63-062 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity

Course offering details
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran
Event type:
On-site internship
Displayed in timetable as:
Hours per week:
2
Language of instruction:
German
Min. | Max. participants:
1 | 20
Comments/contents: The study project on ecosystem research focusses on current methods of data acquisition of relevant parameters for the evaluation of forest ecosystems. Within a case study two different forest sites and one open field site are equipped accordingly at the "Eißendorfer Sunder" (Harburger Berge). Following the intial documentation of the sites field work and laboratory analyes, data evaluation and presentation of the results will be done in small working groups dealing on the following research foci:

  • climate and water budget: instrumentation, data acquisition, analyses of meteorological parameters such as solar radiation, humidity, air temperature, wind, precipitation amount and distribution, quantity and quality of precipitation contents.
  • vegetation: (vegetation documentation, leaf area index, analysis of dead organic matter = litter)
  • soil I: soil inventory, transformation rates within the soil, nutrient analyses
    soil II: registration and analysis of soil water parameters (tensiometer, soil solution via suction cups)
  • nutrient turnover: mesocosm column experiments in the lab concerning nutrient turnover rates and processes comparing the different sites and varying soil depths.

Learning objectives: The central aspect of the study project is to provide the possibility to get to know and to work on all relevant working steps of a research project. This covers project planning, initial site registration, sampling, lab analyses, statistical evaluation and presentation of the results. 
Didactic concept: Field trip - single days (fortnightly on fridays, complementary lab days)

Participants: 12-16
Provisional costs: 50 €

The field and laboratory work will be accompanied by
LV 63-050 Ecosystem research
Thursday 14-16

The attendance is prerequisitative for the participation on the study project.

The first meeting and selection of participants has already taken place.

Within the accompanying course different components and criteria will be considered:

  • Theoretical framework (theories on ecosystems, different approaches)
  • Method training (according to previous knowledge of the participants, data evaluation, geostatistics, quality assurance, representativity and reproducibility of data, literature analysis)
  • Workshop report of working groups (january)
  • Poster concept and draft, delivery of data master file


The field trips cover the maintenance of the stations, the initial documentation and sampling of soil samples, and the vegetation mapping. Within the regular schedule continuous sampling of precipitation and soil solution and litter takes place.
Literature: Will be announced within the course. An online reference data base with current research papers is available (eLab Geographie).
Class session overview
There are no appointments.
Instructors
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran
Appointments
Date From To Room Instructors Appointments
There are no appointments.
Exams in context of modules
Module(start semester)/ Course Requirement combination Exam Date Instructors Compulsory pass
GEO-STU2 (V2) Research Project (WiSe 21/22) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 1 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU Research Project (WiSe 21/22) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 1 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU Research Project (SuSe 20) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 2 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU Research Project (WiSe 20/21) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 2 Final Assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU Research Project (WiSe 19/20) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 3 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU Research Project (SuSe 21) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 2 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU-INT Research Project (WiSe 21/22) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 1 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU-INT Research Project (SuSe 20) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 3 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU-INT Research Project (SuSe 21) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 2 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes
GEO12-STU-INT Research Project (WiSe 20/21) / Geogr-1002 Study Project - Field Practicum: Berlin and Potsdam: History and Present of Two Capitals between Unity and Diversity Final assignment 2 Final assignment No Date Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran Yes