This book reports about the results of a Special Symposium "The Baltic Sea Basin", held on August 11, 2008, within the frame of the 33rd IGC at Oslo, Norway in order to foster the understanding of the Baltic Basin as a unit in terms of genesis, structure, ongoing processes and utilization. It is the first time that in a joint publication, scientists from different disciplines give a comprehensive overview about the Baltic Sea basin in such a general sense. The book will be used not only by students and scientist but also by engineers and decision makers from industry and politics. Summarizing the state of the art in the investigation of the Baltic Sea Basin, but also in the resource utilisation of the basin the book will enhance the development of new monitoring strategies and technical device design including satellite observation methods, the establishment of international research laboratories, innovative topics for interdisciplinary research projects, etc.

This symposium on 'Computerized Basin Analysis for Prognosis of Energy - and Mineral Resources' was organized by Dr. Jan Harff, chairman ofthe Scientific Committee for the meeting, in Giistrowin what was then East Germany. Sponsors ofthis meeting were the International Union of Geological Sciences' Commission on Storage, Automatic Pro cessing and Retrieval of Geologic Data (COGEODATA), Academy of Sciences of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), National Oil and Gas Trustofthe GDR, and the International Association for Mathematical Geology (IAMG). Main topics of the symposium, held from 19-22 June 1990, were application of computer methods to the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas, coal, and other energy and mineral resources. There were computer demonstrations as well as a one-day field trip to the geothermic heating plant in Waren. The Regional Group for Eastern Europe of COG EO DATA also met during the conference. Fifty-one papers were presented including eight poster sessions by authors from 14 countries. As was to be expected, there was a large percentage of papers from the East Bloc of European countries, especially the GDR, USSR, and the CSSR with a fair representation from the FRG and USA and a smattering from the nine others. Most of the papers were application oriented and related to the mineral industries. There was ample time for exchange of ideas and dissemination of material.

Computerized modeling is a powerful tool to describe the complex interrelations between measured data and the dynamics of sedimentary systems. Complex interaction of environmental factors with natural variations and increasing anthropogenic intervention is reflected in the sedimentary record at varying scales. The understanding of these processes gives way to the reconstruction of the past and is a key to the prediction of future trends. Especially in cases where observations are limited and/or expensive, computer simulations may substitute for the lack of data. State-of-the-art research work requires a thorough knowledge of processes at the interfaces between atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere, and is therefore an interdisciplinary approach.

This Encyclopedia comprises the current knowledge in marine geosciences whereby not only basic but also applied and technical sciences are covered. Through this concept a broad scale of users in the field of marine sciences and techniques is addressed, from students and scholars in academia to engineers and decision makers in industry and politics. Globally growing demand of energy and mineral resources, reliable future projection of climate processes and the protection of coasts to mitigate the threats of disasters and hazards require a comprehensive understanding of the structure, ongoing processes and genesis of the marine geosphere. Beyond the "classical" research fields in marine geology in current time more general concepts have been evolved integrating marine geophysics, hydrography, marine biology, climatology and ecology. As an umbrella the term "marine geosciences" has been broadly accepted for this new complex field of research and the solutions of practical tasks in the marine realm.

Computer Simulation of Sedimentary Cover Evolution; S.E. Medvedev. Numerical Simulation of Pore Fluid Movements in the Upper Rotliegend of the North German Depression; J. Springer, G. Schwab. Modeling of Subsidence, Temperature, and Maturity in the North German Basin; A. Berthold, K. Menschner. Differential Compaction and Structural Genesis; H. Dietrich. Dissolution and Cememtation in Basin Simulation; R. Ondrak, U. Bayer. The Use of Fision Track Measurements in Basin Modeling; P.K. Jensen, et al. Mass-Balanced Reconstruction of Paleogeology; W.W. Hay, C.N. Wold. The Simulation of Large-Scale Sedimentary Structures; P.A. Dowd. A Quantitative Basin Analysis System for Petroleum Exploration; S. Cao et al. Well-Log Imaging and its Application to Geologic Interpretation; L. Huang, et al. An Integrated Approach to Basin Analysis and Mineral Exploration; D.F. Merriam, et al. 8 additional articles. Index.