Earth Sciences, Utrecht University

25/08/2026

Go-ahead for monitoring well for underground heat storage at the Utrecht Science Park

Utrecht University is taking an important step towards making its energy supply more sustainable. The Executive Board has given the go-ahead for the next phase of the high-temperature thermal storage (HTS) project. During this phase, a monitoring and exploration well will be installed to further map the characteristics of the subsurface.

Read the news article here:
https://www.uu.nl/en/news/go-ahead-for-monitoring-well-for-underground-heat-storage-at-the-utrecht-science-park

and more background of it here:
https://www.uu.nl/en/news/high-temperature-aquifer-thermal-energy-storage-in-the-utrecht-science-park

Besides Jan-Diederik van Wees en Liviu Matenco (who are mentioned in the news articles), several others in the department of Earth Sciences have contributed to this work, among which Nemanja Krstekanic, Antoine Auzemery and Fred Beekman, as well as colleagues from TNO en IF-Technology.

The University of Utrecht is taking an important step towards making its energy supply more sustainable. The Executive Board has given the go-ahead for the next phase of the high-temperature thermal storage (HTS) project. During this phase, a monitoring and exploration well will be installed to furt...

10/08/2026

npj CLEAN WATER | Rising competition for clean water in the future.

Water scarcity is not just a matter of a lack of supply. What if there is enough water available, but its quality leaves much to be desired? And what if the interests of the various sectors - households, agriculture, industry and energy producers - also clash with each other? In a large overview study, Utrecht researchers are the first to provide an overview of these different interests, broken down by region, and of the deficits that lurk with unchanged policy. "Because otherwise, by the end of this century, almost two-thirds of the world's population will have to contend with too little water or poor quality water." They therefore argue for firmer policy. "In the end, it's not just about how much water is available, but also whether it has the right quality for its intended use."

Continue reading here:

What if there is enough water available, but its quality leaves much to be desired? And what if the interests of the various sectors also clash with each other?

04/08/2026

NATURE GEOSCIENCE | Geological evidence questions the role of Agulhas Leakage in Atlantic Ocean Circulation.

For decades, scientists have asserted that the leakage of warm, salty Indian Ocean water south of South Africa into the Atlantic is a major contribution to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a component of the global ocean conveyor system. New research led by an international team from the Netherlands, USA, China and UK suggests that the mechanism linking leakage of Indian Ocean water and deep-water formation was and is not as straightforward as previously thought. This research contributes to a better understanding of the AMOC, a key regulator of the Earth’s climate.

Read more about it here:

This research contributes to a better understanding of the AMOC, a key regulator of the Earth’s climate.

30/07/2026

Current vacancies in the Departments of Eath Sciences and Physical Geography

23/07/2026

Quality of Environmental Impact Assessments for rare-earth mining in Chile in doubt.

Two UU master's theses, co-supervised by Maarten Kleinhans, shine their light on the process. Read more about it here:

Two Utrecht University theses found major gaps in assessing water impacts and addressing public concerns over Aclara’s water-intensive mining project.

21/07/2026

NATURE GEOSCIENCE | Triassic Inferno: Fires raged across Europe for thousands of years during past global warming.

The end-Triassic mass extinction, 201 million years ago, is linked to volcanism that resulted from the break-up of Pangea and which pumped out vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere causing extreme global warming of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius. As a result, tree-dominated vegetation collapsed and the highly disturbed landscapes were colonized by ferns that formed savannahs across large swaths of what is now Northwest Europe. New research by an international team led by earth scientists from Utrecht University has found that these fern savannahs were prone to large-scale burning, whereby the ferns themselves acted as the fuel that fanned the flames.

Continue reading here:

Fern savannahs were prone to large-scale burning, whereby the ferns themselves acted as the fuel that fanned the flames.

21/07/2026

It's 50 years after Viking 1 landed on Mars! Read the interview with Inge Loes ten Kate here:

Exactly 50 years ago today, Viking 1 landed on Mars. The spacecraft was part of the only mission ever to have searched for extraterrestrial life. With calls growing for humans to be sent there too, astrobiologist Prof. Inge Loes ten Kate is calling for a new unmanned life-detection mission.

16/07/2026

Two NWO-veni-grants awarded in the Faculty of Geosciences!

Today, NWO announced 205 laureates for the veni-grants in the 2025 application round. Among these are Melanie During and David Gold.

Melanie will start her project 'Was the last mass extinction less severe in the Southern Hemisphere?' as a postdoc in the department of Earth Science, in the group of Douwe van Hinsbergen.

David is assistant professor in the department of Physical Geography. His project is called 'Integrated Multi-Risk Decision Support for Climate-Resilient Water Systems'.

An overview of all 205 laureates. including small project summaries, can be found on the website of NWO:

Listen Breadcrumb Home Research programmes NWO Talent Programme Projects Veni Veni 2025 Veni 2025 Projects Veni Veni 2025 Veni 2024 Veni 2023 Veni 2022 Veni 2021 Veni 2020 Veni 2019 Veni 2018 Veni 2017 Veni 2016 Veni 2015 Veni 2012 NWO has awarded Veni funding of up to 320,000 euro to 205 promising....

09/07/2026

Francesca Sangiorgi and Francien Peterse appointed as professors!

The Executive Board of UU has appointed two new professors in the Department of Earth Sciences: Francesca Sangiorgi and Francien Peterse.

Francesca is appointed professor in Polar Marine Biogeosciences, read more here: https://www.uu.nl/en/news/francesca-sangiorgi-appointed-professor-of-polar-marine-biogeosciences

Francien is appointed professor in Organic Geochemistry, read more here: https://www.uu.nl/en/news/francien-peterse-appointed-professor-of-organic-geochemistry

Congrats to both, of course!

07/07/2026

Heat and drought: ‘Reality is outpacing expectations’.

An interview with Niko Wanders, associate professor of hydrology.

There are increasing numbers of extreme heatwaves and droughts. These changes are happening faster than scientists had expected, and more and more of these extremes can be scientifically attributed to climate change.