DEUQUA Excursion 2025 to the North Sea Coast

This year, at the beginning of October, the DEUQUA Excursion (German Quaternary Association, an association of German-speaking Quaternary scientists) took place on the North Sea coast. The NIhK issued the invitation at the suggestion of the DEUQUA board.

The excursion focused on the overarching theme of current and future coastal development on the North Sea coast. Reference was made to two of the joint projects recently launched with NIhK participation, CoastAdapt – Sustainable Coastal Protection for Lower Saxony and WADWAD – Action plan for ecosystem-based land-sea transition zones, as well as projects dealing with the landscape and settlement history of north-western Germany, including the beach ridge project, WASA – Wadden Sea Archive, and relicts under the bog.

On the first day, the excursion led from the Langwarder Groden compensation measure to the Iggewarden dwelling mound, via the Sehestedter Außendeichsmoor to the Bockhorner Moor nature reserve in Jührdenerfeld. On the second day, the group visited Spiekeroog, where the formation and dynamics of the island, the freshwater lens and the vegetation of the primary to brown dunes were discussed with interest by the excursion participants from all over Germany.

Lectures were given by Dr. Friederike Bungenstock, Dr. Martina Karle, Thorsten Becker, Rüdiger von Lemm (National Park Administration), Prof. Dr. Felix Bittmann, Dr. Ines Bruns, Dr. Steffen Wolters and Dr. Claire Rambeau (University of Strasbourg).