Case Study: University of Potsdam achieves paleoclimate reconstructions and rapid student training with MathWorks MATLAB

University of Potsdam Earth Scientists Study Ancient Climates Using Sophisticated Time Series and Spatial Analysis Methods

The University of Potsdam’s earth scientists needed to teach and apply advanced time‑series and spatial analysis to reconstruct Earth’s environments over millions of years, working with sediment, satellite and microscope data. To meet this challenge they adopted MathWorks tools—primarily MATLAB with companion toolboxes (Image Processing, Signal Processing, Wavelet, Mapping, and Statistics and Machine Learning)—to provide a single environment for coursework and research.

Using MathWorks MATLAB and its toolboxes, the team implemented spectral, wavelet and filtering analyses, image and mapping workflows, and a hydrological lake‑bed model to infer past salinity, water depths and rainfall. The MathWorks solution enabled rapid student training and researcher collaboration, produced transferable skills used in industry, and delivered measurable outcomes—reconstructing environments up to five million years ago, showing that ~25% higher rainfall can produce a 300 m deep lake, and generating quantitative rainfall estimates from the hydrological model.

University of Potsdam

Martin Trauth

Associate Professor