The Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) was the big winner at the this week. Their Atlantic Geohazard Risk Management (AGEO) project, supported by , emerged with two awards.

The RegioStars Awards have become Europe’s label of excellence for EU-funded projects that demonstrate the impact and inclusiveness of regional development. There were five categories of awards, in addition to the overall Public Choice Award. AGEO won in the ‘A Green Europe’ category and was chosen from a five finalists, shortlisted from 266 entries. The AGEO project was also honoured with the ‘Public Choice’ award, voted on by just under 20 000 citizens from all across Europe. AGEO received around 2000 of the votes. 

The AGEO project brought together scientists, local communities and governments to address geohazards in the Atlantic region through citizen science, Earth observation and innovative risk management tools. By implementing five pilot citizens’ observatories in the Atlantic region, the project demonstrated how to empower local communities to engage in early warning systems and climate challenges, working with local stakeholders at all levels.

The Citizens’ Observatory in Northern Ireland (NI) was developed at the Giant Causeway, where GSNI Kieran Parker, senior geohazards geologist, and Dr Kirstin Lemon, science programme manager, worked closely with external partners and engaged comprehensively with a range of stakeholders.

We are pleased to have come away with two awards at the RegioStars Awards for our AGEO project which brought together a number of stakeholders to help empower local communities to participate in early warning systems.

Dr Kirstin Lemon, GSNI Science Programme Manager.

Encouraged by the European Commission, the project partners are now exploring ways to develop the next stage for AGEO, hoping to bring the experiences of the project to a wider European audience.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has many offices around Europe but, as an Earth observation scientist myself, the Earth observation headquarters at ESA (ESRIN) office in Frascati, just outside Rome, is the pinnacle!

ESRIN coordinates and manages the ground-based activities of ESA’s Earth observation missions: data acquisition and processing, and satellitecommunication. It is the home of innovation and management of software used across the agency, and houses ESA records of legacy projects, with missions dating back to the 1970s. It also holds the largest archive of environmental data in Europe, coordinating over 20 ground stations and ground segment facilities across Europe.

Earth observation at ESRIN and BGS

ESA Earth-observing activities include satellite missions that monitor many of our planet natural processes, such as snow and ice cap accumulation and melt, wildfires, landslides, earthquakes and tectonic movements. It also tracks human-induced changes like city growth, deforestation and groundwater abstraction. Many of these processes and changes are also researched at BGS, using the data from these satellites alongside our expertise in geohazards and geological processes.

The typical challenge we face nowadays as Earth observation scientists is the sheer volume of data available to analyse — we have too much data to sift through manually. One avenue for allowing timely analyses of these large datasets is to use specific artificial intelligence (AI) models called foundation models.

What are foundation models?

Foundation models are designed to take in millions of pieces of data and find relationships between different datasets that we don’t have the time to do manually. Additionally, if the model is trained on several images of the Earth through time, it can make predictions about how our planet might change in the future. For BGS research, this could be used to help provide advice on a multitude of crucial future geological hazards faced by countries around the world; for example, how our coasts may change with sea-level rise.

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending ESA joint workshop with NASA on ‘Foundation models for Earth observation at ESA ESRIN’. We stayed near the Colli Albani volcanic complex, which has formed some of the beautiful hills and volcanic lakes surrounding this area, just south-east of Rome.

At the workshop

My job at BGS is to use both classical and newly devised methods to analyse satellite data and find patterns between the behaviour of the ground beneath us and our other geospatial datasets, and what this means for the people and surface infrastructure. This workshop was ideal for my role. I attended the sessions that focused on applications of AI models to real scenarios; on day one, sessions included using foundation models for various applications in earth sciences, weather prediction and climate science.

