Geology, Geography and Ecology

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The coastal areas of the Geopark includes parts of the Skagerrak coast and transitions into the outer Oslo Fjord. The marine areas are heavily influenced by the rich geological history of the Geopark, and are shaped by the ice ages and other geological activities. 

 

The last Ice Age, which withdrew about 11.700 years ago, left behind a variety of substrates and rocks with different nutrient compositions. The glacier brought loose material that deposited along the Ra-moraine, which has resulted in a unique marine landscape. This has resulted in a good foundation for growth and habitats for a rich marine diversity, for plants and animals alike. Everything from solid rock, to rolling stones and shell sand can be found within the coastal areas of the Geopark. Many organisms have strict requirements for habitats, and a varied seafloor enables an abundance of living areas, showcasing the interconnectedness between biology and geology.

 

A living area that fulfills the demands of an organism, such as food availability, light level and substrate, is called the species ecological niche. A diverse seabed with varying current patterns, water depths and substrate, results in a lot of different niches, thus filling the requirements of more species than a more uniform area. Two of the most important marine nature types are eel grass meadows and kelp forests. Both form the foundation and habitat of a whole array of different marine organisms, and play an important role in maintaining a healthy ocean. Eel grass meadows require fine, sandy substrate in calm coastal areas, while the kelp forest needs hard rocks as substrate and thrives in more exposed areas. This is a good example of two ecologically important plants having different demands, and thus filling different niches. 

 

How does the ocean impact us?

 

‘If we save our oceans, we save our planet’ - David Attenborough, Oceans (2025)

 

A healthy ocean is of course important for the organisms that live in or connected to the seas, but our coastal areas are also important to our society. Among other things, nature contributes to society through what we call ecosystem services, meaning goods from nature that have value to humans. For example, the value of the gathered ecosystem services delivered by the kelp forests are estimated to be 7 billion NOK per year, showcasing the immense value the ocean has on our lives. Ecosystem services are split into different types.

 

The most obvious is supplying services, where nature produces a product, such as food, medicine or power. Fisheries are, by example, dependent on healthy fish populations, so by protecting important breeding- and living areas for the fish, we can ensure sustainable populations over time. A lot of nature’s resources are non-renewable, or partly renewable, so good regulations and routines for harvesting resources are necessary to avoid overtaxing our coasts. 

The ecosystems also deliver cultural services, through recreation and traditions. Coastal areas feel a strong connection to the ocean, and it has played an important role in both religion and culture, giving it value as both natural and cultural heritage. The ocean is also heavily utilized for outdoor activities, and has been shown to positively impact human well-being. 

 

Nature also delivers services that are not as visible, but that lays the foundation for all life on earth. The ocean is essential for cycles of nutrients and water, and therefore ensures that important elements, such as carbon and nitrogen, is available for organisms that need it. In addition the ocean absorbs enormous amounts of climate gasses, and produces approximately 50% of the oxygen we breathe. Every breath we take, and every sip of water we drink, we can therefore thank the ocean for. 

Coastal structures, like reefs and kelp forests, provide natural protection against the forces of nature though wave-breaking and cover, thus protecting infrastructure along the coast. Thus, the ocean is crucial for a whole range of important natural and climatic processes that influence our everyday life. 

 

How do we impact our oceans?

 

‘We should treat the oceans as if our lives depend on it - Because they do.’

- Marine Biologist Sylvia Earl

 

The industrialization of society has led to an increasing pressure on the oceans, especially the coastal areas. The last couple hundred years, there’s been a large decline in fish stocks, and large areas of important nature types have disappeared. The coral reefs are bleaching, and the polar ice is melting, but how do we impact the oceans, and what can we do to turn it around?

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Overexploitation of resources

The modernization of fishing fleets, with developments in technology, transport and processing of sea food, the harvest size became far greater than what was possible with ‘traditional’ fishing methods. Fish stocks that were previously seen as inexhaustible started shrinking, and some populations disappeared entirely. 

