A new art and science exhibition showcasing geoscience and the impact of climate change has been officially opened today by Jenny Gilruth MSP, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, at National Mining Museum Scotland (NMMS) in Newtongrange. 

The Carbon Conflict and Climate Change exhibition, which will run until spring 2022, is a collaboration between the NMMS and BGS. The exhibition will take viewers on a journey through a series of geoscience themes. It will showcase how climate change affects our urban and natural environments, focusing on the global transition away from fossil fuels as a source of energy,towards a future of decarbonisation, connecting local and international cultures through art and science.

Culture and the arts have a vital role to play in raising awareness about the climate emergency and I’m sure this inspiring exhibition will encourage people to consider how their individual behaviour or actions could change as a result.

One of the ambitions of our Culture Strategy is for the heritage and culture sectors to lead the conversation when it comes to our response to climate change. The way a wide range of partners have come together at the Midlothian Climate Beacon to create a legacy for the future is therefore really impressive.

Jenny Gilruth MSP, Culture Minister

It will feature works by environmental artist and BGS soil hydrogeologist, Nicole Manley, whose work uses a combination of digital collage, clay sculpture and light and sound installation to generate connections between people and environment.  

It been extremely rewarding to take part in such an inspirational, Scotland-wide collaboration and bring together shared scientific resources and knowledge through art.

Sharing complex natural processes through an artistic dialogue, such as how the flow of water and the weather constantly transform our surrounding environment, has the ability to connect local and international audiences across different cultures and will help more people to engage intuitively with climate change and COP26, because it matters for our future.

Nicole Manley, BGS soil hydrogeologist

The exhibition forms part of the -led Climate Beacon project. Seven ‘climate beacons’ have been created across Scotland that combine cultural, heritage or arts organisations and climate or environmental organisations, with the aim of stimulating long-term public engagement prior to and following , which took place in Glasgow from 1-12 November 2021.

Exhibition highlights include short films from scientists who reveal how our coastlines, glaciers, volcanoes, water, soils, rocks and building stones are all intrinsically affected by climate change. Technology-led adaptations to climate change are also explored through research themes relating to renewable energy, zero carbon cities and carbon storage. Alongside these works, viewers will be able to see and take part in ‘Weathering Earth, an ongoing participatory art installation inviting people to make a clay sculpture relating to climate change. The sculptures will be placed outside to be weathered over several days, before being brought back on display in the main exhibition to create one large installation from many small sculptures.

This exhibition breathse news life into the importance of geoscience for our natural environment and urban spaces in the face of climate change.

Geoscience is essential to helping us monitor and understand natural earth processes and the impacts of climate change, so that we can support practical solutions to adapt to a changing planet.

We are very pleased to support Nicole vision, to share her talented works with visitors and encourage everyone to come and be inspired by what the geological record can tell us about climate change and some of the fascinating technological solutions that geologists are researching and developing to help us build a more sustainable, prosperous planet.

Tracy Shimmield, Executive Director, Lyell Centre at the 51ÁÔÆæ and Heriot-Watt University.

We hope the combination of geoscience and environmental art will encourage transformative discussion about climate change through a series of workshops being held throughout the exhibition. The timings of the workshops will be advertised on the National Mining Museum Scotland website.

We are delighted to work with BGS and Nicole as part of the Midlothian Climate Beacon project. Hosting this exhibition is exciting as it allows us to explore the challenges that climate change presents and to consider solutions on an individual and community level that can bring about positive change.

Whilst we strive to learn from the past and tell the story of Scotland energy journey, NMMS is delighted to be given this platform and opportunity to focus on this challenging subject and important issues that are front and centre in the world right now. We hope this exhibition will allow visitors to learn, reflect and consider their place within the climate change challenge.

Mhairi Cross, National Mining Museum Scotland Chief Executive.

Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser, chief executive of UK Research and Innovation (51ÁÔÆæ), visited the Glasgow geoenergy observatory this week. 

The Glasgow Observatory provides scientists and researchers with unprecedented access to the subsurface and will fill in the knowledge gaps around geothermal energy. The site comprises 12 boreholes, which range from 16–199 m deep and are fitted with hundreds of state-of-the-art sensors. 