On day two, I attended a morning session on how scientists are adapting foundation models for geospatial and Earth observation tasks, which is exactly what I’m aiming to do! In the late morning and afternoon, I had my poster presentation slot, where I showed how my team at BGS envisions using AI alongside Earth observation and BGS data. This includes our bedrock and superficial deposit maps created by our survey geologists, hazard susceptibility maps from our hazards specialists, and more. I also presented some of the machine learning (ML) tools BGS has developed so far to help with this task. I got talking to some really engaging researchers, learning a lot from the people I spoke to about what data works well in these models (and what doesn’t!) and the field of AI in earth sciences as a whole. This was the most beneficial day to me as an early career scientist; talking to so many people from different organisations with different areas of expertise has been invaluable in my development as a scientist.

When in Rome…

A trip to Lazio wouldn’t be complete without a little sightseeing, so on my penultimate night in Rome I managed to squeeze in some touristy activities. A great thing about working for BGS is being able to experience different cultures and their food — and to have your Italian speaking skills completely humbled by the locals…!

The final day consisted of hands-on training workshops in three of the foundation models that ESA and NASA have developed over the years, which is what I was most looking forward to. The training was delivered by the scientists at NASA Impact and IBM, who helped write the models, who were all fantastically knowledgeable.

Putting my knowledge to work

Now, a few weeks after coming back and with my newfound knowledge from world-leading experts in artificial intelligence, I’ve started to piece together more about how BGS could incorporate our data into such powerful models and I’m excited to practise my new skills. Unfortunately though, I couldn’t bring back buckets of Roman carbonara… so I’ll just have to get back to Rome as soon as I can!

About the author

Three new underground geomagnetic observatories in County Fermanagh, Leicestershire and Sussex will detect and eventually help predict space weather, which can potentially disrupt power grids, satellite communications and the GPS on smartphones.

They were installed underground in quiet, rural locations by the BGS Geomagnetism team. The solar-powered observatories will collect data about Earth natural magnetic field and send it back to BGS in real-time, using the mobile phone network.

Why do we need new geomagnetic observatories?

Intense geomagnetic storms can have an adverse impact on technology like
power systems, satellite operations and smartphones.

The new magnetometers mean we now have full coverage of magnetic field change across the UK.

Very large geomagnetic storms produce widespread aurora. While beautiful, they have the potential to be incredibly disruptive.

They could cause power disruption and affect essential services like satellite communications and transport.

Now that we have monitors in our blind spots, we will better understand in detail where and what ground effects can occur and understand why they happened.

Dr Ciarán Beggan, BGS Geophysicist.

Britain has had geomagnetic observatories in Shetland, Eskdalemuir and
Devon since 1908, covering the country from north to south; the will improve the breadth of measurements from west to east.

Mitigating a national risk

Severe space weather was included in the UK Government .

Geomagnetic storms are one form of space weather. They interrupt essential
services by creating geoelectric fields in the subsurface, which then flow
into transformers, pipelines and railways, causing malfunctions.

Other effects include an increase in the density of the upper atmosphere (ionosphere), which disrupts radio waves passing through it. This leads to a loss of signal between the ground and satellites, affecting communications and the accuracy of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). A huge number of technology systems rely on GNSS, including:

• phones
• trains
• self-driving vehicles
• timing for internet transactions

Major geomagnetic storms are relatively rare but, as Dr Beggan points out, they
have a pattern.

Major geomagnetic storms happen every 30 or 40 years in the UK, but we haven’t had a big one since 1989.

We live in a completely different society now, where we are all reliant on
continuous electricity supplies, smartphones and satellite communications — a major geomagnetic storm could significantly reduce those services.

We’re currently moving into a stronger part of the solar cycle, which means the chance of large geomagnetic storms is greater.

Geomagnetic storms are currently hard to predict in terms of size or even arrival time from the Sun. Adding the new sensors means we are able to measure their effects on the ground in real-time and advise on the impact ontechnology.

Dr Ciarán Beggan, BGS Geophysicist.

Further reading

• Find out more about

Funding

The geomagnetic observatories were funded by UK Research and Innovation £20 million (SWIMMR) programme. 

Over the past 35 years, there has been almost a fivefold increase in the number of recorded disaster events, which include geohazards such as landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic activity. In the immediate aftermath of these disasters, the timely use of satellite imagery can help to substantially reduce further humanitarian impact and loss of life.