After a while, the fish stocks became less visible, and we saw a decline in species that wasn’t commercially exploited. This led to increased knowledge regarding interactions in the food web, which is far more complex in the seas than on land. Overfishing of one species had consequences for other organisms through a shift in competition, lower predation pressure and change in food availability. This is called a trophic cascade, meaning a change in several levels of the food webs.

 

Increased knowledge regarding fish stocks and ecological interactions has led to stricter regulations and quotas, which has reduced the pressure on these fish stocks. While Norway has made big improvements in sustainability of fishing, according to the UN approximately 35,5% of the global fish stocks are overfished, making increased knowledge and cooperation between governments and the fishery industry crucial, both nationally and internationally.

 

Area changes

Like on land, area change is a major factor of the nature crisis. Intervention in underwater areas can be hard to observe, as it’s not as visible as on land, but new technology has made it easier to map this.  

 

There are many types of area change in the ocean. Sludge from sewers and aquaculture facilities can create a blanket over the seabed, and thus change the properties. Bottom trawling crushes and turns the seabed, changing the landscape and affecting the organisms living there. 

 

Changes in the ocean environment can lead to difficult conditions for some species, while other more opportunistic species can establish themselves in the affected area. Therefore, disturbances on the sea floor can result in the loss of habitat, reduced biodiversity and changed species composition. 

 

Pollution

Rivers, streams and sewage end up in our fjords, bringing different sorts of pollution, in the form of excessive nutrients, chemicals, trash and much more. These forms of pollution impacts our coastline in different ways, and can collectively cause major stress to our coastal ecosystems. 

 

Runoff from agriculture and feed spill from aquaculture lead to excessive addition of nutrients. These nutrients allow for an increased growth of opportunistic micro algae, resulting in algal blooms, which can be toxic to marine life and humans. Large algal blooms leads to an increased amount of dead organic matter, which when broken down by bacteria exhausts the oxygen in the water, leading to oxygen-poor areas. 

 

Humans use chemicals in a variety of applications, such as medicine, pesticides, wood treatment, washing products and much more. Some of these chemicals can harm marine life by disturbing biological processes. It’s therefore important to conduct science and gain knowledge on these effects, to be able to implement actions to limit harmful consequences.

 

Waste is an enormous problem, with plastic being the biggest threat. The UN estimates that 16 million tonnes of plastic wastes ends up in our oceans every year, affecting marine life in a multitude of ways. Plastic can lead to strangling, false sense of food, inner harm and other injuries. In addition there are large uncertainties in the impacts of micro- and nano-plastics on marine life. The biggest sources of plastic waste in Norway is industry, aquaculture and fisheries. Ghost-fishing is a large concern, where lost fishing equipment keeps ‘fishing’ for years after being lost. 

 

Climate Change

Climate gas emissions from todays industry has led to an increased CO2-level in the atmosphere, resulting in the greenhouse effect, where the atmospheric temperature rises, affecting the global climate. 

 

Our oceans are affected by climate change in several ways. Increased temperature can influence the ocean currents, melt the polar ice and change the distribution of species. When the temperature rises, the range of some species increases, leading to competition with existing organisms. These are called invasive species, and can spread naturally through increased range or by human intervention. 

 

Since the oceans play a key role in climate regulation, large changes can have consequences over huge areas, through increased extreme weather, drought and storms. Therefore, it is important to reduce emissions, so that we can lessen our impact on the climate. 

 

Marine Protection

Norway has signed the international ‘Nature agreement’, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and therefore committed to what is called the 30x30-goal. This entails protecting 30% of nature, and restoring 30% of valuable lost nature within 2030. 

 

Inside of the Gea Norvegica Geopark is one of Norway’s four marine national parks, Jomfruland, which is protected due to the presence of important nature types like the kelp forests and eel grass meadows. This in addition to the unique geology and substrate created by the geological history of the area. 

 

Protecting nature is of course important for the organisms living within the protected areas, but it can also be valuable to areas outside of the parks. If habitats and breeding grounds are protected, the populations will strengthen, and over time migrate outside of the protected area where commercial harvesting is allowed. In this way, a protected area can strengthen and increase harvesting such as fishing over time.