Building a windmill: Field course on minerals for the energy transition
Members of the Center for Deep Sea Research have received funding from Akademia Avtalen to organize a field-based course on the Island of Milos (Greece). Here is the description and the application link.
Main content
Course title
Building a windmill: Field course on minerals for the energy transition
Background and course description
In recent years, global efforts to mitigate climate change have propelled a shift towards renewable energy sources. Offshore wind power is currently the fastest growing energy technology in Europe, an effort that comes with a significant demand for materials such as steel for turbines and blades, copper for electrical wiring, and cement for concrete footings. At present these materials are obtained from mineral resources on land, however, the seafloor is rapidly emerging as a possibly alternative environment for mineral exploitation. At the same time, societal conscience is growing about potential negative environmental side-effects of mining activity, affecting social licenses to operate. These developments call for a next generation of geoscientists with a holistic understanding of the formation and detection of mineral deposits in various environments, as well as the consequences of mineral exploitation. Therefore, we are organising a field course on the volcanic island of Milos, Greece.
The course will provide students with hands-on research experience in hydrothermal mineral deposits on land and the seafloor, following the overarching theme of materials required for the production of offshore wind parks. Through field-based research on both subaerial and submarine systems that includes empirical and remote observations, sample collection, on-site analyses and data evaluation, students will acquire skills and competences in geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, geophysics, geobiology as well as data analysis. Students will learn how to program autopiloted flights of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles over deposits of interest, and create high-resolution 3D models to use as a source for mapping. The research-based approach ensures active engagement of students in their learning and a sense of excitement that comes from working with important questions in relation to green energy sources. In addition, the course will activate students in discussions on the environmental consequences of mining on land and the seafloor based on their own collected research data, giving them the competences to reflect over the positive and negative impacts of the energy transition. By the end of this course, students will have learned to perform rigorous scientific investigations, including presentation of findings to their peers, and have experienced how advanced machine learning methods can be integrated into field activities. Through this, students will obtain the theoretical and practical skills that are required to support the transition to offshore wind energy in the years to come.
Course location
Milos provides a unique and well-suited field location for the course as it hosts a large variety of on-land mineral resources formed by hydrothermal activity in the geological past, as well as active hydrothermal venting sites in shallow marine waters that represent analogues for deep-sea systems targeted for potential mineral exploration. All of the selected mineral deposits for this course are directly relevant for the construction of offshore wind farms. On-land deposits include a Phanerozoic analogue for Precambrian banded iron formations in Western Australia, which currently represent the main global resource for iron and steel production. Similarly, base metal-rich epithermal mineral deposits on Milos are similar to some of the world’s largest mineral deposits mined for copper and zinc to date, which are key metals for electrical wiring and corrosion protection in wind turbines. Major deposits of clay minerals kaolinite and bentonite are also mined on Milos, which formed as a result of hydrothermal alteration and are used for the production of cement footings. In addition, the presence of active hydrothermal vent systems that are easily accessible from land enables investigation of processes leading to the formation of mineral deposits and their interplays with the biosphere and environment, as well as the consequences of disturbing these systems in seafloor mining operations.
Target students
The course is primarily aimed at master and PhD students with interest in the study of mineral deposits and their geo-bio-chemical interactions. The students should have background in one of the following fields: geochemistry, geology, geophysics, GIS, microbiology, or other field relevant to the course. Some basics in programming is useful but not necessary.
Organisation and costs
The field course will take place from the 14th to the 24th of October 2024 on the Island of Milos (Greece). Some work will also be required before and after the field course. More information regarding the organisation and timeline of the course will be provided upon acceptance of the student.
There are no tuition fees for the course, but a participation of around 300 euros will be asked to each participant as participation to food costs. For students enrolled at the University of Bergen the following expenses are covered: return ticket Bergen/Athens/Milos, accommodation and meals during the stay on Milos. Students not affiliated to the University of Bergen will have to pay their travelling expenses. All course participants will be located at the same hotel on Milos, for which non-UiB students will have to pay around 400 euros for the duration of the course.
Assessment and ECTS
The course will give 5 ECTS (approximatively 125 hours work). Students will be evaluated through a report and oral presentations.
Teaching team
Paraskevi Nomikou from the University of Athens, Steffen Jørgensen, Bjarte Hannisdal, Desiree Roerdink, Benjamin Robson and Sven Le Moine Bauer from the University of Bergen, Thibaut Barreyre from the University of West Brittany.
Course responsible and contact for further information
Application
Students can apply to the course through the following link.
The deadline for application is set to the 25th of July 2024. The results of the application will be announced by the end of July.
In the application, you will have to upload a 2-page pdf file, with your academic CV on the first page (mainly the classes you took and any other experience that is relevant to the course), and on the second page a description of your motivation for the course, and what your learning aims and expectations are.
