earth science

Hartmut Heinrich

Hartmut Heinrich is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hartmut Heinrich rather than just read about it. In short: Hartmut Heinrich (born 5 March 1952 in Northeim, Lower Saxony) is a German marine geologist and climatologist. Heinrich was Head of the Marine Physics Department at the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in Hamburg until September 2017.

Key takeaways

Hartmut Heinrich belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hartmut Heinrich to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hartmut Heinrich from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hartmut Heinrich (born 5 March 1952 in Northeim, Lower Saxony) is a German marine geologist and climatologist. Heinrich was Head of the Marine Physics Department at the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in Hamburg until September 2017. He was actively involved in global Argo Ocean Observing Programme, environmental research and administration, and adaptation to climate change. In 1988 he described the suddenly occurring climate changes in the history of the Earth, which have since been named after him, Heinrich events. Since October 2017 he is freelancer (10°E maritime consulting) for climate and environment. In October 2017 the Free and Hanseatic City honoured his important contribution to climatic research with the title "Professor honoris causa". Heinrich studied geology at the University of Göttingen and attained a doctorate at the University of Kiel in marine geology. The discovery that was named for him, Heinrich events, periods of substantial ice output of the continental ice sheets by which the global climate is strongly affected, were subsequently confirmed by investigations of ice core samples from the Greenland ice sheet by the Greenland ice core project (GRIP). Heinrich warns of the consequences of global warming that could occur precipitously and of far larger effects on navigation, coastal populations and the marine environment.

Selected publications Heinrich, H. (March 1988). "Origin and consequences of cyclic ice rafting in the northeast Atlantic Ocean during the past 130,000 years". Quaternary Research. 29 (2): 142–152. Bibcode:1988QuRes..29..142H. doi:10.1016/0033-5894(88)90057-9. Bond, G.C.; Heinrich, H.; Broecker, W.S.; Labeyrie, L.; McManus, J.; Andrews, J.; Huon, S.; Jantschik, R.; Clasen, S.; Simet, C.; Tedesco, K.; Klas, M.; Bonani, G.; Ivy, S. (19 November 1992). "Evidence for massive discharges of icebergs into the North Atlantic ocean during the last glacial period". Nature. 360 (6401): 245–9. doi:10.1038/360245a0.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hartmut Heinrich

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hartmut Heinrich claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hartmut Heinrich before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hartmut Heinrich ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hartmut Heinrich

In research: Hartmut Heinrich appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hartmut Heinrich in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hartmut Heinrich is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1952 births, 20th-century German geologists, 21st-century German geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hartmut Heinrich outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hartmut Heinrich in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hartmut Heinrich means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hartmut Heinrich out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hartmut Heinrich in simple terms?

Why does Hartmut Heinrich matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hartmut Heinrich?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hartmut Heinrich.