News
Jul 26, 2010
In-depth look into the Earth
Geologists from the Technical University (TU) of Berlin take advantage of the OPAL gas pipeline construction for exclusive investigations on the recent climate changes in East Germany
Natural gas will start flowing for the first time through the new natural gas pipeline OPAL from the Baltic Sea to the Czech Republic at the end of 2011. OPAL stands for "Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung" (Baltic Sea Pipeline Link) which is to connect the 1,200-kilometer Nord Stream pipeline coming from Russia to the European gas pipeline network in Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. However, that is not the only thing which will be flowing through the 470-kilometer-long and three-meter-deep north-south trench. It also offers geologists from the TU Berlin a unique opportunity to take a look at the Earth's history throughout East Germany and gain an insight into tomorrow's developments through yesterday's climate events.
"The location gives us an amazing picture of the geological history of the events which occurred during and have occurred since the last ice age that ended in our latitudes approx. 10,000 years ago," explained Dr. Olaf Juschus, scientist at the TU in the department for exploration geology headed by Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Dominik, and proven Quarternary expert. Equipped with spades, measurement devices, rubber boots and helmets, Dr. Olaf Juschus and his colleague Dr. Robert Bussert have been on the trail of the residues from the last 140,000 years in the pipeline trench since the beginning of the OPAL construction work in Brandenburg. The sedimentological survey has given them an important insight into Brandenburg's recent past of both environment and climate. "We can only understand the future of climate if we look at the past," said Olaf Juschus.
"We have noticed for example that the so-called glacier dynamics, i.e. the structures generated by ice movement, are stronger than we had assumed until now," explained Mr. Juschus. "Brandenburg is situated on the south edge of the old Scandinavian ice sheet, where - this was our assumption until now - the ice had melted in particular. However, things seem to be different in northern Brandenburg."
The logs found in the valley of the Spree close to Fürstenwalde were particularly enlightening for the scientists. Wood doesn't disintegrate under the sediments' airtight conditions and can be examined with respect to its age using the dendrochronology methods and the radiocarbon analysis. So it's possible to determine the age of the Spree's oxbow with a discrepancy of a few decades. The results have shown that the oxbow examined so far is significantly younger than what had been assumed until now.
The scientists have to hurry with their surveys. 18-meter-long and 15-ton steel pipelines clad with a layer of rubber are welded together to form 100-meter-long segments which are then lifted section by section into the trenches to form the OPAL pipeline. So the researchers have often only short time slots to take samples on site and make an inventory before the trenches are closed up a few days later.
The TU Berlin geologists' investigations are backed up by the WINGAS Group and E.ON Ruhrgas, both in charge of the OPAL pipeline construction.
"Overall, we are very pleased with the cooperation with WINGAS GmbH, which has implemented the OPAL project together with E.ON Ruhrgas AG," declared Mr. Juschus. "It has helped us get an up-to-date insight into the recent history of the Earth since the last ice age. The map material available until now is incomplete and most of all, it is already 50 years old."
When the natural gas starts flowing through OPAL in autumn 2011, the latest results on Brandenburg's past during the ice age and after the ice age will be revealed.
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