Dr. Katrin Kleemann

Katrin Kleemann studied history and cultural anthropology at the University of Kiel and the Freie Universität Berlin, earning her MA in early modern history in October 2014. Her Master's thesis analyzed the impacts of the Icelandic Laki fissure eruption of 1783 on the German territories. During her studies, she worked as a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin.

In autumn 2015 Katrin Kleemann joined the Doctoral Program Environment and Society at the Rachel Carson Center. She also worked as a research associate for the Environment & Society Portal until the end of 2017, where she coordinated the Virtual Exhibitions and Arcadia projects.

Her dissertation explores the impacts of the Laki fissure eruption of 1783 in a broader geographical context, examining the impacts of this volcanic eruption on the northern hemisphere. She is particularly interested in how a single regional natural phenomenon can have multiple and far-reaching consequences on environment and society.

More about Katrin's research can be found on her website (or see her Twitter feed).

Dissertation project: A Mist Connection: The Icelandic Laki Fissure Eruption of 1783

Selected Publications:

• “‘Moby Dick’ in the Rhine: How a Beluga Whale Raised Awareness of Water Pollution in West Germany.” Environment & Society Portal, Arcadia Spring 2018, no. 6. Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society.