European Geosciences Union
Division on Energy, Resources and the Environment
President: Sonja Martens (ere@egu.eu)
Deputy President: Viktor Bruckman
(viktor.bruckman@oeaw.ac.at)
Officer:
Christopher Juhlin (christopher.juhlin@geo.uu.se)
Officer:
Kristen Mitchell (drkristenmitchell@gmail.com)
Officer:
Maria Ask (maria.ask@ltu.se)
Officer:
Michael Kühn (mkuehn@gfz-potsdam.de)
Officer:
Viktor Bruckman (viktor.bruckman@oeaw.ac.at)
ECS Representative:
Morgan Tranter (ecs-ere@egu.eu)
The European Geosciences Union (EGU) brings together geoscientists from all over Europe and the rest of the world, covering all disciplines of the earth, planetary and space sciences. This geoscientific interdisciplinarity is needed to tackle the challenges of the future. A major challenge for humankind is to provide adequate and reliable supplies of affordable energy and other resources. These should be obtained in environmentally sustainable ways, which is essential for economic prosperity, environmental quality and political stability around the world. One goal of the division Energy, Resources & the Environment (ERE) is to be a leading discussion forum for these issues. The core of the division consists of experts in various fields that will help meet the mutually coupled challenges of Energy, Resources and the Environment.
Sonja is a civil and environmental engineer by training with a background in both academia and industry. Her research focuses on hydrogeology , numerical flow and transport simulations and the sustainable use of georesources and the subsurface, for example investigating CO2 storage in geological media.
Viktor’s research interests include renewable energy from biomass, with a focus on forests. He is also involved in biochar research and the investigation of carbon and nutrient cycles which includes soil processes and climate change. His interdisciplinary and holistic approaches are directed towards a sustainable and eco-friendly utilization of biomass as a source for energy and industrial raw materials.
Chris has a background in geology and geophysics and has been involved in both academic and industry projects, both in the natural resource and energy sectors. Current research interests include crustal geophysics, high resolution seismics, seismic modelling, mining geophysics, geological storage of CO2, and scientific drilling.
Kristen has an academic background in isotope biogeochemistry. As a post-doc Kristen investigated marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean and the Great Lakes. While an AAAS Congressional fellow she worked in the U.S. House of Representatives on energy and environment policy. Kristen currently works on both scientific and policy projects ranging from global change science to ocean policy.
Maria’s research interests are focused on rock mechanics of sediments and rocks and the state of in-situ stress. She is involved in various projects, for example investigating the stress state for storage of CO2 and petroleum prospecting, as well as rock mechanical properties of reservoir and cap rock in CO2 storage.
Michael is a geochemist and hydrogeologist by training with a research focus on the numerical simulation of hydrogeothermal systems in the subsurface. This includes quantification of interactions between deep and shallow groundwater systems, geochemical water-rock-interactions, coupled numerical simulation (hydraulical, thermal, mechanical, chemical), formation of ore deposits, CO2 storage in geologic formations and hydrogeothermal energy provision.
I am a PhD student at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam. I do geochemical and numerical modelling and currently focus on studying the development of mineral scalings in geothermal systems. Above that, I am interested in many hydrogeological topics and I am generally fascinated by water.
As an ECS representative of the ERE division I wish to promote networking and provide a platform for young scientists to connect with each other. I am deeply committed to the idea that by working closely together, (early career) scientists may inspire each other and benefit from a pool of knowledge. If you want to get involved, there is always ample opportunity to do so, so please get in touch!
The 2021 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Giorgia Dalla Santa for her outstanding research on shallow geothermal systems for building conditioning.
The 2020 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Estanislao Pujades for his outstanding research on Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower using abandoned mines, and its interaction with groundwater.
In February The Loupe celebrates this month’s three successful missions to Mars, including the unique science and symbolism of the first Arab mission to the Red Planet. Because the data from this mission will be openly shared, it lets all scientists embark on an exciting journey to explore the secrets of our neighbouring planet’s atmosphere together. This issue features three EGU divisions: Geosciences Instrumentation and Data Systems (GI), Planetary and Solar System Sciences (PS), and Solar-Terrestrial Sciences (ST).
The Loupe also highlights everything you need to know about the vEGU21 scientific sessions, 5 key new initiatives the Union implemented in 2020, and two blogs with lighthearted tips for a greener EGU21 and some lessons you can take from this year’s virtual General Assembly to make your in-person conferences greener.
In addition to the latest Journal Watch and GeoRoundup of February EGU journal highlights, this issue also looks at what Union leaders hope they can achieve in the next few years and tackles the ‘rotten’ topic of how Europe should deal with its waste.