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Asmae Ourkiya

Asmae Ourkiya (They/Them) is the Media and Engagement Manager at EGU. They manage press releases, coordinate press participation and the press centre at the EGU General Assembly, and write and manage the EGU blogs. Asmae holds a Ph.D. in queer intersectional ecofeminism from MIC, University of Limerick in Ireland. Their research revolves around climate justice, and promotes inclusion and equality in climate governance.

Geolog series: Communicating uncertainty in science -Student perspectives from the University of Tübingen

and August 28, 2026
Geolog series: Communicating uncertainty in science -Student perspectives from the University of Tübingen
Students’ drawings of uncertainty in their field of studies. (L) Uncertainty in Sociology: the complexity of social identity categorization (image credit: Zisan Tosun), (R) Uncertainty in Sport Sciences; training results for different athletes following the exact same plan. Drawing by Felix Seibold.

Welcome to a new series on GeoLog dedicated to one of the most critical yet frequently misunderstood aspects of research: Communicating uncertainty in science. Over the coming months, we will feature six guest posts written by students from a summer course at the University of Tübingen. Bringing together 13 students across diverse disciplines, the course challenged them to reframe uncertainty as a ...[Read More]

From under Lake Nyos: The geology, physics, and engineering of limnic eruptions

August 21, 2026
From under Lake Nyos: The geology, physics, and engineering of limnic eruptions
In 1986, Lake Nyos, in the volcanic region of Cameroon, released a cloud of CO2 into the atmosphere, killing 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby towns and villages. Since then, engineers have been artificially removing the gas from the lake through piping. The gas burst in 1986 from the 200-meter deep Lake Nyos was so violent that water washed over the 80-meter high promontory in the foreground. Source: United States Geological Survey

On the evening of August 21, 1986, an unusual stillness blanketed the green highlands of northwestern Cameroon. The local villagers in Nyos, Cha, and Subum were preparing for bed, totally unaware that the crater lake nearby had reached its breaking point. Without warning, a wave of gas burst from the lake and spilled over the volcanic crater rim and cascaded into the valleys. Unseen, heavy, and co ...[Read More]

A geoscience reality check on World Biofuels Day

August 10, 2026
A geoscience reality check on World Biofuels Day
Photo by Peter Leth. Source: Unsplash

On a humid morning in Augsburg, Germany, on August 10, 1893, a ten-foot iron cylinder roared to life for the first time. The engine belonged to Sir Rudolf Diesel, and running through its veins was not the petroleum distillate we associate with his name today, but in fact, peanut oil! Diesel’s early experiment proved something revolutionary for the late Industrial Revolution: the engines driving hu ...[Read More]

Thirty years after Biescas: Rethinking alluvial fan flooding and infrastructure failure

August 7, 2026
Thirty years after Biescas: Rethinking alluvial fan flooding and infrastructure failure
Aftermath of the 1999 Carbadella flooding. Source: NHESS journal.

Thirty years ago, in August 1996, a catastrophic flash flood swept through the Las Nieves campsite on the alluvial fan of the Barranco de Aras near Biescas in the Central Pyrenees of Aragón, Spain. The tragedy claimed 87 lives and injured over 180 people. This makes it one of the most severe weather-related disasters in modern European history. In the decades following the disaster, geoscientists ...[Read More]