Glasgow, the host of COP26, is also home to part of the UK Geoenergy Observatories project.

The 12 boreholes here are generating data that will help scientists around the world better understand geothermal energy. This will play a key role in meeting our net zero targets by decarbonising our energy supply.

Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser, chief executive, 51ÁÔÆæ.

Dame Ottoline was given a tour of the site by BGS’s Dr Tracy Shimmield and was shown a demonstration of how water samples are collected from the boreholes. 

The Glasgow Observatory is already producing valuable data. We know the temperature of the water below the surface and that the mine workings are connected.

This will help shine light on whether the towns and cities around the world that sit on top of old mine workings could use that resource to power their homes and businesses.

Dr Tracy Shimmield, BGS.

While a handful of small-scale geothermal energy projects have been developed in the UK to date, wider adoption has lagged.

To provide sustainable and economically viable geothermal energy, we need fundamental information on how the chemical, physical, water and microbiological subsurface changes when we extract or store heat. This data is needed to optimise extraction of heat and inform regulators. We also need to be able to test and demonstrate new technologies.

The UK Geoenergy Observatories will provide us with infrastructure to monitor and analyse subsurface processes and test technologies.

Prof Zoe Shipton, chair of the UK Geoenergy Observatory science advisory group

The UK Geoenergy Observatories in Glasgow and Cheshire represent a £31 million investment by the UK Government through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). They were commissioned by UK Research and Innovation (51ÁÔÆæ) Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and are delivered by BGS, which runs the sites and manages the data.

The 23 m-high Hope Sculpture is located in the beautiful woodland park of Cuningar Loop, part of Clyde Gateway, Scotland biggest and most ambitious regeneration programme.

Cuningar Park was once a major contributor to the industrial revolution and was once the location of Farme Colliery from 1805 to 1931, the last colliery to be worked within the Glasgow city boundary. Today, it is also home to . The observatory, led by BGS, is observing flooded mine workings beneath the east end of the city to explore how geoenergy can help to deliver clean economic growth.

The Hope Sculpture will serve as a beacon of hope and positivity towards reaching global environmental milestones and a reminder that we as a society do care about each other and our planet. It forms part of a major city-wide public art installation by leading artist and designer Steuart Padwick, sited at three locations across Glasgow for COP26 and beyond.

The Hope Sculpture started as a conversation with Ramboll and became a gift from 50 companies to Glasgow. It is a testament to the power of collaboration and dedication to deliver a better future.

Steuart Padwick, artist and designer.

The Hope Sculpture stands in synchronicity with an innovative underground observatory just a few hundred metres away, repurposing old coal mine workings for renewable heat. Together, they symbolise how we can re-imagine on our industrial legacy and look forward to a greener future.

Alison Monaghan MBE, 51ÁÔÆæ.

In addition to the Hope Sculpture at Cunnigar Loop, which has been made possible with support from Clyde Gateway, a 4.5 m-high Beacon of Hope is located at the city architecturally significant Glasgow Central Station, in partnership with Network Rail.

A further 3.5 m-high Hope Triptych is located at the University of Strathclyde Rottenrow Gardens, in partnership with University of Strathclyde. Visitors will be encouraged to access the sculptures via a walking and cycling route that connects the pieces.

Each sculpture is being constructed using low carbon, reclaimed, recycled or sustainable materials, of which almost all have been locally sourced. It is a showcase for how leading industry partners are committed to build more sustainably, as we transition to a net zero future. The build demonstrates a 75 per cent lower carbon impact.

The monumental Hope Sculpture features an age-, gender- and race-neutral child embracing surrounding nature and reaching out to a greener, more hopeful future. The child stands above towering, 20 m-high elegant columns that take their form from the brick chimney stalks that once littered the East End of Glasgow. Unlike its predecessors, this deconstructed chimney stalk is made from an innovative new low-carbon, 100 per cent cement-free concrete incorporating locally sourced aggregates and recycled crushed glass in the child.

All lighting will be soft, low-energy and respectful of the environment and local wildlife, using fittings designed and manufactured in Scotland for the Circular Economy.

