Olga Schmitz

Micropalentology, Paleoecology, Paleoclimate, Water Quality, Africa, Central Asia, Tibet

Olga is a micropalentologist. Her main focus is on paleoenvironmental and recent studies based on Ostracoda and Foraminifera addressing research questions of tracing anthopogenic impacts, paleoclimatology, as well as geoarchaeology. To achieve this, she relays on (paleo)ecological analyses including multivariate techniques, morphological assessments, and shell chemistry methods, all supported by reliable taxonomy.

For her PhD she analyzed recent microfaunas taken from estuarine systems in Ghana, in order to evaluate their potential as indicators of anthropogenic impacts. As well as she was tracing anthropogenic impact on the eastern coast of South Africa, where, she also combined results from ostracod and foraminifer analysis with geochemical and sedimentological data.