An international study, to which researchers from the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences at Vilnius University contributed, has revealed accelerating coastal erosion in the Baltic region.

Prof. D. Pupienis and PhD student P. Brazdžiūnas from the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences together with researchers from Estonia and Sweden, analyzed the Järve beach outcrop on the island of Saaremaa – a unique “archive” of the Baltic coastline that preserves approximately 1,600 years of climate and storm history.

Research by scientists from the universities of Tallinn, Tartu, Lund, and Vilnius showed that while Estonia’s coastline expanded for centuries due to land uplift, it is now retreating at an accelerating rate due to climate change, rising sea levels, and intensifying storms.

The study’s findings were published in the Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences and were also discussed in greater detail by the Estonian news portal Postimees.

The researchers warn that accelerating coastal erosion could pose an increasing threat to ports, shipping lanes, and the sandy beaches of the Baltic region in the future.