Geologists reveal: Climate change and the hidden sea level rise!

Geologists reveal: Climate change and the hidden sea level rise!

In the current discussion about climate, the perspective of geologists occupies a special place. Dr. Dietmar Meier sheds light on this in an article Petershäger Anzeiger the long-term perspectives that are crucial to our understanding of climate data. While journalists often focus on short time periods such as two generations or a legislative term, geologists look at time periods ranging from thousands to millions of years.

This comprehensive perspective helps to better classify natural climatic processes and their data. An example of this is the Vistula Ice Age 20,000 years ago, when glaciers advanced as far as Hamburg. At this time, sea levels were around 125 meters below today's levels, and areas such as Doggerland in the North Sea were not only visible but also populated.

The sea level is changing

As temperatures rose and glaciers retreated, sea levels began to rise again. This initially happened quickly, but continued in a much weaker form over the last 5,000 to 6,000 years. In this regard, an international research team, including the LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) from Germany, recently published an article in the journalNaturepublished a crucial study. This shows that after the last ice age around 11,700 years ago, global warming significantly led to the melting of the ice sheets in North America and Europe, which had a significant impact on sea levels.

In the early Holocene, sea levels rose in two phases by over a meter per century, a total of up to 37.7 meters over a period of 8,000 years. Prof. Dr. Manfred Frechen, co-author of the study, emphasizes the importance of these results in order to better understand the interaction between climate, ice melt and sea level rise. This not only offers important comparative values ​​for future developments, but is also of central importance in preparing for the challenges posed by anthropogenic global warming.

The findings from Doggerland

Another important aspect of this research is the flooding of Doggerland, a former land-based connection between Great Britain and mainland Europe. The findings come from a unique data set collected in the area of ​​the former Doggerland. Data from peatlands, particularly from the German Bight, were used for analysis. Radiocarbon dating allowed the sediments to be precisely dated, helping to clarify the rate and extent of sea level rise in the early Holocene.

In summary, it shows that geologists' insights over geological time periods are essential for understanding current climate processes. Their work helps to shed light on the complex interactions between climate factors and sea level and thus provides important impetus for the discussion about the future of our earth. As we have seen, long-term natural processes also influence the approach to current climate data, an aspect that is often neglected in media reporting.

While the challenges are great, it also shows that such sound scientific data and reflections put us on the right track to address the questions at hand responsibly. And that is more important than ever these days.