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Trace metals in Speleothems – Advancing paleotempestology using a novel geochemical proxy of tropical cyclone activity

Objective

Tropical cyclones drive the deadliest and wettest extremes globally, yet their long-term variability remains critically uncertain due to fundamental data-model gaps that paleoclimatology could uniquely resolve. This groundbreaking project establishes speleothem transition metals as the first universally-applicable, quantitative proxy for tropical cyclone activity, revolutionizing paleotempestology through mechanistic innovation. The breakthrough exploits systematic relationships between storm-driven extreme precipitation, enhanced soil organic matter mobilization, and trace metal transport into precisely-dated cave archives spanning multiple glacial-interglacial cycles. Three pioneering objectives drive the research: developing the first mechanistically-constrained proxy system models encoding storm rainfall to speleothem incorporation processes, generating unprecedented multi-basin tropical cyclone reconstructions extending across hundreds of millennia through past warm periods, and quantifying climatic drivers of storm variability to provide validation targets for next-generation Earth System Models. The methodological transformation integrates real-time cave monitoring networks, sub-annual resolution geochemical analysis, and hybrid proxy system modelling to establish transferable calibration protocols across diverse karst environments. Milestone outputs include the first quantitative multi-basin tropical cyclone database spanning orbital timescales, validated open-access proxy system models enabling global community application, and actionable constraints on climate-storm relationships that will fundamentally reshape hazard assessment, climate projections, and adaptation strategies. This flagship project transforms paleotempestology into a quantitative discipline while establishing European leadership in extreme event paleoclimatology, ultimately serving billions in cyclone-prone regions through improved understanding of long-term climate-storm dynamics.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2026-STG

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Host institution

RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 498 433,00
Address
SEMINARSTRASSE 2
69117 Heidelberg
Germany

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Region
Baden-Württemberg Karlsruhe Heidelberg, Stadtkreis
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 498 433,00

Beneficiaries (1)