Leon Koniarczyk

Research focus:

My PhD research in marine paleoclimatology and paleoceanography aims to reconstruct past changes in global sea level and ice volume during the late Cenozoic, using marine sediment records. By analyzing geochemical proxies – such as oxygen isotopes (∂18O), Mg/Ca ratios, and clumped isotopes – from benthic foraminiferal microfossils, I investigate how deep ocean temperatures and ice sheets responded during periods warmer than today. My work focuses on key transitions, including the shift from the Pliocene “greenhouse” world to the more pronounced glacial-interglacial cycles of the Pleistocene “icehouse.” Understanding these past dynamics helps better predict how current global warming may affect ocean-climate interactions, sea level, and ice volume in the future.

Scientific career and education:

• Since 06/2024: PhD position at the Institute of Earth Sciences of Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
• 08/2023: M.Sc. thesis: „Climate dynamics in Central Asia during the late Cenozoic based on XRF data from the Qaidam paleolake (NE Tibetan Plateau)”, supervisors: PD Dr. Andreas Koutsodendris, Prof. Dr. Oliver Friedrich
• 11/2020 – 08/2023: Master of Science Geosciences, Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
• 09/2020: B.Sc. thesis: „Influence of vent geometry and temperature on gas jets”, supervisor: Dr. Ulrich Küppers
• 10/2017 – 09/2020: Bachelor of Science Geosciences, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Technical University of Munich

Research experience:

• 07/2021 – 12/2022: Research assistant, Institute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University
• 05/2022 – 06/2022: internship at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, research division Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics

Presenting-Author Conference Contributions (as of 02/2026):

• Koniarczyk, L., Friedrich, O., Meckler, A. N., Taylor, V., A multi-proxy approach to decipher global sea-level and ice-volume dynamics during Cenozoic “snapshot” intervals based on benthic foraminiferal calcite from ODP Site 849. TMS-CFFR Foraminifera Spring Meeting 2025, Gothenburg, SWE, 10^th-13^thJune 2025
• Koniarczyk, L., Friedrich, O., Meckler, A. N., Taylor, V., A multi-proxy approach to decipher global sea-level and ice-volume dynamics during Cenozoic “snapshot” intervals based on benthic foraminiferal calcite from ODP Site 849. Geo4Göttingen 2025, Göttingen, GER, 14^th-18^th September 2025