Last week, the EGU General Assembly 2024 brought together a global community of geoscientists in an event that spanned the broad spectrum of Earth, planetary, and space sciences. Known for its inclusivity and focus on fostering discussions across all geoscience disciplines, the assembly aims to be a pivotal platform for scientists at every career stage, particularly those just starting out, to showcase their research and engage with leading experts in the field.
This year's assembly, EGU24, experienced an impressive turnout, attracting 20,979 registered participants. A significant contribution came from early career scientists, who accounted for 57% of the abstracts presented. Sessions focusing on climate were among the most popular, highlighting the growing concern within the geoscience community regarding climate issues.
The Geological Survey Ireland team was among the attendees, with seven members making their mark by participating in various sessions. One of the highlights for the team was their involvement in a symposium dedicated to discussing critical raw materials. Another great aspect to see was the number of Geological Survey Ireland-funded projects from various organisations such as DIAS, iCRAG, and various Irish universities.
The team from Geological Survey Ireland shared some of their highlights from EGU24:
Most interesting
| Does climate change affect earthquake risks? (VIDEO) | Convener: Mary Antonette Beroya-Eitner Co-conveners: Fabrice Cotton, Kate Nelson |
Most innovative | Fibre-optic point and distributed sensing: theory, instrumentation, observations and modelling | Convener: Gilda Currenti | Co-conveners: Philippe Jousset, Shane Murphy, Marc-Andre Gutscher, Gizem Izgi, Zack Spica, Sabrina Keil |
Best use of Geological Survey Ireland data | Identifying the Transition Zone between Peat and Mineral Soils Using Airborne Radiometric Data: a national scale case study from Ireland | Authors: David O Leary, John Connolly Louis Gilet, Patrick Tuohy, Jim Hodgson, and Eve Daly |
Most optimistic | The EU Critical Raw Materials Act – how geoscientists can directly inform European policy and regulation (VIDEO) | Convener: Aoife Braiden | Co-conveners: Ana Luisa Lavado, Mairéad Fitzsimons, Jakob Kloeve Keiding |
Circular economy highlight | Critical metals and minerals from mining and quarrying waste materials: formation, recovery and environmentally sustainable management for their valorization
| Convener: Antonello Aquilano | Co-conveners: Elena Marrocchino, Giovanna Antonella Dino, Angel M Lopez-Buendia, Stefan Dirlich |
Best named | Lake SkyWater - a portable optical buoy for easily measuring water-leaving radiance in lakes based on the skylight-blocked approach (SBA) | Authors: Arthur Coqué, Tiphaine Peroux, Guillaume Morin, and Thierry Tormos |
Best visuals | Visible Geology: a revolutionary shift in earth-related science education is here. | Authors: Rachel Murtagh, Peter Joynt, and Holly Chapman |
Interesting Interdisciplinary Approach | Filipino youth-led place-based geoducation through knowledge sharing between young professionals and residents : the Nomad Projects OpenEdu workshops | Authors: Paula Naomi Irapta and Vien Valencia |
Most Promising Early Career Research | Full-waveform modelling of coupling and site effects for DAS cables | Authors: Nicolas Luca Celli, Christopher J. Bean, and Gareth S. O'Brien |
A new way of doing things | Mapping thermal conductivity in Ireland to determine geothermal potential | Authors: Emma L. Chambers, Duygu Kiyan, Riccardo Pasquali, Javier Fullea, Pat Meere, Sergei Lebedev, Chris Bean, and Brian O'Reilly |
Best Poster Presentation | "Quake Shake" - A New Citizen Earthquake Outreach Programme In Ireland. | Author: Laura Reilly |
Most Engaging Public Outreach | Reclaiming the rocks: ukuthetha ngezifundo zomhlaba ngesiXhosa | Authors: Sinelethu Hashibi and Rosalie Tostevin |
The Geological Survey Ireland team at EGU24 from left to right; Rory Selby-Smith, Koen Verbruggen, Sophie O'Connor, Beatriz Mozo, Siobhán Power, Ana Luísa Catarré Lavado, and Aoife Braiden