Climate change and geology are connected. The Danish landscape is created by Ice Age glaciers, and generally shifts in geological formations are often caused by climate changes in the past. When studying these layers more closely, we learn about how climate was in the past, why and how often it has changed, and how it affected the environment. It may help to understand and predict future climate.
Beside providing information on past climate, formations are often also important raw materials in our modern society. "Climate and glacial geology” is the study of past climate, its development, and the formation of raw materials.
These years there is much focus on climate and climate changes occurred during the last 100-150 years. The discussion can be confusing; at one moment you are told that all climate change results from human impact, and the next moment that it is due to natural processes.
But what is the truth?
The climate is under constant change driven by complex processes. Only over the past 2-3 million years, there have been at least 40 shifts between ice ages (cold periods) and interglacials (warm periods), and in Cretaceous, when the dinosaurs predominated the Earth, the global climate was 10 - 15 degrees warmer than today.
It is also remarkable that, 150 years ago when the first instrumental measurements of temperature were made, the Earth was at the end of 'The Little Ice Age', which was the coldest period in the last ca. 8000 years.
If we want to be able to predict climate in the future, it is important to understand which natural mechanisms control the climate, how climate change affects our environment, and how to distinguish between natural and man-made changes. The only way to learn and understand this is by studying past climate change.
The Master’s Degree programme "Climate and glacial geology" provides a broad education in climate development and the processes that determine our climate as well as environment and surroundings in general. Further, it gives a good knowledge of the landscape, its formation, and the valuable raw materials which it contains. The programme provides also a practical application of all parts of science; besides geology these are biological, physical and chemical processes. You can choose among multiple directions, as you can work on climate and glacial geology from a very broad range of disciplines and processes. These range from work in the field (nature), laboratory work and microscopy to mathematical and geophysical modelling of past, present and future climate. Job opportunities for graduates in "Climate and Ice Age geology" include careers in national and international consulting engineering firms, in the public administration of municipalities, regions, ministries and state administration, in teaching and research as well as in mining and energy sectors.