Anna Heidenreich

@annaheidenreich@berlin.social
21 Followers
46 Following
40 Posts
Environmental Psychologist |
climate change & natural hazard researcher 🌊
she/her
LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-heidenreich
Blueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/annaheidenreich.bsky.social
Klimawandel in Brandenburg: Höhere Temperaturen führen zu mehr Extremen, so PIK-Forscher Lotze-Campen im @rbb24. Das Klima werde variabler, es gebe „häufigere Trockenheit und Hitzeperioden, aber zwischendurch auch wieder extreme Regenereignisse.“
https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/rbb24-brandenburg-aktuell/zalf-erhaelt-foerdermillionen/rbb/Y3JpZDovL3JiYl9kZTQ1NzA5ZS0yYmMxLTQ3OWItYmJkMS0xNTIyMWJhMmRmYmVfcHVibGljYXRpb24
Highlights of our findings in this study:
🌡️People adjust situational threat appraisal to exogenous heat stress and context factors.
đź§ŻNo effect of appraised threats, coping options and affect on following behavioural changes.
⚠️Receiving warnings precedes changes to less physically intensive activity.
❤️‍🔥Reappraisals and more positive affect about temperatures follow protective behavioural changes.
The figure shows an overview of the explored hypotheses.
Reach out if you have questions or comments!

"Adapting to the heat of the moment: A mobile experience sampling study on the dynamics of heat stress, appraisals, affect, and behaviour"
That's the title of our new article at the Journal of Environmental Psychology. It was a collaboration between @tubraunschweig and @Weizenbaum_Institut by Elisabeth Glunz, Lars Gerhold, and myself.
Read the paper here:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494425003767

Take a look at the full article here:
Höllermann B. and Heidenreich A. (2025). Certainly uncertain: the role of uncertainty perception for flood risk preparedness and response. Natural Hazards, 121(18). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-025-07675-5
Certainly uncertain: the role of uncertainty perception for flood risk preparedness and response - Natural Hazards

Flood risk communication has increasingly emphasized technical precision and hazard forecasting. However, a crucial dimension—how individuals perceive and respond to uncertainty—remains underexplored. In this study we introduce the Uncertainty Lens Framework (ULF) to systematically explore how uncertainty perception shapes threat, ownership, and coping appraisals in flood risk contexts. Drawing on concepts from Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), decision heuristics, and the Safe Development Paradox (SDP), we demonstrate that perceived uncertainties rather than the objective ones alone critically influence decision-making and action. Using the 2021 flood event in Germany as an empirical case, we analyse statements from affected individuals to reveal how uncertainty perception can reinforce mal-adaptive responses. Our findings highlight three core illusions of safety: past flood and warning experience, delegated responsibility, and institutional preparedness that are driven by heuristics and amplified by gaps in uncertainty acknowledgement and communication. We argue for proactive uncertainty management that does not seek to eliminate uncertainty, but rather to integrate it meaningfully into risk communication and policy design to support adaptive and anticipatory responses. For this we highlight the need to purposefully set anchors and availabilities supporting in contextualising uncertainty stemming from immediate and future possible threat.

SpringerLink
"Warum stellen wir bei Gefahrmeldungen auf „Durchzug“? Dieser Frage sind Britta Höllermann #UniversitätOsnabrück und Anna Heidenreich @Weizenbaum_Institut wissenschaftlich auf den Grund gegangen.
Die beiden Wissenschaftlerinnen zeigen am Beispiel der Flutkatastrophe im Sommer 2021 im Ahrtal auf, dass präzise Vorhersagen und technische Prognosen allein nicht ausreichen, um eine drohende Katastrophe als solche zu erkennen und Menschen zum Handeln zu bewegen."
Artikel #NOZ:
https://www.noz.de/lokales/osnabrueck/artikel/osnabruecker-studie-warum-hochwasserwarnungen-ignoriert-werden-49693564
OsnabrĂĽcker Studie: Warum Hochwasserwarnungen ignoriert werden

Warum unterschätzen viele trotz präziser Hochwasserwarnungen die Gefahr? Eine Osnabrücker Studie erklärt, wie vertraute Denkmuster zur Falle werden.

noz.de
I started with a brief introduction on Natural Hazards #NoNaturalDisasters before I presented my current work on serious games which serve as risk communication tools on individual adaptation to Natural Hazards. I hope all listeners will remember the chocolate-covered broccoli SGs can be.🍫🥦
This was us after finishing our symposium at #ICEP2025 in Vilnius this morning. All presentations dealt with Natural Hazards, mostly with a focus on digital communication tools. Thanks to Leonie, Annalena, Sungju and Karina for your contribution and everyone for the interesting discussion(s)!
Letzte Woche habe ich ein Interview auf Bayern 2 gegeben anlässlich des bayrischen Warntags. Es ist hier nachzuhören: https://www.br.de/radio/live/bayern2/programm/2025-03-12/3626415/#t=18:38:42
Einmal nach Adele im Radio laufen: Check!
Bayern 2 | Bayern 2 Die Welt am Abend

Politik Gesellschaft Wissenschaft 17.23 Werbung 17.30 / 18.30 Nachrichten um halb, Wetter, Verkehr 17.53 Das Wirtschaftsgespräch 18.00 Nachrichten, Wetter, Verkehr 18.15 Wissenschaft schnell erzählt Diese Sendung hören Sie auch in der BR Radio App bei Bayern 2. Ausgewählte Beiträge und Interviews sind zudem als Podcast verfügbar.

📢 New Insights into Flood Early Warning Performance at the district level and within watersheds during the devastating July 2021 floods in Western Germany.
Take a look at this new article by Heather Murdock, Annegret Thieken and myself, which is available open access:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jfr3.70021

Only two Weeks ‼️ until this year's Weizenbaum Conference #WIConf23 where researchers from around the world will discuss ideas, tools, and methods on how to shape our digital and sustainable futures. 🚲📱🌱🦾🌎
Sign up now – we’re hybrid!➡️ https://www.weizenbaum-conference.de

@freieuniversitaet
@FraunhoferFOKUS
@WZB_Berlin
@unipotsdam

Weizenbaum Conference 2025 – Empowering People in Online Spaces