Geographers from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have been investigating climate change and land use in the Southern Levant since the last ice age. In conjunction with other researchers from Jordan, Israel and Palestine, they have been examining dust deposits in ancient ruins, reservoirs and terraced fields to the east and west of the Jordan Valley. The sediments should enable them to draw conclusions about the structures of settlements, crops, changes in landscape and fluctuations in the climate.