The principal build partners for the project include lead consultant Ramboll, lead contractor Urban Union (part of Robertson Group), Aggregate Industries (member of Holcim) and Keltbray.

River scour is the removal of sediment or engineered materials from a river environment. It a real threat to riverine structures such as bridges and associated infrastructure. In Britain, there have been at least 50 known instances where river scour has caused railway bridge failures (, ).

With projected climate scenarios telling us not only of an expected increase in rainfall in some areas of the UK, but also of an increase in the intensity of that rainfall, we are expecting river scour to become an increasing issue. With fuller and faster flowing rivers, proximal assets including roads and buildings could also become at increased risk if river scour removes sediments laterally and at a faster pace. We need to be able to identify locations at risk and adapt to the changing conditions to increase our resilience.

The existing 51ÁÔÆæ GeoScour data product provides information for users on the natural characteristics and properties of catchment and riverine environments for the assessment of river scour across Great Britain. Whilst this product provides information on baseline geological conditions and other associated characteristics, it does not convey potential for change through time. Take a look at we released on our original GeoScour product for some more information.

To bring in this temporal component, with a focus on changing patterns of precipitation based on , we are now trialling a new GeoScour-Climate dataset. To date with this beta product, we have considered how climate change could modify potential effects related to flood accommodation space (locations with limited space to hold flood waters will potentially be at higher risk of scour events) and worst-case scenario erosion cases as identified in the current GeoScour product. This provides time-specific potential for change under the extreme scenario RCP 8.5 (read more about RCPs, or representative concentration pathways, on the ).

By integrating climate scenario information, we can move from providing baseline conditions to incorporating environmental process interactions over time. This will enable our data product users to establish a better understanding of how river scour might evolve through time. Incorporating this additional information into planning and risk assessment development can then help ensure climate resilience and the sustainability of both existing and future infrastructure and developments.

To ensure that our future products meet your requirements, consideration of your needs throughout the development process is essential. If you would like to learn more about our GeoScour-Climate developments or would like to discuss how this and similar climate related datasets might be useful for your applications or business, please get in touch with us at digitialdata@bgs.ac.uk. If you have five minutes, please also fill out our

About the authors

In the UK deepest mine, situated between Saltburn and Whitby on the north-east coast of England, ICL Boulby hosts the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Boulby Underground Laboratory. The laboratory sits within thick rock-salt (halite) deposits in the mine left behind from the evaporation of the ancient Zechstein Sea some 250 million years ago. The mine contains a network of roadways and caverns, with over 1000 km of tunnel, excavated during mining operations that began in 1968. It’s now one of the few places that halite can be studied at depth.

It’s in this busy, working rock-salt and polyhalite mine that BGS scientists have been going underground into a hidden laboratory. Being situated in an active mine, the team must wear an outfit consisting of high-visibility t-shirts, shorts and even shin pads before they can begin their research. It a journey so far down, you’ll need a lift to take you there.

Our experts are working with staff from the mine and Boulby Underground Laboratory to design a research programme to help understand the behavior of rock-salt. Caverns formed in halite by solution mining can be used to store excess energy generated from wind and solar in the form of compressed air or hydrogen. One of the main benefits of this is that the technology allows a greater amount of renewable energy to be used in a flexible way, which many think will be essential for the UK to achieve its net zero ambitions. However, the way the caverns form can lead to a loss of operational efficiency. This research will help in the optimisation of cavern design whilst also making the most efficient use of the unique halite resources in the UK.

The importance of salt caverns for energy storage  

It is a well-known fact that some renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, are intermittent. Little energy is produced on days without sunshine or wind. This is in contrast to fossil fuels or nuclear energy, which can produce energy all year round. On days when we can use both fossil fuels and other energy sources, there is the potential for surplus energy to be created. Therefore, having ways to store surplus energy will be vital to fill potential gaps in the energy supply as the UK moves away from fossil fuel energy sources.

Energy storage can take the form of compressed of air in ‘compressed air energy storage’ (CAES) or by the production of hydrogen via electrolysis: both gases can be stored in solution-mined caverns developed in halite. Storing gases within caverns requires a detailed understanding of a number of parameters associated with cavern operation, including variations in terms of geology and in situ conditions such as temperature and stress.

