Southern Africa is one of the areas of the world most affected by drought. In the SeeKaquA project, an international research team led by the LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) aims to detect deep groundwater resources in the Kalahari using state-of-the-art drone-based electromagnetics. The German-African project, in which the University of Namibia, the University of Zambia, the SADC Groundwater Management Institute, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and terratec Geophysical Services are also involved, is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 1.3 million €.
As part of the DESMEX-REAL research project, further measurments will take place in the Harz Mountains in August. The aim of the DESMEX-REAL research project, which is planned until 2025 and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is to set up a so-called real laboratory in the "old mining region of the Upper Harz". The first 3D model of potential ore deposits is already available.
The new research report presents a selection of LIAG project activities in the context of geophysical research into groundwater, geohazards, geothermal energy and climate and landscape change. The English translation is ongoing and will be published soon.
Students of geosciences at the Universities of Göttingen and Hanover and the Technical University of Berlin were given insights by LIAG into how lignite mining in Lusatia affects the groundwater and the surrounding area as well as the Spree and the ecosystem of the Spreewald. After the end of lignite mining in the Lusatia region, it is important to observe the area and its changes using geophysical measurement techniques and to develop sustainable solution strategies for the use of the area after the end of mining activities.
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Researchers in the field of rock physics and borehole geophysics at LIAG have developed a measuring cell for laboratory measurements using the spectral induced polarisation (SIP) method to investigate complex electrical properties of natural solid and unconsolidated rocks with significantly improved quality of results.
As part of the NamCore project, a research team drilled to a depth of over 500 meters into the Nam Co basin on the Tibetan Plateau. LIAG researchers carried out the geophysical drilling measurements in order to understand the geological history and climate dynamics of this high-altitude region. Almost a third of the world's population depends on the development of the monsoon on the Tibetan Plateau.
In future, we will operate under our own LIAG brand as the "LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics"! With currently 40 ongoing research projects, the doubling of third-party funding (especially DFG), our own science-oriented administration and the bundling of our methods, we will continue to research the topics of groundwater systems, geohazards and georeservoirs as energy sources and energy storage.