Our research
Our research is to a large extent related to studies of sediments and landforms. Quaternary is the youngest geological time period and has played an important role in shaping the world the way it looks today. Large and rapid variations in climate, ice sheet extent and sea level have affected all of Scandinavia, and research in these fields is important subjects of Quaternary science.
Research on past climate change has documented significant climate variability on multi-decadal to millennial time scales. Understanding the origin of this variability is a key to comprehend natural climate change and discriminate between natural and anthropogenic origin of climate change.
The group also works with age determination, geological hazards and the natural magnetism of sediments. Glacial and cave science are important aspects of the research activities with extensive field work all over the world.
Quaternary studies are to a large extent multidisciplinary by nature and the research group collaborates closely with marine geologists, climate researchers, glaciologists, oceanographers, archaeologists, geophysicists and others.
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Ice sheets and glaciers
Ice sheets and glaciers are major components of the Quaternary environment. Knowledge about glacial history and present glacier activity are therefore essential for understanding the Quaternary time period.
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Cave science (Speleology)
Caves are an essential part of landscapes formed in soluble rocks, like limestone and marble (called karst landscapes). Karst caves are created by groundwater flowing through the rock.
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Past climate and environmental change
Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years.
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Quaternary dating (geochronology)
Determining the timing of climatic changes and events, and of their impact on the environment, is an important aspect of Quaternary research.
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Sea level fluctuations and isostatic movements
During the Quaternary, Scandinavia has been affected by large and rapid sea level variations. These changes were caused by the growth and decay of large continental ice-sheets during the Quaternary, and are a combined effect of global changes in ocean volume (eustasy) and local movements of the crust (isostasy).
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Quaternary magnetism
The natural magnetism of sediments carries information about past geomagnetic field variations as well as the depositional environment.
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Geoarchaeology
This is a multidisciplinary approach that applies concepts and methods of earth sciences in connection with archaeological studies of past human lives and cultures.
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Geohazards
A geohazard can be defined as a geological state that represents or has the potential to develop further into a situation leading to damage or uncontrolled risk.