Halite is an ideal material to host storage caverns:

• it can be readily dissolved to form a cavern
• it has a low permeability
• it does not react with stored gases, meaning air or hydrogen can be safely stored and retrieved

Having an understanding of the processes that influence cavern formation and the way in which caverns may evolve over time is relevant to enable increased capacity of energy storage in the UK.

Understanding salt cavern formation

51ÁÔÆæ is carrying out a number of tests on the rocks exposed at Boulby to understand the controls on the formation of solution-mined caverns. These tests have initially begun at a small scale, allowing them to be tied into laboratory studies taking place at BGS. To date, this has involved creating small-scale voids at the base of a number of boreholes (1–2 m in depth) and varying the injection point and the salinity of the fluid used to dissolve the halite.

The aim of these studies is to understand how fluid chemistry and the location of the injection tube within the borehole may affect the shape of a cavern. A resin was poured into these small boreholes and voids, meaning a mould of the borehole could be taken. These moulds have been excavated and studied in three dimensions back in the BGS laboratories. A series of laser scans have also taken place in order to begin to analyse the effect of fluid salinity on cavern shape.

51ÁÔÆæ plans to build on this work to study the processes involved in cavern formation and pressurisation at a larger scale, potentially up to several metres.

STFC have recently purchased a laser-scanning device that will enable BGS scientists to scan the caverns and voids that they develop. Being able to analyse the shapes and volumes of the caverns and how cavern morphology may change in time will be vital to understanding the nature of salt dissolution and also how rock stresses may alter cavern shape over time.

The research will help to answer important questions that can help in the cavern design process:

• How does salinity of the pumped fluid alter the shape of the formed cavern?
• How does natural variation in halite (e.g. small fractures; varying composition) affect the formation of a cavern?
• How does the pressure within the cavern affect the stability of the rock walls?
• In what conditions can caverns begin to interact with each other?

• What is the storage potential of the thatwhich extends deep under the North Sea?

These are all questions which, if answered, would help to improve the understanding of the ways caverns form and therefore would result in more well-formed caverns and increased industry efficiency.

Research so far has studied the degree of dissolution that occurs for different salinity injection fluids. Furthermore, a clear link has been shown between the salinity of the injection fluid and the surface roughness of the cavern walls; a low salinity fluid creates a larger cavern, although it has a rougher surface wall.

Andrew Wiseall, BGS Experimental Fluid Process Scientist.

Scaling the research

Whilst industry-scale salt caverns are much larger than the tests being carried out at Boulby, the caverns that scientists are looking to form at Boulby will only be small scale to begin with; around 10–15 m under the surface of the mine floor and potentially up to 5 m in length. These caverns are able to start answering several complex research questions. However, the success of the initial research means the scientists hope to secure funding to be able to upscale this work over the coming months and years to form a larger-scale testbed.

Scientists know that enhancing their understanding around the size and spacing of caverns is relevant to the safety of cavern storage schemes. If caverns are too large and too close together, they may interact with each other and become unsafe; too far apart and sites become much larger and more expensive to develop. It important to carry out thorough research at relevant scales to understand this.

A unique environment

The Boulby Underground Laboratory is run by the STFC, part of UK Research and Innovation (51ÁÔÆæ). The STFC, along with ICL-UK, have been hosting underground science at Boulby since the 1990s.

Described as a ‘special place for science’, STFC emphasises that the facility is home to a fascinating array of science projects from astrophysics, including the search for dark matter, to ultra-low background material screening, studies of geology and geophysics, climate, the environment, life in extreme environments on Earth and beyond.

For the team at BGS, carrying out tests of this nature at a depth of over a kilometre within the mine is entirely novel and does not come without its challenges.

At 1100 m depth, the team is sometimes working in baking temperatures of up to 35^oC. Working among salt deposits can also make for an extremely dry environment. Since it takes around seven minutes to travel to the bottom of the mine, transporting equipment is an interesting challenge that must be carefully planned and coordinated with other projects being carried out in the mine. Researchers are expected to wear protective shin pads and hard hats, carry torches and an emergency device that can convert poisonous carbon monoxide into breathable carbon dioxide for enough time to escape to a safe area. Mine-drilling teams and geologists must work closely together to ensure safety at all times.

