Dr. Sophie Warken

I am leading scientist of Speleothem science and tropical climate variability at the chair of Prof. Norbert Frank (Physics of Environmental Archives) at the Institute of Earth Sciences and Environmental Physics Heidelberg.  Our team is investigating various aspects of the climate system that can be studied using speleothems, or stalagmites, as climate archives. Our work focuses on issues related to tropical climate variability, but also includes the reconstruction of climate and precipitation conditions in Europe and other parts of the world. The main methods used are the measurement and analysis of trace elements in speleothems using laser ablation mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The frequencies of certain elements allow us to draw conclusions about the occurrence and intensity of droughts, heavy rainfall events, and volcanic eruptions. In this context, we are developing novel methods for geochemical analysis and dating of stalagmites and corals, which allow inferences to be made about past climate changes. For my work on my habilitation I have been recently awarded funding by Heidelberg University's Olympia Morata Program. Our work is further supported by DFG and DAAD/BMBF. Further information on our research can also be found on the DFG - GEPRIS page.

• DFG (ongoing): Speleothem based quantification of precipitation and aridity and its role for Maya cultural development on the northern Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (N. Schorndorf)
• DFG (ongoing, within SPP2299): Quantifying post Little-Ice-Age freshwater influences and ocean dynamics in the Central American Sea using a novel tracer combination: ²³⁴U/²³⁸U– (P)SST – ¹⁴C (S. Greve)
• DFG (ongoing): Comparison of interglacial tropical climate variability during the past 300,000 years (A. Mielke)
• DAAD/BMBF (accomplished): High-resolution quantification of transition metals in tropical stalagmites (Project related personal exchange New Zealand 2023-2025, cooperation with the Waikato Environmental Geochemistry group by Prof. Adam Hartland and Dr. Sebastian Hoepker, University of Waikato, NZ).

--- We have new BSc/MSc projects in Earth Sciences or Physics available - Please check our website at IUP or contact us! ---

Find the full list of publications on GoogleScholar or other portals (see links).

• Warken, S.F., Schmitt, A.K., Scholz, D., Hertwig, A., Mertz, R., Weber, M., et al. (2025) Discovery of Laacher See Eruption in Speleothem Record Synchronizes Greenland and Central European Late Glacial Climate Change. Science Advances, 11(3), eadt4057, 

  https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt4057

• Warken, S.F., Fohlmeister, J., Riechelmann, D.F.C., Schröder-Ritzrau, A., et al. (2024) Dynamic processes determine precipitation variability in Eastern Central Europe since the Last Glacial Maximum. Nature Communications Earth & Environment 5, 694. 

  https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01876-9

• Wu, Y., Warken, S.F., Frank, N., Mielke, A., Chen, C.-J., Li, J.-Y. & Li, T.-Y. (2023) Northern Hemisphere summer insolation and ice volume driven variations in hydrological environment in southwest China. Geophysical Research Letters 50(23), e2023GL105664. 

  https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105664

• Schorndorf, N., Frank, N., Ritter. S.M., Warken, S. F., Scholz, C., Keppler, F., et al. (2023). Mid- to late Holocene sea-level rise recorded in Hells Bells 234U/238U ratio and geochemical composition. Scientific Reports 13, 10011, 

  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36777-y

• Warken, S. F., Kuchalski, L., Schröder-Ritzrau, A., Vieten, R., Schmidt, M., et al. (2022). The impact of seasonal and event-based infiltration on transition metals (Cu, Ni, Co) in tropical cave drip waters. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, e9278, 

  https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.9278

• Steidle, S.D., Warken, S. F.*, Schorndorf, N., Förstel, J., Schröder-Ritzrau, A., Moseley, G.E., et al. (2021). Reconstruction of Middle to Late Quaternary Sea level using submerged speleothems from the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula. Journal of Quaternary Science 36: 1190-1200, 

  https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3365

• Warken, S. F., Schorndorf, N., Stinnesbeck, W., Hennhöfer, D., Stinnesbeck, S.R., Förstel, J., et al. (2021). Solar forcing of early Holocene droughts on the Yucatán peninsula. Scientific Reports 11, 13885, 

  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93417-z

• Stinnesbeck, W., Rennie, S., Avilés Olguin, J., Stinnesbeck, S.R., Gonzalez, S., Frank, N., Warken, S. F., Schorndorf, N., Krengel, T., Velázquez Morlet, A., González González, A., (2020): New evidence for an early settlement of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico: The Chan Hol 3 woman and her meaning for the Peopling of the Americas. PLoS One, 15(2), e0227984. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227984
• Warken, S. F., Scholz, D., Spötl, C., Jochum K.P., Pajón, J.M., Bahr, A., Mangini, A., (2019). Caribbean hydroclimate and vegetation history across the last glacial period. Quaternary Science Reviews, 218, 75-90. DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.06.019
• Warken, S.F., Fohlmeister, J., Schröder-Ritzrau, A., Constantin, S., Spötl, C., Gerdes, A., Esper, J., Frank, N., Arps, J., Terente, M., Riechelmann, D.F.C., Mangini, A., Scholz, D., (2018). Reconstruction of late Holocene autumn/winter precipitation variability in SW Romania from a high-resolution speleothem trace element record. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 499, 122-133. DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2018.07.027