Eirik Gottschalk Ballo

Doctoral Research Fellow - Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics

Norwegian version of this page

Email e.g.ballo@geo.uio.no

Phone +47 22859184

Mobile phone +47 470 70 450

Room Room 2406, MetOs, Kristine Bonnevies hus

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Visiting address Sem Sælands vei 2A ZEB-bygget 0371 Oslo

Postal address Postboks 1028 Blindern 0316 Oslo

Other affiliations Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Student)

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PhD candidate on the VIKINGS project (Volcanic Eruptions and their Impacts on Climate, Environment, and Viking Society in 500–1250 CE)

The main objective of the PhD thesis is to analyse climatic and environmental changes during the last two millennia with a focus on the period 500-1250 by using lake sediment archives as a proxy for past environmental changes. Ultimately, this project seeks to resolve how volcanic eruptions and their environmental impacts facilitated societal changes during the Viking Era. By learning from past volcanic eruptions we may be able to predict future climatic, environmental, and societal impacts.

Currently, I am spending a lot of time working on evaluating how Computed Tomography (CT) can be used to analyse annual laminations (varves) in lake sediment cores. From January to April 2022 I will be at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University (NY, USA) to work on lipid biomarker analyses to reconstruct past hydroclimate in Norway.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you are interested in discussing my work or research collaborations.

Academic interests

Paleoclimate
Climate proxies
Lake sediments
Varved sediments
Environmental and climatic effects of volcanism
Societal effects of climate change

Background

Master of Science, Geoscience, University of Oslo, 2017
East Asian Studies, Sophia University Tokyo, 2014/2015
Bachelor of Science, Geoscience, University of Oslo, 2014

Tags: Paleoclimate, Climate change, Lake sediments, Quaternary geology, Geochronology

Bajard, Manon Juliette Andree; Ballo, Eirik Gottschalk; Høeg, Helge Irgens; Bakke, Jostein; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel & Loftsgarden, Kjetil [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Climate adaptation of pre-Viking societies. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. 278. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107374.
ter Schure, Anneke Theresia Maria; Bajard, Manon Juliette Andree; Loftsgarden, Kjetil; Høeg, Helge Irgens; Ballo, Eirik Gottschalk & Bakke, Jostein [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2021). Anthropogenic and environmental drivers of vegetation change in southeastern Norway during the Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. 270. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107175. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Uncovering anthropogenic and environmental drivers behind past biological change requires integrated analyses of long-term records from a diversity of disciplines. We applied an interdisciplinary approach exploring effects of human land-use and environmental changes on vegetation dynamics at Lake Ljøgottjern in southeastern Norway during the Holocene. Combined analysis of pollen and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) metabarcoding of the sedimentary sequence of the lake describes the vegetation dynamics at different scales, and establishes a timeline for pastoral farming activities. We integrate this reconstruction with geochemical analysis of the sediments, climate data, archaeological evidence of local human settlement and regional human population dynamics. Our data covering the last 10,000 years reveals consistent vegetation signals from pollen and sedaDNA indicating periods of deforestation connected to cultivation, matching the archaeological evidence. Multivariate analysis integrating the environmental data from geochemical and archaeological reconstructions with the vegetation composition indicates that the vegetation dynamics at Lake Ljøgottjern were primarily related to natural processes from the base of the core (in ca. 8000 BCE, Mesolithic) up to the Early Iron Age (ca. 500 BCE–550 CE), when agricultural activities in the region intensified. The pollen signal reflects the establishment of a Bronze Age (ca. 1800–500 BCE) farm in the area, while subsequent intensification of pollen concentrations of cultivated plants combined with the first sedaDNA signals of cultivation and pastoralism are consistent with evidence of the establishment of farming closer to the lake at around 300 BCE. These signals also correspond to the intensification of agriculture in southeastern Norway in the first centuries of the Early Iron Age. Applying an interdisciplinary approach allows us to reconstruct anthropogenic and environmental dynamics, and untangle effects of human land-use and environmental changes on vegetation dynamics in southeastern Norway during the Holocene.
Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Augland, Lars Eivind; Hammer, Øyvind & Svensen, Henrik (2019). A new age model for the Ordovician (Sandbian) K-bentonites in Oslo, Norway. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. ISSN 0031-0182. 520, p. 203–213. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.01.016. Full text in Research Archive