The importance of Boulby Underground Laboratory

Boulby Mine is special in the UK as it allows the Permian bedded halites of the eastern UK to be accessed and experiments to be run in situ. The research is relevant to understanding one of the main potential areas for cavern development in the UK and importantly extends beneath parts of the North Sea.

Being able to access the Boulby site means we have direct access to the in situ rock at depth and can perform experiments at a range of scales. This would only normally be accessible using rock core, where we would only get a very small amount of material. Furthermore, the field tests can be carried out at relevant stresses and temperatures due to the depth of the mine.

The extent of the mine also means it may be possible to study the spatial variability in the properties of the salt.

Andrew Wiseall, BGS Experimental Fluid Process Scientist.

Sustainable Development Goals 

51ÁÔÆæ is committed to the outcomes set out in its latest Science Strategy, Gateway to the Earth, which includes expanding activities in response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research helps to achieve SDG, 7 to ensure affordable, reliable and sustainable energy, and SDG 9, to promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.

Funding

This project is currently funded by internal BGS funding.

More than 230 local authorities in the UK have declared a climate emergency and, with it, the implementation of climate action strategies to help mitigate and adapt to climate change. However, the city of today isn’t necessarily a useful benchmark to respond to climate pressures: if we are to deliver on our climate and sustainable development goals, a radical rethink of the public realm is needed. 

We talk a lot about the ‘future cities’ in the context of electric vehicles and renewable energy, but I’d like to promote discussion about the use of space beneath our cities to support climate resilience — the so-called final urban frontier.

At first glance, the use of underground space (the subsurface) to support climate action might seem quite an abstract concept, but in reality there are already several inspiring examples where the application of science, innovation and technology are delivering novel subsurface land uses in support of climate resilience. This includes in London, turning a former Second World War bunker into an energy-smart ‘urban farm’ for microgreens, and the (SMART) in Kuala Lumpur, which doubles up to provide storage for storm water during extreme rainfall.

In the future, will we also see the first underground park (the ) in aid of urban greening and cool spaces? Or the repurposing of old shafts for gravity energy storage? Or perhaps the movement of goods underground as per the Swiss ? And of course, there are more established technologies that are already being applied across cities in the UK such as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) to help manage flood risk and ground source heat pumps, which provide a low carbon energy source to heat and cool down buildings — two active research areas for scientists at the BGS.

There is much to be optimistic about, but we must be cautious. The geology (the subsurface ground conditions) of UK urban centres is highly variable and has a significant bearing on what underground technologies and innovations can be successfully implemented.

Ground conditions will affect the design of underground schemes, have an impact on the cost of construction below ground and will influence the financial viability of the development. For example, infiltration SuDS can only be installed where the ground is permeable enough to receive the surface water and where there is no risk of mobilising contaminants in the ground or exacerbating existing ground risks. Open-loop ground source heat pumps can only be installed where there is a source of groundwater to circulate through the system, where the thermal properties of the ground are suitable and if the system won’t negatively impact the environment or surrounding land uses.

51ÁÔÆæ has been conducting research over a number of years to characterise urban subsurface environments to support land-use planning and help identify where these new climate measures and technologies can be implemented.

Our 3D and 4D models provide an enhanced understanding of the geological structures and sediments and the physical properties of the ground in urban areas. These geological models are being used to support the use of geothermal energy sources in Glasgow and Cardiff, the construction of new tunnels in London and subsurface planning in Singapore.

We have urban observatories that monitor changes in the environment associated with the implementation of climate measures and new technology, for example monitoring changes in temperature or changes in the water system. We have recently published , which investigated changes in soil moisture and groundwater recharge processes through infiltration SuDS. The research recommends the use of hybrid infiltration and water retention SuDS schemes to effectively manage flood risk.

With a robust ground model for the urban subsurface and a good appreciation of geological properties and processes we can more confidently implement environmentally sensitive design principles and edge closer towards the climate resilient city.

