A Review of the 2017 European Geosciences Union (EGU) Assembly

by Dr Cvetan Sinadinovski (cvetansin@hotmail.com)

The 2017 European Geosciences Union (EGU) Assembly was held again in Vienna between April 23rd and 28th this year. Almost 15,000 scientists from 107 countries participated in the conference with oral, poster and interactive presentations together with courses and side events. Australia by far was represented through the research work of the Universities.

The program covered a vast number of topics in the scientific, education and media domains. In the disciplinary sessions the main subjects were:

  • Atmospheric Sciences
  • Biogeosciences
  • Climate: Past, Present, Future
  • Cryospheric Sciences
  • Earth Magnetism & Rock Physics
  • Energy, Resources and the Environment
  • Earth & Space Science Informatics
  • Geodesy
  • Geodynamics
  • Geosciences Instrumentation & Data Systems
  • Geomorphology
  • Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology
  • Hydrological Sciences
  • Natural Hazards
  • Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences
  • Ocean Sciences
  • Planetary & Solar System Sciences
  • Seismology
  • Stratigraphy, Sedimentology & Palaeontology
  • Soil System Sciences
  • Solar-Terrestrial Sciences and
  • Tectonics & Structural Geology

The particular topics under Seismology were the following:

  • Earthquake sources
  • Engineering seismology & probabilistic seismic hazard
  • Seismic imaging across scales (from near-surface to global scale, incl. methodological developments)
  • Seismic instrumentation & infrastructure
  • Deformation, faulting, and earthquake processes (incl. seismotectonics, geodynamics, earthquake source physics)
  • Computational & theoretical seismology
  • Crustal fluids & seismic activity (incl. induced & triggered seismicity, volcano seismology), and
  • Real-time seismology & early warning.

Numerous special lectures had big audiences, such as the Beno Gutenberg Medal Lecture by Hitoshi Kawakatsu from Japan. Many plenary sessions comprised of Environmental issues which indicate today’s trends and expansion of the more conventional applications in Geosciences.

An overview of the data analysis was presented based on the 2016 Central Italy seismic sequence. Those outcomes could be impacting European Seismic Hazard and Risk Assessment of disasters, preparedness planning and building protection programs.

The EGU 2017 General Assembly was the largest geosciences gathering and exhibition in Europe, which brought together thousands of world-wide geoscientists into a meeting covering all disciplines of the Earth Sciences. It provided one unique opportunity for the researchers and students to learn about new developments and find out about the latest discoveries in a variety of areas such as climate change, space and planetary sciences, natural disasters, and ocean exploration. Further specific details on interest about the past and future conferences can be found under the EGU’s official website www.egu.eu