Preprints  

At UNIS, located at 78° N in Longyearbyen in Arctic Norway, we use digital outcrop models (DOMs) actively in a new course (‘AG222: Integrated Geological Methods: from outcrop to geomodel’) to solve authentic geoscientific challenges. DOMs are shared through the open access Svalbox geoscientific portal, along with 360° imagery, subsurface data and published geoscientific data from Svalbard. Here we share experiences from the AG222 course and Svalbox, both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Field trips, despite their significance in students’ education, cannot be performed under the present COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated virtual field trips, as an alternative of in situ field work and as a means of preparation for “live” field trips, considering students’ views. They are useful for geoscience students, and a good alternative during restriction periods; although they can't substitute real field trips, they can be a valuable additional tool when preparing for a live field trip.

Many countries can get hit by different hazards, such as earthquakes and floods. Generally, measures and policies are aimed at decreasing the potential damages of one particular hazard type despite their potential of having unwanted effects on other hazard types. We designed a serious game that helps professionals to improve their understanding of these potential negative effects of measures and policies that reduce the impacts of disasters across many different hazard types.

In order to communicate the field-rich, complex concepts of karst geomorphology and hydrogeology to people who may not be able to access in-person field experiences, two virtual learning resources were created. Both karst activities, introductory and advanced, are available online in the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) Online Field Experiences repository. They and other activities from that SERC repository were incorporated into Virtual Capstone Pathways for senior undergrad students.

In the spring of 2020, in response to the escalating global coronavirus pandemic, the European Geosciences Union (EGU) moved it's annual General Assembly online in a matter of weeks. This paper explores the feedback provided by participants who attended this experimental conference and identifies four key themes that emerged from analysis of the survey: connection, engagement, environment, and accessibility. The responses raise important questions about the format of future conferences.

The study aims to address a proposed disconnect between science and the public. In this case, marine meteorological information and the users of these data. Here, the focus is not only on the perceptions, usability and uptake of extreme event forecasts but rather focused on general, everyday situations. A survey was conducted in two southern hemisphere countries, South Africa and New Zealand and subgroups within the communities (recreational and commercial users) were identified and elucidated.

Our study is concerned with how the uncertainty in spatial information about environmental variables can be communicated to stakeholders who must use this information to make decisions. We tested five methods to communicate the uncertainty in spatial predictions by eliciting opinions of end-users about the usefulness of the methods. End-users preferred methods based on the probability that concentrations are below or above a nutritionally-significant threshold.

Virtual outcrop models are increasingly used in geoscience teaching, but their efficacy as a training tool for 3d thinking has not been tested. We find that use of a virtual outcrop increases participants ability to choose the correct geological block model. That virtual outcrops are viewed positively, but only in a blended learning environment not as a replacement for fieldwork, and that virtual outcrop use could improve equality, diversity and inclusivity in geoscience.

Lack of access to science-based natural hazards information impedes the effectiveness of school-based disaster risk reduction education. To address this challenge, we created and classroom tested a series of earthquake education videos that were co-taught by school teachers and Earth scientists in the UK and Tajikistan. Comparison of results reveal significant differences between students' views on the Earth's interior and why and where earthquakes occur.

GAIA 5.0 presents based on concepts from Plato to Poincaré, the Earth as hypersphere, and as complex living system embedded into a multi-dimensional dynamic space model based on 5-dimensional hyper-Euclidean geometry. It visualizes a coupled atmosphere-ocean dynamics model by using ECMWF reanalysis data sets of the very severe cyclonic storms (Luban & Titli) over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal (2016). Finally a discrete model for the formation of aerosol is suggested.

Seismicity caused by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has triggered moratoria and is a topic of public interest. In this paper we show that ambiguity and inconsistency of language around magnitude and scale challenges current understanding of perceived risk of induced seismicity, and risk communication. We call for multi-method approaches to understand perceived risks around geoenergy resources, and suggest to adopted a shared language framework to describe seismic events.

Postsecondary advanced hydrology students often work with electronic sensing systems at field sites but are rarely given the opportunity to build and test electronic circuits used for collection of environmental data. Students constructed custom-designed circuits for water detection and environmental measurement. The circuits taught students about systems theory and hydrological models. This activity motivated learning and showed how circuits are used to collect data for model application.

Absurd theories have been gaining adherents without any criticism. And the worst: consolidating. Thus, in order to find solutions for a better understanding of our real theories, it was created the project "The Earth is Flat! Isn’t it? ", Which aims to use performing art as the main communicator to spread science. The first was of integration between Science and Art. The second was dramaturgy along with the creative process. And the third stage was the spectacle.

We have continued the interdisciplinary study on climate and music and have developed the crosscutting study plans on the climate and cultural understanding education, for promoting the Fundamental ESD Literacy. This review article re-integrates the results of our studies referring to our papers written in Japanese, mainly paying attention to the regional characteristics of the seasonal cycles and the songs/traditional seasonal events around Germany, Northern Europe and Japan.

We examine the role and potential of science museums in relation to the Chicxulub museum and research center in Yucatan, Mexico, built around the Chicxulub asteroid impact and the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary mass extinction. What is the role of site museums and geological sites in outreach, education and geosciences communication? Natural history and geological museums with research components allow integrating ongoing up to date research advances, expanding their usefulness and capabilities.

Everybody experiences weather and has, likely, a grasp on the notion of different climates. There are discussions on how to define climate, since climate is a policy-relevant topic. Here, I try to clarify why the saying Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get is an appropriate definition that, however, depends on the definition of what may be seen as weather.

The measurement of knowledge transfer is considered an important component of the overall performance assessment of research groups. It is, however, not a trivial task, because there is agreement on neither the definition nor on the logical structure of knowledge. In this paper related problems are summarized and approaches to the measurement of knowledge transfer are critically discussed.

A simulation tool has been realized with which the sensitivity of the Earth climate system to human interference can be studied. The tool is intended to offer users of the software, e.g. students in higher education, support in gaining insight into critical aspects of the climate system and thus counteracting common misconceptions with regard to the functioning of this system. The conceptual design of the tool is based on the paradigm learning as experimenting.