The 16-20 participants of each project course jointly investigate a scientifically attractive marine sediment core applying a wide method range (e.g. core description, core logging, echosounding, proxy methods, micropaleontology, geochemistry, sedimentology, mineralogy, environmental magnetism, chronostratigraphy). Organized in teams of 4 students, they work half-days in research labs of supporting expert scientists. Each student takes responsibility for a certain method, analyses the jointly collected data, and presents the results orally in a final exam colloquium. Subgroups of 5-6 students interpret their complementary results in a scientific poster. Presentation skills are trained during the class.

A lab-based course (or alternatively a one-week block course) is offered to study paleoceanography in the past using suitable archives of ship expeditions or field campaigns. There should be an intense investigation of such archives with respect to core/outcrop description, analysis and interpretation. The archives will be chosen to be complementary to the case studies adressed in Modul Paleoceanography I.

Marine sediments consists of material that is produced in the ocean and particulate matter of terrigenous origin. Beside information from microfossil tests (species abundances, carbon and oxygen isotopes in carbonates, etc.) and depending on the regional environmental conditions, the terrigenous fraction of marine sediments contains extremely useful information about regional and/or temporal variations in climate conditions. Inorganic as well as organic particulate matter can be used especially to reconstruct and understand the complex interrelations between solar radiation, hydrological cycle and large scale correlations (e.g. teleconnections).
This course gives an introduction to the very interesting field of the use and development of terrigenous proxies in marine sediments. Beside fundamental information on the major inorganic and organic parameters (e.g. mineral assemblages, element compositions, organic components), selected case studies will presented and discussed by all participants.