At the EGU General Assembly 2026 in Vienna, three contributions from our group addressed past Human–Earth system dynamics from complementary perspectives.
The studies were developed under the scientific guidance of Yaping Shao and combine palaeoclimate data, vegetation modelling, archaeological questions, and machine-learning approaches.
Philipp Schlüter presented “Learning the Green Wave”, a hybrid machine-learning framework for reconstructing past vegetation seasonality from modern satellite observations and bioclimatic
predictors.
Guohao Liang’s contribution focused on climate-based Human Existence Potential and possible dispersal pathways of Homo sapiens into East Asia between 80 and 30 ka.
Christian Wegener applied the Human Existence Potential model to European occupation and settlement patterns, spanning early hunter-gatherer presence and the emergence of farming societies.
The Strained Empire: Resources, Conflict, and Collapse in the Premodern Empire
Public Evening Lecture: Beyond Resources: Relations of Use and Investigating Zoopolitics in the Past (Prof. Dr. Hannah Chazin); Journal Club: Chapter 1 (“Flyover History and Domestication as an Ontostory”) of her new book Live Stock and Dead Things: The Archaeology of Zoopolitics between Domestication and Modernity (University of Chicago Press 2025)
Public Evening Lecture: Anthropocene Historiography and Earth System Science (Dr. Zoltán B. Simon); Journal Club: Introduction (“On Plurihistoricity: An Introduction”) of his new book Plurihistoricity: On the Historical Cultures of Extinction, Justice, and the Historical Profession (Routledge 2025)
Public Evening Lecture: Planetary Cohabitability and Coarticulation of Life (Dr. Iwona Janicka); Journal Club: “Habitability: Planetarity vs Cosmopolitics,” Migrating Minds: Journal of Cultural Cosmopolitanism 2.1 (2024), 4-25
BLE & HESCOR Workshop: Interdisciplinary Cooperation and Profile Building
The BLE and HESCOR meeting: preparation and discussion
JQS SPECIAL ISSUE issues: Presentation/discussion of the contributions
(A. Maier)
Elena Robakiewicz, Frederik von Reumont, and colleagues present the HESCOR Comics
Oliver Kern presents his current work on Vegetation data, modelling, optimisation, etc.
Boqiang Huang will talk about WP6: An overview of current work and possibilities
Verena Förster / Elena Robakiewicz: Data Communication: Reaching Specialists and the Masses
Database WP5/Techn
Angela Kunoth: Network Modelling and Machine Learning Approaches for Coupling Human and Earth System Data
Nikki Vercauteren / Oliver Kern: The Earth System - Modelling Present and Past
Christian Wegener / Annika Vogel: Human & Earth System Coupled Research
Kate Rigby et al.: Modelling Human-Environment Entanglements
Andreas Maier / Silviane Scharl: Deep-Time Cultural Evolution - Current Research Questions
Der Klimawandel betrifft uns alle! Und das stellt uns vor schwierige Fragen und Aufgaben. Wissenschaftler aus allen Bereichen versuchen zu erforschen was der Klimawandel für uns Menschen und unsere Kultur bedeutet und wie er unsere Zukunft als Gesellschaft verändert. Doch welche Wissenschaftler fragt man hier, wo doch unterschiedlichste Experten in ihrem Bereich forschen. Am Besten alle! Genau darum geht es in diesem Workshop: wir wagen einen Blick hinter die Kulissen von einem neuen Grossprojekt an der Uni Köln, das interdisziplinär arbeitet. In diesem Projekt versuchen Mathematiker, Archäologen, Klimaforscher, Sprachwissenschaftler und Kulturwissenschaftler gemeinsam an der Frage zu arbeiten und damit einen neuen Wissenschaftszweig zu erfinden. Wir werden selber in einem Rollenspiel herausfinden, wie man trotz grösster Unterschiede gemeinsam forschen kann und welche Fragen die Forscher echt ins Schwitzen bringen. Als Ergebnis erstellen wir unseren eigenen kleinen Blogeintrag für die Website des Projekts.
The aim of the workshop is to familiarize users with ROAD's functions, so they can use the database independently as a tool for research. Each person should bring a laptop. The workshop will be held for one day (17.03., 4-6 hours), with personalized discussions about how to apply the data from ROAD on the second day (18.03).
"KLAPtrap"
Extended training on HEP/OWM
Numerical data on human behaviour
Ringvorlesung WS 24/25 "Moderne Erdsystemwissenschaften"
VORTRAG: HESCOR: Mensch-Erde-System Forschung
Prof. Dr. Yaping Shao (Institut für Geophysik & Meteorologie, Universität zu Köln)
Social media concept will be presented and discussed
Preparation/Planing of 3rd HESCOR Workshop - open discussion
Follow up on the Blogwriting Workshop with Mathew Stiller Reeves
As part of a continuation of the blogwriting workshop hosted by Dr. Mathew Stiller-Reeve, we will be doing peer feedback of our blog posts or other short written material - no matter where you are in the process!
As part of a continuation of the blogwriting workshop hosted by Dr. Mathew Stiller-Reeve, we will be doing peer feedback of our blog posts or other short written material - no matter where you are in the process!
Workshop hosted by Dr. Mathew Stiller-Reeve on science communication
this week's HESCOR Lunch will focus on the upcoming 2nd HESCOR Workshop
Introduction to WP 4 by Max Brockmann
