How warm was the North Sea 2.5 million years ago? Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) and the Natural History Museum Rotterdam are set to answer these questions using fossil shells from the subsoil beneath Rotterdam. The research will provide new insights into the history of the climate and biodiversity in our region and help us better understand changes in the North Sea region.
Fossil shells shed light on the climate 2.5 million years ago
How did the temperature of the North Sea change before humans inhabited the region? To answer that question, VU Earth scientist Niels de Winter and curator Bram Langeveld of the Natural History Museum are studying fossil shells that are approximately 2.5 million years old. The shells come from a deep borehole in Rotterdam, drilled by the drilling company Haitjema B.V. as part of the energy transition.
In the VU’s laboratory, the researchers are analyzing the chemical composition of the shells. This composition contains information about the conditions in which the shellfish lived. In this way, they aim to reconstruct how warm the seawater was at that time and how much the temperature varied throughout the seasons.
This research may, for the first time, provide insight into month-to-month and year-to-year temperature variations in the North Sea during the Early Pleistocene. This will yield a more detailed picture of the climate in the North Sea basin millions of years ago.
This knowledge contributes to scientific research on climate change. By reconstructing climate conditions from the distant past, researchers can better understand how the climate and the marine ecosystem changed over time. The results also form the basis for a future exhibition at the museum on climate and biodiversity in the Rotterdam region.
For this research, Langeveld and De Winter are receiving a Museum Grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).
From Scientific Collection to Public Knowledge
The research spans a period of millions of years. The fossil shells provide insight into the climate of the ancient North Sea. Through this, the researchers demonstrate how museum collections yield new scientific knowledge about climate, biodiversity, and landscape development. This knowledge is not only important for researchers but also helps a broad public better understand the natural history of the Netherlands.
The results will therefore also be shared with museum visitors. In 2027, when the Natural History Museum celebrates its centennial, part of the fossil collection will be featured in an anniversary exhibition. The research on the fossil shells forms the basis for a future exhibition on changes in climate and nature in the Rotterdam region.