INITIATE - The doctoral network for Climate - Tectonics interactions using Big Data and Numerical models  

Earth topography and its subsurface are the result of complex interactions between tectonics and climate. Sediments in the shallow subsurface contain vital resources including water and energy that are crucial for mankind. They also provide temporary and long-term waste and energy storage. At the same time active deformation and rapid climate change interact posing significant risk for natural hazards such as debris flow, hillslope instabilities, and active faulting. To address these pressing challenges and seize the opportunities in the realm of Earth-climate interactions, it is imperative that we enhance our expertise in connecting extensive datasets with deterministic forward models.

INITIATES objective is to assess the nature and efficiency of processes responsible for the interactions between the solid Earth and hydrosphere at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. We will do this to address fundamental questions on the Earth’s evolution and respond to a pressing demand regarding the effect of the ongoing natural and anthropogenic climate change on the Earth’s surface habitability. We will use state-of-the-art modelling techniques and novel data mining methods combined with newly available high resolution observational datasets.

Within INITIATE, section 4.5 Subsurface Process Modelling will be responsible for two Doctoral Candidates (DC) project. 

Project 1) DC6: 3D data-derived structural, thermal and rheological configuration of Corinth Rift system

The main objective of DC6 is to develop an integrated digital twin of the Corinth Rift to test several hypotheses on localization of deformation in the present-day Gulf of Corinth. We will use the distribution of sedimentary units and sub-surface data available in the Corinth Rift and 3D potential field modelling using publicly available satellite gravity data to build a 3D picture of the crust-mantle boundary. Tomography models of the upper mantle shear wave velocity field will be converted to temperature and density distributions to test different compositions of this part of the model. This integration of observations with physics-driven simulations will allow a 3D representation of the thermomechanical and isostatic state of the Corinth Rift. The 3D configuration resolving the first-order heterogeneity in physical properties will be compared to observed seismicity distribution. The DC will use the obtained results to design forward numerical experiments, in collaboration with partners from the University of Bergen. 

PhD Candidate: Zsuzsanna Vatai

Projekt 2) DC4: Mechanical, hydrogeological and thermal response of the subsurface to climate change in North Central Europe

The goal od DC4 is to develop a digital twin of the subsurface of North Central Europe as a base for 3D simulations of coupled thermo-hydraulic-mechanical processes considering different climate scenarios using the open-source in-house numerical simulation platform. The workflow will aim at linking observational data to physics driven models via integration of geological and geophysical data into 3D structural models resolving the first order heterogeneities in physical properties; the identification, compilation and analysis of data types describing groundwater conditions, recharge rates as well as present and past climate; 3D simulation of coupled thermo-hydraulic-mechanical processes in different climate scenarios; and, surrogate model construction to perform ensemble simulations for global parameter analysis and uncertainty quantification of the model predictions.