The landscapes that extended for millions of square kilometres offshore of the world’s coastlines due to low sea-level during the last glaciation and were then drowned by sea-level rise, are known to preserve valuable archives of landscapes, palaeoclimatic change and stratified archaeological remains, with the potential to transform understanding of human history in this period of dramatic change. The absence of archaeological sites across much of this vast area prevents realisation of this potential.

In SUBNORDICA we propose a systematic approach to develop new methods for recreating the submerged landscapes and human settlement of NW Europe and to assess the impact of postglacial sea-level rise.

Our approach will address two overall research questions:

(1) What changes to the topography and environment of the submerged landscape were brought about by rising sea level and climate change?

(2) How was the distribution of archaeological settlements and other traces of cultural activity impacted by this changing palaeolandscape, and can we recover them in sufficient detail to investigate human impact and human response?

Combining information from four regions in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, we will use artificial intelligence to develop machine-learning routines to identify from existing and new data, new targets of archaeological potential for more detailed investigation.

SUBNORDICA aims to reveal a new chapter in human prehistory, provide a world-leading model for the investigation of submerged landscapes, and offer improved policy guidance for underwater cultural heritage management.

SUBNORDICA is funded by the European Research Council as a 6-year Synergy Grant project. The project started in April 2024 and will run till March 2030. Four Principal Investigators are involved in the project with additional four beneficiaries and many more partner institutions.