EGU Blogs

Retired blogs

Geology for Global Development

GfGD Strategy 2017-2021: Championing Sustainable Development

June 12, 2017
GfGD Strategy 2017-2021: Championing Sustainable Development

Today we publish the GfGD Strategy (2017-2021), outlining our vision and the key objectives that will shape our work over the next 5-years. In 2015, the international community agreed the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals aim to eradicate global poverty, promote sustainable consumption patterns, and facilitate sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development and envir ...[Read More]

WaterUnderground

Is highway de-icing ‘a-salting’ our aquifers?

10th June 2017
Is highway de-icing ‘a-salting’ our aquifers?

Post by Mark Cuthbert, Cardiff University, and Michael Rivett, GroundH20 plus Ltd; University of Strathclyde. If you live in a cold climate, have you ever wondered where all the de-icing salt (or ‘grit’ as we call it in the UK) that gets spread on the roads in winter time ends up, aside from that accumulating salty grime that coats your car? As you might expect, most of the salt gets washed off th ...[Read More]

Geology for Global Development

Geology for Global Development – Our Story, Our Future

June 10, 2017
Geology for Global Development – Our Story, Our Future

Geology for Global Development (GfGD) is a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number: 1165663). As we prepare to launch our 5-year strategy (2017-2021) on Monday 12th June, we believe it is helpful to reflect on our story to-date, and share some highlights. Tanzania: The start of our story Kagera is a beautiful region of Tanzania, bordering Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Lake Victoria. ...[Read More]

Geology for Global Development

GfGD Annual Report 2016

June 9, 2017
GfGD Annual Report 2016

Today we publish our 2016 Annual Report, an important opportunity to share information about our charitable objectives and team, report on activities through 2016, and present an overview of our finances. Geology for Global Development, established in 2011, is working to mobilise and equip the geology community to prevent and relieve poverty. In February 2016, our application to become a registere ...[Read More]

WaterUnderground

Fire and groundwater

3rd June 2017
Fire and groundwater

Post by Andy Baker, University of New South Wales The effects of fire on the surface environment are clear to see. Landscapes are coated in ash. Intense fires can destroy all vegetation and alter soil properties. Less intense fires destroy just the surface leaf litter, grasses and shrubs.  Grass fires can be fast moving, destroying buildings and threatening lives. Intense fires can even form their ...[Read More]

Geology for Global Development

Guest Blog: Could agroforestry do more to protect Rwandans from hazardous landslides?

May 26, 2017
Guest Blog: Could agroforestry do more to protect Rwandans from hazardous landslides?

Megan Jamer is a geoscientist from Canada, and an avid cyclist and explorer. Megan is currently travelling around East Africa on bicycle, taking in some remarkable sites and observing first hand the relationship between geoscience and sustainable development. Today Megan makes her debut on the GfGD blog site, writing on the relationship between agroforestry, landslides, and disaster risk reduction ...[Read More]

WaterUnderground

Squeezed by gravity: how tides affect the groundwater under our feet

16th May 2017
Squeezed by gravity: how tides affect the groundwater under our feet

Post from the Conversation, by Gabriel C Rau, Ian Acworth, Landon J.S. Halloran, Mark O Cuthbert When returning from a swim in the ocean, sometimes it seems as though your towel has moved. Of course, it’s just that the water line has shifted. The natural rise and fall of the ocean at the beach is an excellent demonstration of gravitational forces exerted by the Sun and the Moon. Although the tidal ...[Read More]

Geology for Global Development

GfGD Annual Conference 2017

May 15, 2017
GfGD Annual Conference 2017

Since 2013, Geology for Global Development (GfGD) has organised an annual conference exploring the role of geologists in fighting poverty and sustainable development. Each event has gathered 100-150 participants (with >80% being students and early-career geoscientists) to engage with experts from academia, the private sector, the public sector and civil society. Our annual conference is a highl ...[Read More]

WaterUnderground

Groundwater Speed Dating! Can you find a match?

11th May 2017
Groundwater Speed Dating! Can you find a match?

Post by Matt Herod Welcome to the first edition of groundwater speed dating. In today’s post I introduce you to a motley crew of isotopes and chemicals that hydrogeologists and geochemists use to date the age of groundwater. After meeting all of the contestants it will be up to you to pick your favourite and perhaps propose a second date. On your groundwater samples that is. Before I introdu ...[Read More]