Climate impacts on human health
My current research concerns climate impacts on human health. In particular, I am interested in effects of climate change on temperature-related mortality in Germany, Spain, and around the globe. Most recently, I have worked on including adaptation into projections of temperature-related mortality, and the attribution of heat-related mortality to recent climate change. In addition, I have been involved in studies projecting water-borne disease outcomes under different climate change trajectories.
Climate impacts on phytoplankton
Previously, I have investigated the effect of multiple anthropogenic influences on lake ecosystems. In particular, I have studied the effects of climatic change and nutrient enrichment on phytoplankton phenology in lakes of the temperate zone. And I have investigated the risk of increased toxic cyanobacterial blooms under global warming, with a special focus on heat wave impacts.
Climate impacts across sectors
Through my participation in ISIMIP, I have been involved in the synthesis of climate impacts knowledge at different levels of global mean temperature rise. In addition, I have contributed to a study on cross-sectoral interactions, particularly the interlinkages between climate impact in the water and agricultural systems, taking into account for the uncertainties arising from climate and impact models.
Planetary boundaries of land use
Albeit no longer focus of my current research, I have also worked on global land-use change. In one of my past research projects, I used world agronomic data to investigate historical drivers of agricultural land-use change, in particular expansion of croplands and fertilizer use. Furthermore, I have been involved in a modeling study looking at the effects of climate change and population growth on global food security.