Prof.dr. Jef Vandenberghe

Profile

Academic degrees in physical geography and Quaternary geology (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)

Functions:

-assistant at the Institute of Earth Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (1968-1976);

-assistant professor, resp. associate professor at the VU University Amsterdam (1976-1987);

-concurrent professor in Pleistocene geology and geomorphology at the VU (1987-1996);

-full professor in Quaternary geology and Geomorphology at the VU University (1996-2011);

-em. prof. at the VU University (2011-).

Visiting professor at IEECAS, Xian (China), Nanjing University ( China) and University of Novi Sad (Serbia).

Fields of professional interest:

• Quaternary palaeoclimatology and -geomorphology, focussing on:
  • reconstruction of climate parameters, mainly by multi-proxy analysis,
  • periglacial conditions, mainly in fluvial and aeolian environments,
  • sedimentary environments as evidenced by grain-size characteristics.
• Dynamics of fluvial systems:
  • morphological, ecological and sedimentary processes and developments,
  • morphology and process evolution in relation to climate (changes), tectonics and human activity.

Current research

-using grain-size as a proxy for loess transport and depositional processes;

-production of palaeo-climatic maps (palaeo-temperatures) and permafrost extension maps;

-internal river system development versus external forcing (climate, tectonics, human activity);

10 key publications since 1995

Vandenberghe, J. 1995 Timescales, climate and river development. Quat. Science Rev. 14, 631-638.

Vandenberghe, J., An Z., Nugteren, G., Lu H., Van Huissteden, J. 1997 New absolute time scale for the Quaternary climate in the Chinese loess region by grain-size analysis. Geology 25, 35-38.

Konert, M., Vandenberghe, J. 1997 Comparison of layer grain size analysis with pipette and sieve analysis: a solution for the underestimation of the clay fraction. Sedimentology 44, 523-535.

Huijzer, A.S., Vandenberghe, J. 1998 Climatic reconstruction of the Weichselian Pleniglacial in north-western and central Europe. J. Quatern. Science 13, 391-417.

Vandenberghe, J., Lu, H., Sun, D. et al. 2004 The Late Miocene and Pliocene climate in East Asia as recorded by grain size and magnetic susceptibility of the Red Clay deposits. Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol. 204, 239-255.

Vandenberghe, J. 2006 Cryoturbation structures. In  Elias, S.A. (ed.-in-chief) 'Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science', Elsevier, 2147-2153.

Vandenberghe, J., Renssen, H., Van Huissteden, J., Nugteren, G., Konert, M., Lu, H., Dodonov, A., Buylaert, J.-P. 2006 Penetration of Atlantic westerly winds into Central and East Asia. Quatern. Science Rev. 25, 2380-2389.    

Vandenberghe, J. 2008 The fluvial cycle at cold-warm-cold transitions in lowland regions: a refinement of theory. Geomorphology 98, 275-284.

Bokhorst, M., Vandenberghe, J. 2009 Validation of wiggle matching using a multi-proxy approach and its paleoclimatic significance. J. Quatern. Science 24, 937-947.

Vandenberghe, J., Wang, X. and Lu, H. 2011 Differential impact of small-scaled tectonic movements on fluvial morphology and sedimentology (the Huang Shui catchment, NE Tibet Plateau). Geomorphology, doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.06.020.