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Ballo, Eirik Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Juliette Andree; Bakke, Jostein; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel; D'Andrea, William J. & Høeg, Helge Irgens (2022). Lake Sagtjernet hydrogen isotopes and pollen .
Ballo, Eirik Gottschalk (2022). Lipid biomarkers in Lake Sagtjernet, Norway.
Swai, Violeth Charles; Kollsgård, Christine Tømmervik; Eilertsen, Vårin Trælvik; Braun, Carmen & Ballo, Eirik Gottschalk (2021). XRF core scanning for paleoclimate reconstructions.
Ballo, Eirik Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Juliette Andree; Bakke, Jostein & Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel (2021). Using CT scans to count varves: Application to Lake Sagtjernet.
Ballo, Eirik Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Juliette Andree; Bakke, Jostein & Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel (2021). Using CT scans to count varves in Lake Sagtjernet.
Van Dijk, Evelien; Gundersen, Ingar Mørkestøl; Loftsgarden, Kjetil; Ballo, Eirik Gottschalk; Krüger, Kirstin & Iversen, Frode (2021). Can we link volcanic impacts on the climate to a change in society?
ter Schure, Anneke; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Loftsgarden, Kjetil; Høeg, Helge Irgens; Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk & Bakke, Jostein [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2021). Disentangling anthropogenic and environmental drivers of biological change in southeastern Norway during the Holocene.
ter Schure, Anneke; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Loftsgarden, Kjetil; Høeg, Helge Irgens; Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk & Bakke, Jostein [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2021). Anthropogenic and environmental drivers of biological change in southeastern Norway during the Holocene.
Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Høeg, Helge I.; Bakke, Jostein; Støren, Eivind N. & Loftsgarden, Kjetil [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2021). Instability or adaptation of the pre-Viking society to the climate variability of the Late Antiquity?
Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel; Bakke, Jostein; Høeg, Helge Irgens & Loftsgarden, Kjetil [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2020). Volcanic Eruptions and their Impacts on Climate, Environment, and Viking Society in 500-1250 CE .
Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel; Bakke, Jostein; Høeg, Helge Irgens & Loftsgarden, Kjetil [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2020). Record of climate and environmental changes in a dead-ice lake close to Gardermoen told by a 10 000 years old freshwater fish and a Viking King.
Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel; Bakke, Jostein; Høeg, Helge Irgens & Loftsgarden, Kjetil [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2020). Tracing socio-environmental dynamics and climate changes in the period 300-1300 CE in Scandinavia from lake sediments.
Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Bakke, Jostein & Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel (2019). Reconstructing climate and socio-environmental changes using lake sediments .
Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Bakke, Jostein & Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel (2019). Reconstructing climate and socio-environmental changes using lake sediments .
Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Bakke, Jostein & Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel (2019). Reconstructing climate and socio-environmental changes using lake sediments .
Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel; Bakke, Jostein & Svensen, Henrik (2019). High-resolution lacustrine records of environmental changes in Scandinavia: a focus on the Migration period and Viking age.
Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel; Bakke, Jostein & Svensen, Henrik (2019). High-resolution lacustrine records of environmental changes in Scandinavia: a focus on the Migration period and Viking age.
Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel; Bakke, Jostein & Svensen, Henrik (2019). High-resolution lacustrine records of environmental changes in Scandinavia: a focus on the Migration period and Viking age.
Ballo, Eirik Magnus Gottschalk; Bajard, Manon Julietto Andree; Støren, Eivind Wilhelm Nagel; Bakke, Jostein & Svensen, Henrik (2019). High-resolution lacustrine records of environmental changes in Scandinavia: a focus on the Migration period and the Viking age.

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Published Oct. 19, 2018 10:36 AM - Last modified May 30, 2022 10:45 AM

Projects

Volcanic Eruptions and their Impacts on Climate, Environment, and Viking Society in 500–1250 CE (VIKINGS)

Research groups

Earth Crises