Since 2008, BGS has responded to international calls for satellite-based, disaster situation maps to aid relief efforts and, later, to help build resilience to future events. Working remotely, we rapidly create maps and deliver advice required by a range of stakeholders including governments, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local relief teams working on the ground. In some cases, remote working is also followed by targeted fieldwork.

‘There is no such thing as a natural disaster.  Disasters result when a hazard affects human settlement which is not appropriately resourced or organized to withstand the impact and whose population is vulnerable because of poverty, exclusion or socially disadvantaged in some way.’

Mizutori, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2020.

 

Emergency response

Satellite imagery has wide applicability for the full disaster lifecycle, including response. Satellites capture consistent data of differing spatial and spectral resolutions over large areas (up to thousands of square kilometres) with no risk to human life. These characteristics, along with the complementary nature of optical and radar data, improve what can be monitored over difficult terrain at times when access is made impossible by the disaster.

In many cases, satellite imagery is the only timely source of data for emergency response. Recognising these benefits, many satellite imagery providers are making their imagery freely available for disaster response through a variety of mechanisms, e.g. the .

51ÁÔÆæ emergency response timeline

Practice change

In the immediate aftermath of geohazard events, rapid response is necessary, so preparing and establishing workflows, processes and output templates is crucial. For example, prior to events, preparation of susceptibility maps facilitates pre-positioning for potential future events. After events, mobile data-capture systems are used in the field to quickly and accurately record information on the ground.

The BGS-led project takes a step-change in the application of earth observation. This project not only looks at exposure to hazards; it also addresses multi-hazards and their impacts on lives and livelihoods. The project has released exposure data that we developed for 44 countries, which will help our international disaster planning and responses for events in the future. We are specifically working with two countries, Nepal and Tanzania, to provide robust data at national scale for disaster risk management (DRM). However, the direct impacts on lives and livelihoods are difficult to quantify and/or evidence due to the dynamic way disaster events unfold.

Sustainable development goals

Partners and funding

Our disaster response efforts are supported by funding streams such as NERC Urgency Grants, the Global Geological Risk Platform of the 51ÁÔÆæ NC-ODA grant NE/R000069/1: Geoscience for Sustainable Futures, and BGS National Capability funds.

Further information

Find out more about BGS disaster response research or contact 51ÁÔÆæ Enquiries.

About the author

References

My name is Alessandro and I am a remote sensing geoscientist at BGS. I use satellite data to map, monitor and model geohazards and part of my job consists of working during disaster response activities.

The key to successful emergency response is quick and effective early action. This is only possible if the right information is available in the right place, in the shortest time possible. Because we are now in the ‘Golden Age’ of spaceborne Earth observation (EO), satellite data is providing users with an unprecedented wealth of data¹ that is stimulating the growth of processing services² and novel methodologies³ while also improving our capability in disaster response situations.

I use EO data to identify damaged areas or potential cascading hazards following a disaster, which support civil protection authorities and international humanitarian communities in planning the logistics of relief action. I built most of my experience by leading EO activities for the processing of satellite data needed to reconstruct the evolution of volcanic activity that led to the Anak Krakatau 2018 collapse and tsunami^4,5.

Since then, I have become an authorised user of the . The charter is a worldwide collaboration, by which satellite data are made available for the benefit of disaster management. By combining EO data from different space agencies and commercial provides, the charter allows expertise to be coordinated for rapid response to major disaster situations. Equally importantly, the charter prompts participating space agencies to release satellite data at no cost.

To have an idea of the rapid growth in the use of satellite data from the disaster response community, the charter was activated 11 times in 2000, when the organisation was first established, rising to 55 times in 2020. My most recent work for the charter is related to the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The charter was activated⁶ less than a day after Nyiragongo eruption on 22 May 2021. At least 30 people died and to escape the dangers associated with the eruption, which occurred when fractures opened in the volcano side.

