Dr. Lisa Feist
News
• Oct 2024: I have just started my position at the Landscape Geoscience Group at the beginning of October – more news will follow soonCurrent Projects
My current research in the Landscape Geoscience Group focuses on the impacts of climate change on land use in the northern Andes of Ecuador. This project combines several disciplines, including natural and social sciences. My research involves the analysis of sub-bottom profiles and sediment cores from several lakes in the region and aims to contribute to a better understanding of past and modern landscape dynamics.Find more information here
Scientific Interests
My scientific interests lie in understanding the complex interactions between the Earth's surface and the environment in the Late Quaternary (particularly the Holocene) by utilizing sedimentary archives. I am particularly interested in investigating the dynamics of sediment transport and deposition during extreme events, such as tsunamis and storms, and gradual (long-term) changes in environmental conditions, such as changes in climate.To achieve this, I employ geophysical imaging techniques (seismic, sub-bottom profiles) and apply various laboratory methods to sediment cores and samples (granulometry, P-wave velocities, magnetic susceptibility, XRF core scanning, high-resolution XCT scanning).
(Short-term) Extreme Events:
I am particularly interested in extreme wave events that affect (low-lying) coastal areas, such as storms and tsunamis. These events can cause the destruction of (natural) coastal barriers and can inundate large areas. I study their sedimentary imprint and infer physical parameters, such as flow characteristics (e.g., flow direction, velocity, inundation vs. backwash). Notably, my PhD thesis focused on offshore tsunami deposits of the southwestern Algarve shelf (Portugal).
Study regions and archives:
• Portugal (Algarve coast), Spain (Gulf of Cadiz & Malaga), Malta
• (Shallow) continental shelf, beach, coastal floodplains and lagoons, coastal cliffs
(Long-term) Environmental Change:
Currently, I focus on understanding more gradual (long-term) environmental changes. Changes in environmental conditions can be expressed in different sediment layers, and lakes make excellent sedimentary archives. These lacustrine sedimentary records can contain a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological proxies that can be used to reconstruct past environmental conditions, such as changes in climate, but they can also be influenced by human activity.
Study regions and archives:
• Ecuador (near Quito)
• Lakes in the Northern Andes (3000-4000 m a.sl.)