance that is rapidly changing under ongoing global warming.

Research strategy: Our understanding of the complexity of the climate system, and especially the role of the biosphere, is still absolutely insufficient to evaluate it’s role in global climate change. The development, validation and application of techniques to study and quantify the adaptation of the vegetation to climate change is thus the first key issue of my research strategy. The integration of obtained results as input data for models evaluating the role of the biosphere in the Carbon cycle, local and global hydrology and general climate models is the second key issue of my research interest. My past work has shown that the combination of different research areas including amongst others bio-geology as my own field, plant physiology, geochemistry and modelling is extremely important to place single sets of results into the broader context of climate change. In order to execute my ideas I make intensive use of interdisciplinary studies and multi-proxy analysis.

Research vision: My current and future research does and will focus on a better understanding of past climate dynamics and future climate change. The broader integration of quantified responses, and active contributions, of the vegetation to ocean-atmosphere-biosphere processes will be the underlying driver of my work in the coming years. Hereby I will focus on the one hand on innovative combinations like the integration of data from historical archives and on the other hand on the better integration of related research areas as climate modelling or geochemistry and plant physiology.

Further activities

I spent major parts of my time trying to bring up my twins Annika and Fabienne, born 09.01.2007.