We hope you had a good first day at the European Geoscience Union General Assembly 2011, whether you’re here in person or following online via the webstream.
Some union wide events happening at the EGU GA 2011 on Tuesday 5 April.
13:30–15:10 Union Symposium. The Future of Water Cycle Earth Observing Systems, Room D [Webstream]
This Union Session will explore visions on new water cycle observing systems. Major space agencies are planning new satellites that will provide new and additional space-based observations of the water and energy cycles components. It is expected that these observations will lead to improved applications (e.g. in agriculture, water and energy management) and scientific understanding the Earth’s climate. Overall the level of innovation presented in the future missions is limited, whether in sensor design, the synergistic use of the data with other data or the delivery of the information to users. For more information see the Session Details
15:30–17:00 Great Debate. How will Europe face the raw materials crisis? Room D [Webstream]
Recent publicity of China’s control of the rare earth element market and the growing crisis of supply of metals essential for new technologies is a reminder of Europe’s near-total dependence on imported metals. The European Union spends 55 billion Euros per year, half of its total budget, to assure a supply of agricultural products but seems satisfied that >97% of all metals are imported. In this debate, experts from academia and industry will discuss the current state of the minerals industry, in Europe and on a global sale; they will explore which metals may be in short supply and what can done in universities, government agencies and industry to mitigate the problem. For more information see the Session Details
Townhall Meetings
10:30–12:00 A roadmap for European Geoscience Infrastructure (sponsored by EU RD infrastructures) and ESFRI, Room 1.
19:00–20:00 Joint IODP ICDP Townhall Meeting. (Room 4)
19:00–20:00 Career Development: how can we integrate graduate and employer needs, Room 5. More details about the speakers can be found on the YES Network site. This is being webstreamed independently see their webstream page for details.