51ÁÔÆæ is part of an inspiring new project designed to bring science and poetry together to imagine a more prosperous, sustainable planet.

is an Arts Council-funded project run by Tongue FuÌýand its writer founder, Chris Redmond,Ìýand poet Liv Torc.

51ÁÔÆæ is among 12 leading environmental organisations and charities supporting the project to partner with some of the UK and Africa’s most prominent and talented spoken-word artists. Each has created a new commissioned poem about what really going on in the fight for the planet, using their creative vision to re-imagine a better and possible future.

The full collection of works, called ’12 poems about saving the world for COP26: art and science working together to imagine better possible futures’, explores a range of complex, vital and inspiring scientific subjects, including:

• flood and fire prevention
• empowering African women on the equator to plant forests
• re-greening of the Sinai Peninsula
• Forest School: education on the national curriculum
• beach data as a way to leverage change in plastic manufacturing
• climate litigation
• the restoration of peat land
• the hidden energy underground
• more effective weather warning systems
• the green whale impact on carbon reduction

Geoscience-focused Geology Rocks is a poem by artist Francesca Beard, highlighting the lesser-understood role of geoscience in finding sustainable solutions to protect our planet from the impact of climate change.

All the poems are being professionally filmed and released, one on each day of the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow, which starts on 3 November 2021.

With funding from the Arts Council England, Hot Poets aims to prove the intrinsic value of placing the arts front and centre in the climate change conversation, reconnecting people to hope, cutting through the doom and despair and sharing positive ways to gain agency and take action in the fight against climate catastrophe.

Commenting on the experience, Francesca said: ‘This commission has been a profoundly inspiring journey through the landscape of geothermal energy, carbon capture and our possible future route through the challenges of the climate emergency. I expected to think and learn through the collaborations; I didn’t expect to feel so hopeful about the future.’

Hazel Napier of BGS, who leads research in geoscience and society, said: ‘It extremely rewarding to take part in such an inspirational collaboration. Adapting to a changing planet requires a complex understanding of natural earth processes that can often be difficult for audiences to engage with.

‘Hot Poets enables science to shift beyond technical explanations and connect with climate change through a transformative experience. Poetry evokes feelings, it reflects, it connects and it inspires. We can be encouraged by the poetry of geoscience.’

The films will be accompanied by five Tongue Fu shows where the Hot Poets will come together to perform their commissions to live improvised music from the Tongue Fu Band. They include Cheltenham Literary Festival and performances in Oxford, Bristol and London. 

Along with the 12 films, there will be a Hot Poets book, album, ‘Hot Words’ competition and participatory and schools programme.

Other organisations bringing science to life though poetry are:

• Word Forest in the UK and Kenya
• Whale and Dolphin Conservation
• Weather Makers in the Netherlands
• Forest Schools in Birmingham, UK
• University of Manchester
• Somerset Wildlife Trust
• Beach Co-Op in Cape Town, South Africa

The internationally renowned artists Include Joelle Taylor, Yomi á¹¢ode, The Repeat Beat Poet, Vanessa Kisuule, Zena Edwards, Matt Harvey, Jonny Fluffypunk, Toni Stuart, Elvis McGonagall, Liv Torc and Chris Redmond. 

Chasing carbon:  an onshore and offshore challenge

Join BGS scientists and discover how our research is providing geoscience solutions in the transition to net zero.

The annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) will be hosted in Glasgow in November 2021. The aim is clear: to reach net zero by 2050, ensuring that the amount of carbon we add to the atmosphere is no more than the amount we remove. 

Securing global net zero by mid-century is the primary goal of COP26. Through its presidency of the conference in November, the UK is urging countries and companies around the world to share its aim of delivering sustainable growth and a net zero carbon emission economy by 2050. At the heart of the technical challenge, set out in the UK Government Energy White Paper, is how to decarbonise power, industry, transport, and the heating and cooling of buildings.

At BGS, we believe the subsurface has a vital role to play in meeting this challenge.

• Why are heat networks crucial in the adoption of geothermal energy?
• How can underground observatories support cost reduction and de-risking?
• What role can hydrogen play in the energy transition?
• Why is understanding our glacial past so important for wind energy in the future?