EMODnet (Geology) Project
The European Marine Observation Data Network (EMODnet) is an initiative
of the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and
Fisheries (DG MARE) as part of its Marine Knowledge 2020 strategy. It is a network of organisations supported by the EU’s
integrated maritime policy. The main objective of the initiative is to
assemble existing marine data, data products and metadata from diverse sources
in a uniform way.
The
Continental Shelf Department participated in the Geology Lot of the EMODnet
project as part of a European consortium made up of 36 organisations,
principally the geological survey organisations of 30 countries surrounding the
regional seas of Europe. EMODnet-Geology 2 ran for three years from October
2013 to October 2016. The Department also took part
in EMODnet-Geology 3 (April 2017 to April 2019) and EMODnet-Geology 4
(September 2019 to September 2021). The Department is now participating in
EMODnet-Geology 5 (September 2021 to September 2023).
The project
delivered harmonised geology datasets from offshore Europe. The
data compiled in the project includes:
·
Seabed substrate
·
Seafloor geology
·
Coastal behaviour
·
Geological events and probabilities
·
Marine Minerals
·
Submerged Landscapes
More information can be found on the EMODnet central portal (www.emodnet.eu/geology), the geology
portal (www.emodnet-geology.eu) and the European
Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI) portal (https://www.europe-geology.eu/emodnet/).
GeoERA Project
The main objective of GeoERA is to contribute to the optimal
exploration, exploitation and management of the subsurface. It consists of 15
research projects aimed to support a more integrated, efficient and publicly
accepted use of the subsurface. More information is available from the GeoERA
portal at https://geoera.eu/.
The projects cover the following four themes:
- Geo-Energy
- Groundwater
- Raw Materials
- Information Platform
45 national and regional geological survey organisations
from 32 European countries are taking part in GeoERA. The project is funded under
an ERA-NET Co-Fund Action.
The Continental Shelf Department participaed in the HotLime
project under the geo-energy theme. The HotLime project involves the mapping
and assessment of geothermal plays in deep carbonate rocks from ten case study
areas in Europe including one from offshore Malta. The project kicked off in
June 2018 and was completed in January 2022. Results are available from the
GeoERA website.
A Geological Service for Europe (GSEU Project)
The main objective of the GSEU project is to develop and provide pan-European geological data and information services for the sustainable and safe use of subsurface resources with a focus on critical raw materials (work package 2), geothermal and subsurface storage capacities (work package 3), groundwater dynamics and quality (work package 4), assessment of coastal zone vulnerability and offshore windfarm siting (work package 5) and the standardisation & harmonisation of multiscale geological information (work package 6). The project (started on 1 September 2022 and will end on 31 August 2027). The Continental Shelf Department is taking part in work packages 3, 5 and 6.