Soon after the activation I liaised with international space agencies (the European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Argentina’s space agency CONAE) to coordinate the acquisition of tasked radar data over the volcano, resulting in a total of 18 images over the first two weeks. Differing from optical data, radar sensors can ‘see’ almost completely through clouds and volcanic plumes (Figure 1).

This gave me a unique opportunity to map the lava flows from space⁷ and estimate a total lava extent of about 9.4 km² with around 1100 infrastructure affected (as of the 27 May).  Although this is a preliminary analysis that has not yet been validated in the field (Figure 2), this piece of information was key for the BGS volcanology team to work in collaboration with the Goma Volcanological Observatory and assess eruptive volume calculations, vent identification, and probabilistic lava flow hazard assessments.

This Nyiragongo event shows how international initiatives provide organizations working on the front lines, like BGS, with the opportunity to increase the impact and effectiveness of our science by having quick access to EO data. However, I believe that the next step forward in the uptake of EO for disaster response lies in capacity-building activities, in an effort to help lower- and middle-income countries use and benefit from space-based technologies not just at the response stage but, more importantly, during mitigation and preparedness, key phases to assess a region vulnerability and mitigate the risk.

Recently, a number of initiatives (UNOOSA, UNOSAT) are going into this direction and, in addition, NGOs are showing growing interest in space-based geographic information. I look forward to watching the progress.

References

The demand for battery raw materials, such as lithium and cobalt, is increasing rapidly as we transition to a low-carbon economy and work towards net zero. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted normal working activities, including some of the ‘real-world’ geological fieldwork essential to the research that will help accelerate the shift towards zero-emission electric vehicles.

Geological research is a highly collaborative activity but, under current UK restrictions, fieldwork outside of the local area is very difficult to undertake. Focusing on lithium exploration, this article explains how virtual field reconnaissance can help maintain research momentum.

Virtual field reconnaissance

During the pandemic, BGS and have been working in partnership with Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB)  on the -funded project, which aims to better understand the lithium resource in the salt flats (salars) of South America. The research aim is not only to understand the sources of lithium in the volcanic rocks of the Andes Mountains, but also how it is liberated from these rocks and then transported, by surface water and underground water, to the salars.

Once the lithium is in the salar, we want to understand how it is deposited in the salt as the water evaporates. In addition, we seek to better understand how it can be moved around and concentrated by salt-rich brines. This research will lead to a better knowledge of lithium resource efficiency.

‘Resource efficiency means using the Earth’s limited resources in a sustainable manner while minimising impacts on the environment. It allows us to create more with less and to deliver greater value with less input.’

Geological mapping using satellite imagery

Remotely sensed satellite imagery and data play an important part in mapping the geology. Different rocks reflect different amount of sunlight in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum; the satellites are able to record this information in infrared areas that the human eye cannot see. The imagery can therefore be processed to highlight reflections that characterise different rocks and minerals, meaning the geologist can see these subtle differences.

Understanding the geometric relationships between different geologies is crucial to understanding their ages and position in the succession. High-resolution terrain models, when combined with the processed satellite imagery in the GeoVisionary 3D environment, allow these relationships to be easily understood.

Some of the key questions in Bolivia concern where the lithium originates and also where it is most likely to be picked up by water to be transported to a salar. Geological processes and understanding tell us that it is the ignimbrites (deposits of ash, glass and rock particles following explosive pyroclastic flows), rather than the extrusive lavas, that will be richer in lithium. However, the majority of the lithium will reach the surface and groundwater from modern sediments (sands and gravels) that have eroded from the ignimbrites.

GeoVisionary was already a proven environment for more effective and targeted fieldwork. In this case it proved to be an excellent means by which the entire project team could collaborate effectively and clearly, overlaying and analysing multiple datasets all within a single context-rich tool.

The outcomes of using GeoVisionary for virtual reconnaissance fieldwork have been to identify:

• geometrical relationships and hence relative ages of different rock types
• ignimbrites
• sediments derived from the ignimbrites

About the author

More information

Find out more about or contact 51ÁÔÆæ Enquiries.

