A core part of iMAGE-CREATE is the joining of training capacity in our Canadian universities with 4 world-class geoscience research centers in Germany. GEOMAR, Christian Albrechts University (CAU), GeoZentrum Nordbayern (FAU), and the German Geological Survey (BGR) have a long history of technical cooperation with Canada in marine geodynamics and georesources, including joint research projects, field schools, and annual symposia and workshops that have created a unique training opportunity for Canadian students. Our partners include the Head of Dynamics of the Ocean Floor at GEOMAR, the Chair in Geodynamics at FAU, and the PIs for Germany’s major marine minerals exploration program at BGR.
The University of Ottawa is also partnering with the Helmholtz Research program “Changing Earth − Sustaining our Future (2021-2027)”, led by the research centers at GFZ, GEOMAR, and UFZ in Germany. Together the centers are developing programs aimed at understanding the geodynamic drivers of energy, mineral systems and geological hazards, with the goal of more sustainable uses of the Earth’s non-living resources and environment. Five Canadian PIs and their students have already participated on projects led by GEOMAR, FAU and BGR, including research cruises, and they also work closely with GFZ Potsdam in its geodynamics and seismology programs. The exchange pathways for Canadian and German students are well established. Canadian students have the opportunity to visit Germany in order to conduct research in their projects at FAU, CAU or GEOMAR. Four Canadians have had work exchanges in Germany and three German students are now working at the University of Ottawa.
GEOMAR-Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel − The GEOMAR-Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel is one of the largest international research institutions for marine sciences (850 staff, incl. 400 scientists and about 190 doctoral candidates). The center’s mandate is the multidisciplinary investigation of all aspects of marine sciences, from sea floor geology through physical, chemical and biological oceanography and marine meteorology. Research is conducted worldwide in all oceans under 4 themes: Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics, Marine Biogeochemistry, Marine Ecology, and Dynamics of the Ocean Floor. The center’s research ranges from basic science to applied aspects from volcanic and seismic hazards to marine substances, climate and ecology using state-of-the-art research facilities adapted for work in the open ocean and the deep sea. Its modern infrastructure includes research vessels, submersibles, deep-sea robots (ROVs and AUVs) with diving capabilities up to 6000 m, and one of the largest fleets of autonomous underwater gliders.
CAU, University of Kiel, Institut Geowissenschaften − The Institute of Geosciences at Kiel University is closely affiliated with GEOMAR. It is an internationally recognized center for marine geoscience and paleoclimate research, as well as ocean floor petrology, geophysics and geodynamics. Focus areas include paleoclimate, structural geology, orogenic processes and tectonometamorphic evolution of the lithosphere. CAU’s extensive program in marine sciences is delivered in partnership with GEOMAR. Participation in marine and terrestrial field projects are mandatory parts of the training program, and all courses are offered in English. iMAGE partners at the university include R. Bousquet (Head of Petrology and Geodynamics) and Dieter Garbe-Schoenberg (marine geoscience). Other working groups are active in experimental petrology, geophysics, paleo-oceanography and paleoclimate, coastal geology and sedimentology, and geomechanics. Hannington currently holds an Honorary Professorship at CAU.
GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander Universität, FAU, Erlangen − The Friedrich-Alexander-Universität at Erlangen (FAU) hosts GeoZentrum Nordbayern and its Geodynamics Division. This large working group investigates the formation and evolution of the Earth’s crust and the underlying lithospheric mantle, using geochemical and petrological methods. The research includes magmatism and volcanic activity, with particular focus on processes that can be studied in the oceans. An important aspect of the research includes the consequences of Earth’s magmatic and tectonic activity for the environment, for climate change, and for the formation of ore deposits. Partners and collaborators at FAU include Prof. Karsten Haase (petrology and geodynamics), Reiner Klemd (ore deposits), Marcel Regelous (igneous geochemistry) Esther Schmädicke (metamorphic petrology), and Christoph Beier (marine geology and petrology, now at Helsinki University).
Federal Institut for Geosciences, BGR, Hannover − BGR is the geoscientific authority of the German Federal Government and is accountable to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). It advises ministries of the government but also the European Community and is a strong partner with industry and scientific research institutions worldwide. BGR manages regional exploration in two license areas of the central Pacific and Indian oceans under the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and has undertaken two 15-year programs of sea-going research in these areas that will last at least until 2030. In this work, BGR collaborates extensively with researchers from Germany, Canada and the US, including the University of Ottawa, Laurentian University, FAU (GeoZentrum Nordbayern), CAU in Kiel, the German Center for Marine Biodiversity (Senckenberg), and the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research (GEOMAR). Scientists and students from partner institutions regularly join BGR’s annual research cruises. An important partner in BGR’s work has been the Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility (CSSF), which operates Canada’s world-class remotely-operated vehicle “ROPOS”. BGR has invited iMAGE-CREATE students to participate in its sea-going programs. In exchange, CREATE students will assist BGR in its capacity-building program for young marine geoscientists from developing countries.
Colorado School of Mines − The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) Department of Geology and Geological Engineering is one of the premier applied geoscience programs in mineral and energy resources, geological hazards, and the environment. Research and training is conducted at the Center for Mineral Resources Science (CMRS) and the Center for Advanced Subsurface Earth Resources Modeling (CASERM). CMRS is a collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, bringing together a world-class team of scientists conducting ore deposit research through field studies, state-of-the-art laboratory investigations, and laboratory modeling. CASERM is a collaboration with Virginia Tech aimed at 3D subsurface geological modeling. CSM has approximately 50 graduate students and offers a wide range of professional development training opportunities to industry.
Geological and Nuclear Sciences, GNS, New Zealand − GNS Science is a research Institute of the New Zealand government aimed at understanding earth systems and technologies and transforming that knowledge into economic, environmental, and social benefit, including aspects of natural hazards, environment and climate, the resource future, and marine geoscience. iMAGE-CREATE is working with GNS in the areas of marine geology and magmatic-hydrothermal systems of the Pacific Ring of Fire, including the recent IODP drilling of the Brothers volcano. Partners in iMAGE also work with geodetic scientists at GNS specializing in crustal deformation studies at active tectonic plate boundaries, with a focus on New Zealand, Japan, Papua New Guinea, and other regions of the western Pacific, including scientific drilling to understand the mechanisms of major earthquakes.
