Research at the Institute of Meteorology is dedicated to understanding and modelling weather and climate processes and their interplay with the environment. Numerous research projects examine the interplay and the consequences of environmental emissions and anthropogenic climate change. The researchers look at, among other things, urban climate models, the consequences of climate change, and the urban heat-island effect. The interplay between micro climate and urbanization under the influence of climate change and its effects on the health of the population are also examined. Urban environmental research with a focus on Berlin offers many opportunities for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary cooperation. Other research areas include the analysis and quantification of natural dangers, especially earthquakes, floods, and mass movements, as well as research on the upper atmosphere and its interplay with lower atmospheric layers and a changing climate.

In the area of anthropogeography, the Department of Geography researches global human-environment interactions such as social transformational processes, migration movements caused by climate change, and globalization processes. Paleo-environmental research studies the influence of humans on process dynamics and agricultural history, with a focus on the management of water resources and water economics. Paleo-environmental studies look at ancient and present-day cultures, with the goal of predicting the future availability of natural resources. Soil ecology and cycles of matter are another research focus. The regional utilization of biomass through the production of biochar and vegetable coal is examined with the aim of closing material cycles.

At the Department of Geology, the field of Anthropocene research examines the extent to which human activity has left measurable traces in geological layers and shaped an epoch. The evolution and ecology of reefs and the geobiological control of global environmental change are also investigated. In geochemistry, photovoltaic components—which directly transform solar power into electricity—are examined. The goal is to optimize of thin-film solar cells for effective use in regenerative energies.