Summer 2009 - Scottish Natural Heritage

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Scotland’s geological history stretches back
over three billion years of the Earth’s existence.
It includes the rocks, fossils, minerals, soils,
landforms and natural processes that make up
Scotland’s varied landscapes and structure.
Collectively, these features represent Scotland’s
‘geodiversity’. And the way in which they’ve responded and
adapted to climate change in the past can provide a useful
early warning for the future.
Looking at what’s happened to the Earth in former times
is similar to the research we do on other planets in our solar
system. For example, the information we now have about the
past and present environment of Mars has been worked out
largely by studying its geodiversity. So, if we can discover
what’s been going on in other parts of the universe then it
should be a lot easier to understand what’s been happening
closer to home!
In fact, Scotland’s geodiversity reveals that climate
change is nothing new – our landscapes and natural
heritage have always been dynamic. Even within the
geologically recent past (the last three million years),
Scotland’s climate has changed radically, switching
repeatedly from glacial to warm conditions. Even since the
last dramatic global warming 11,500 years ago, our climate
has rarely stood still.
The last cooling, during the so-called ‘Little Ice Age’,
reached its peak in Scotland in the late 18th and early
19th centuries. Since then, our climate has been warming,
coinciding with the increased release of greenhouse gases
from the Industrial Revolution onwards. Climate change
and sea-level rise have been happening for some time.
Signifi cantly, they will extend well beyond the AD 2100
timescale of current climate projections.
That sort of timescale is outwith the normal timeframe
of most policy makers, planners and lay people. But
understanding geodiversity – and particularly how to
work with natural processes – can play an important part
in planning how to adapt our management of the natural
heritage. In fact, geodiversity is a bit like using a barometer –
it gives us an insight into what could happen next.
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Coastal change is
nothing new. The
Culbin Sands bar on
the Moray coast is
extending west at over
20 metres a year. This
coastline has been
moving for over 6,500
years.
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