51ÁÔÆæ is part of a multi-disciplinary team led by the University of Nottingham to develop a remote monitoring tool designed to help authorities manage public safety and environmental issues in recently abandoned coal mines.

The tool uses satellite radar imagery to capture millimeter-scale measurements of changes in terrain height. These measurements, when integrated with geological process models, can be used to monitor and forecast groundwater levels and changes in geological conditions deep below the earth surface in former mining areas. Ultimately this can help forecast where surface discharge of mine water may occur.

The study uses an advanced InSAR technique, called Intermittent Small Baseline Subset (ISBAS), developed by the University of Nottingham and Terra Motion Ltd and uses geological data provided by the BGS.

The method has been implemented over Nottinghamshire coalfields and the findings published in a paper ‘’ in the journal Remote Sensing of the Environment.

The team hopes to integrate results into an existing screening tool developed by the Environment Agency and Coal Authority to help local planning authorities, developers and consultants design sustainable drainage systems in coalfield areas, with potential to be scaled to coalfields across the UK.

The research was led by University of Nottingham PhD, David Gee and funded by the . ENVISAT and Sentinel-1 SAR data were provided by the with geological data by BGS and hydrogeological data by the Coal Authority.

Luke Bateson and Alessandro Novellino from the BGS Earth Observation and Geodesy capability have supported the geological interpretation and modelling of the InSAR results.

You can read more about the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique from BGS Remote Sensing Geologist, Alessandro Novellino in ‘’, on the 51ÁÔÆæ blog.  

The project, called Earth Observation for Sustainable Aggregate Supply (EO4SAS), is one of ten recently announced projects being grant-funded through the UK Space Agency International Partnership Programme (IPP), part of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

Sand used as aggregate forms an essential but finite resource. Growing demand for construction – buildings and infrastructure, creating land through reclamation, and coastal protection from climate change – has resulted in supply pressures on traditional sources. Unmanaged extraction is an emerging and locally significant problem around the world.

The issue has been highlighted by the United Nations and has the potential to cause wide-ranging social, economic and environmental impacts. These impacts can include pollution, land erosion, changing water flows, reduction of biodiversity, damage to infrastructure, degradation of habits and impacts on vulnerable communities.

Pixalytics Ltd, a UK-based earth-observation company, is leading the project and will be working with the Government of Kenya alongside Kenyan partners Nairobi Design Institute and NIRAS Africa, and UK partners Satellite Applications Catapult, Chatham House and the University of Plymouth to deliver the work. The project is being supported by the minerals team from BGS.

The team will be working with local stakeholders alongside satellite data, machine-learning technology and in-country knowledge to bring together a better understanding of the current extraction sites, scale, transportation routes and environmental impacts for sand, helping the Government of Kenya identify better strategies for the sustainable management of this resource.

This is a short-term discovery project, running until March 2021, to look at how such a system could be implemented. It is hoped the proposed solution will go on to receive further funding and so improve the monitoring and regulation of aggregate mining, supporting sustainability in the aggregate supply chain and progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. 

Sand is a vital raw material for construction, essential for houses and infrastructure in rapidly developing counties like Kenya. However, high demand can lead to shortages, lack of effective environmental controls and even illegal mining. Through this project we are excited to be involved in developing more effective resource management systems using innovative technologies to mitigate some of the harmful effects of sand extraction.

Tom Bide, 51ÁÔÆæ Minerals Geologist.

With an increasing global demand for sand, we are excited to be working with Government of Kenya, local stakeholders and communities to see how we can all work together to develop a more sustainable system for the management of this vital resource.

Dr Samantha Lavender, Managing Director at Pixalytics.

The compelling results of previous IPP projects cement the case for investment in space for sustainable development. IPP is not only demonstrating the value of satellite solutions and improving the lives of people on the ground in developing countries, but also facilitating effective alliances between the United Kingdom and international organisations. It a ‘win-win’ and an exciting moment in the programme.

Liz Cox, IPP Head of International Relations at the UK Space Agency.