Annual Report 2007
Nature and climate

Identifying processes leading to the current climate and environment situation in Denmark and the North Atlantic in particular

Reduced sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean
In recent years measurements from American submarines and satellites have shown that the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been reduced significantly in thickness and area, and model prognoses show that perhaps the entire ocean will become ice-free during a future warmer climate. In 2007 researchers from GEUS and Norway presented results from the first studies of seabed cores from the most inaccessible parts of the Arctic Ocean north of Canada and Greenland. Using studies of foraminifera in seabed sediments, researchers have proved that the sea ice cover was reduced in this heavily ice-covered area in the last interglacial period, which was warmer than today. The results are the first of their kind from this part of the Arctic Ocean, where the most severe ice conditions of the area are found today, and in future these results will help make more reliable model prognoses of the future developments of the sea ice in this area. The studies are part of the research project, Greenland Arctic Shelf Ice and Climate Experiment (GreenICE), which was financed by the EU.

Richer marine environment in previous warm period
During the warm period in Roman times, from around the birth of Christ to 300-400 years after, there were significant changes in the marine environment in inner Danish waters. The seawater became more salty and surveys of seabed deposits from Horsens Fjord and Tempelkrog at the end of Isefjord show that the marine environment became more productive. Geologists from GEUS, the University of Aarhus and Loughborough University in England have studied the incidence of mussels, snails and foraminifera in drill cores from the seabed and have found species requiring other living conditions in order to survive than those we have today. The increased salinity and productivity in the inner waters can be explained by a larger inflow of seawater with high salinity from the North Sea. Other surveys of marine environment of the past also show that there was a significantly increased inflow, which has impacted the marine conditions in the central part of the Baltic Sea.

The surveys are part of a current project, which aims at studying the development of the Danish coastal environment over the past 9000 years. The work is supported by the Danish Research Council for Culture and Communication, the Danish Research Council for Nature and the Universe as well as by funds from Loughborough University in England.

A new tool for better nature protection in the Baltic Sea
The EU-funded research project, BALANCE, was completed in 2007. One of the results is the development of marine landscape maps for the Baltic Sea, Kattegat and the Skagerrak. The maps classify the seabed in various types of landscape on the basis of information on sediment, salinity and light conditions, which are important parameters for describing living conditions on the seabed for plants and animals and identifying habitats. Habitats of the Baltic Sea region are under threat from sand dredging, fishing, tourism and pollution, and the many often conflicting interests create problems, which call for common solutions from the Baltic countries. The marine landscape map is an important tool for making a common management plan for the area, which can create a balance between nature and human activity. The maps are based on existing geological and physical data from all the Baltic countries, and during the project GEUS was responsible for compiling data and producing the maps that are all now available through the project's data portal. Nineteen institutions from nine Baltic countries took part in the project, which was managed by the Danish Forest and Nature Agency.

Addressing the world's environment and resource problems
More than fifty geological surveys have undertaken to prepare a digital geological map of the entire world on the scale 1:1 000 000. The OneGeology project is perhaps one of the largest and most ambitious international mapping projects ever. Geological maps are important for knowledge of nature and resources, and the project contribute to a better understanding of the world's environment and a global solution to environmental and resource problems. Data will be available on a web portal as a dynamic geological map, which is constantly updated when new data are received from all over the world. GEUS is contributing with digital geological map data from Denmark and Greenland. OneGeology is a joint contribution from the geological surveys to the UN International Year of Planet Earth 2008, activities of which will be carried out from 2007-2009. In a press release before the project's launch in England in March 2007, Ian Jackson from the British Geological Survey said, "All geologists know well that geology and rocks don't respect man-made political frontiers. Nor do the environmental problems and natural resources that go with them. With our changing climate, there is even more urgent need for good quality and more complete data about our environment to be available for those who need it. By contributing to OneGeology, each nation can do something locally to make a huge difference globally.”

A digital map of valuable geological areas
Denmark's almost 500 valuable geological areas are currently being collated on a digital map. These are all areas which tell an important story of how Denmark came into existence. The map, with associated geological descriptions, is primarily for municipalities and regions in their planning and work to protect geologically interesting areas in the open landscape, but it will also benefit anyone interested in geology. Two examples of valuable areas which best illustrate Denmark's oldest history are Møns Klint, which tells us about the time when Denmark was a chalky ocean occupied by sharks and cuttlefish, and Jyske Ås which tells us about the time when the ice during the Ice Age stretched from Vendsyssel over Kattegat to North Zealand. On the map, there are both point areas and large landscapes. Hollerup Kiselgurgrav west of Randers is one of the point areas with layers from the entire Eem interglacial period and with the oldest certain traces of human life. Faldborgdalen and Skalsådalen are large landscapes with important parts of the history of Gudenåen. The map is produced in cooperation between the Agency for Spatial and Environmental Planning and GEUS, and is completed region by region. The map of the Region of Central Jutland was completed in 2007, and maps and geological descriptions from 130 areas can now be accessed on the Internet.