European Geosciences Union
Division on Energy, Resources and the Environment
President: Sonja Martens (ere@egu.eu)
Deputy President: Christopher Juhlin
(christopher.juhlin@geo.uu.se)
Officer "Above ground":
Viktor Bruckman (viktor.bruckman@oeaw.ac.at)
Officer "Economics & Integration":
Kristen Mitchell (drkristenmitchell@gmail.com)
Officer "Publications":
Michael Kühn (mkuehn@gfz-potsdam.de)
Officer "Subsurface":
Maria Ask (maria.ask@ltu.se)
ECS Representative:
Natalie Christine Nakaten (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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Natalie is a postdoctoral researcher at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (Section Fluid Systems Modelling) in Potsdam, Germany. She is an economic geographer by background and focused on techno-economic process modelling. Her research interests are mainly related to the topics Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) as well as gas and energy storage.
As ERE-ECS representative, Natalie aims to motivate ECSs to take part in ERE division activities and hereby strengthen the interchange of scientific knowledge and experiences.
The 2019 Outstanding Student Poster and PICO (OSPP) Awards is awarded to Mengdi Pan Changes of Permeability as a Result of Hydrate Dissociation in Sand-Clay Sediment from Qilian Mountain Permafrost, China
The 2019 Outstanding Student Poster and PICO (OSPP) Awards is awarded to Parminder Kaur Jaisalmer Golden Limestone and Sandstone: A Heritage Stone Province from the Desert of Western India
The 2018 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientists Awards is awarded to Victor Vilarrasa for significant contributions to the understanding of the thermo-hydro-mechanical processes inducing seismicity in geo-energy-related operations.
The 2018 Outstanding Student Poster and PICO (OSPP) Awards is awarded to Sarah Clancy The optimal lateral length and well pad size for maximising recoverable reserves of shale gas in northern England
The EGU made several exciting announcements in October. Earlier this week we reported that beginning in 2020, the carbon dioxide emissions for the travel of all General Assembly participants will be offset. This represents a first for any major geoscience event and, along with a host of other greening initiatives, marks another important step towards minimising the meeting’s environmental impact.
Earlier this month EGU announced the winners of the 2020 awards and medals: 49 individuals who have made significant contributions to the Earth, planetary and space sciences and who will be honoured at the 2020 EGU General Assembly in May. We also announced the winners of the Outstanding Student Poster and PICO (OSPP) Awards from the 2019 General Assembly.
In October the EGU also hosted its second-annual science policy event in Brussels. The gathering brought together geoscientists and policymakers to provide feedback regarding the themes recently chosen for Horizon Europe, the EU’s next research and innovation framework programme.
The call for abstracts for our annual conference is now open. If you are interested in presenting your work in Vienna in May, please be sure to submit your abstract by 15 January 2020, 13:00 CET. If you would like to apply for Roland Schlich travel support to attend the meeting, please submit your abstract no later than 1 December 2019.
Only two weeks remain to provide input regarding EGU's activities, so please take five minutes to fill out the Membership Survey today!
In November, 2019 EGU members will have the opportunity to vote in the Union's autumn elections. Please check the elections page on our website for more information.