SALTGIANT — Understanding the Mediterranean Salinity Crisis

Results in brief

Understanding the Mediterranean Salinity Crisis

As society moves into an era where environmental change has an ever-growing place in the political agenda, the demand for a new generation of scientists working at the interface between the natural and social sciences is growing. SALTGIANT contributes to satisfy this demand within a rare cross-disciplinary network of natural and social scientists dedicated to understanding the formation of the Mediterranean Salt Giant, one of the largest salt deposits on Earth, and its implications for sub-seafloor microbial life, risk assessment in the oil industry, geo-economics of the Mediterranean region and the history of oceanography. SALTGIANT brings together 30 academic organizations (13 beneficiaries, 17 partners) and 12 non-academic sectors companies (Oil&Gas companies, mining sector companies, biotechnology company, specialist in transferable skills training) to stimulate interdisciplinary and intersectoral knowledge exchange between geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, microbiologist, geographers and historians in a network with 15 PhD students at its core. SALTGIANT combines (i) geological and geochemical field work, (ii) laboratory measurements and experiments, (iii) numerical modeling at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and (iv) empirical social sciences data collection and analysis, guaranteeing exposure of the research fellows to state-of-the-art scientific knowledge and hands-on practical training in a field rich in applications of both intellectual and societal relevance. Through its innovative blend of training and research activities, SALTGIANT will boost the employability of its research fellows in academia and in the private sector, particularly the energy sector, including Oil & Gas and geothermal, resource management, geological storage and numerical modeling, as well as in governmental agencies (Ministries of the Environment, Sustainable Development and Energy), international organizations (European Environment Agency, EEA; United Nations Environmental Program, UNEP) and NGOs.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

As society moves into an era where environmental change has an ever-growing place in the political agenda, the demand fora new generation of scientists working at the interface between the natural and social sciences is growing. SALTGIANTcontributes to satisfy this demand within a rare cross-disciplinary network of natural and social scientists dedicated tounderstanding the formation of the Mediterranean Salt Giant, one of the largest salt deposits on Earth, and its implicationsfor sub-seafloor microbial life, risk assessment in the oil industry, geo-economics of the Mediterranean region and the historyof oceanography. SALTGIANT will bring together 22 academic organizations (11 beneficiaries, 11 partners), 2 private sectorOil&Gas companies and 1 specialist in transferable skills training from 8 European countries to stimulate interdisciplinaryand intersectorial knowledge exchange between geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, microbiologist, geographers andhistorians in a network with PhD students at its core. SALTGIANT combines (i) geological and geochemical field work, (ii)laboratory measurements and experiments, (iii) numerical modeling at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and (iv)empirical social sciences data collection and analysis, guaranteeing exposure of the research fellows to state-of-the-artscientific knowledge and hands-on practical training in a field rich in applications of both intellectual and societal relevance.Through its innovative blend of training and research activities, SALTGIANT will boost the employability of its researchfellows in academia and in the private sector, particularly the energy sector, including Oil & Gas and geothermal, resourcemanagement, geological storage and numerical modeling, as well as in governmental agencies (Ministries of theEnvironment, Sustainable Development and Energy), international organizations (European Environment Agency, EEA;United Nations Environmental Program, UNEP) and NGOs.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

INSTITUT DE PHYSIQUE DU GLOBE DE PARIS · ParisCoordinatorFrance
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridSpain
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
Centre d’études et de documentation juridiques et économiques · ParisUnknown Region
Centre for the History of Science · BarcelonaUnknown Region
DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EV · KOLNGermany
Delek Drilling · HertsliyaUnknown Region
Ente Nazionale degli Idrocarburi · RomeUnknown Region
FONDATION NATIONALE DES SCIENCES POLITIQUES · ParisFrance
Geplan Consulting · FerraraUnknown Region
ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI OCEANOGRAFIA E DI GEOFISICA SPERIMENTALE · Sgonico-TriesteItaly
Institut de prospective Economique du Monde Méditerranéen · ParisUnknown Region
JU Muzej Republike Srpske Banja Luka · Banja LukaBosnia & Herzegovina
KNAUF Gips KG · IphofenUnknown Region
KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN · StockholmSweden
MATIS OHF · ReykjavikIceland
MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE · JERUSALEMIsrael
NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE · SouthamptonUnited Kingdom
PETROLEUM OIL & GAS ESPAÑA, S.A. · MadridSpain
Ratio Oil Exploration · Tel AvivUnknown Region
S.I.S.S.A. MEDIALAB SRL · TRIESTEItaly
SORBONNE UNIVERSITE · ParisFrance
Società Italiana Sali Alcalini SpA · PalermoUnknown Region
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM · JerusalemIsrael
UNITED KINGDOM RESEARCH AND INNOVATION · SWINDONUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA · SalamancaSpain
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PALERMO · PalermoItaly
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA · PaviaItaly
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO · TorinoItaly
UNIVERSITAET BREMEN · BremenGermany
UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT · UtrechtNetherlands
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL · BRISTOLUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM · DURHAMUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX · ColchesterUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG · HamburgGermany
Université Toulouse III Paul SABATIER · ToulouseUnknown Region
Volcanic Basin Petroleum Research · OsloUnknown Region

SALTGIANT · Understanding the Mediterranean Salinity Crisis

Results in brief

Understanding the Mediterranean Salinity Crisis

Project objective

Participants

Links