International Master in Geosciences (IMG)

The teaching unit aims to prepare students to navigate the uncertainties of the planet's future by deepening their understanding of complex geoscientific concepts. Specifically, it focuses on topics such as water resource variability, delta dynamics, natural hazards and risks, global change impacts, and resource management. Through this exploration, students will gain insight into the interconnections between different Earth systems and processes, equipping them with the knowledge needed to address the challenges posed by global change effectively.

The course explores major geoscientific challenges, including water resource variability, river deltas, hazards and risks, global change (specifically sea level and temperature), and resources and reserves. Students will delve into the factors influencing continental water flows, the significance and management of river deltas, the assessment and mitigation of natural hazards, the drivers of global temperature and sea level rise, and the role of metals in renewable energy technologies and resource sustainability, including future availability and recycling in the context of the energy transition.

Water resource variability - The course will address the various factors that control and modulate the relationship between climate variability and that of continental water flows: river discharge, groundwater recharge, evapotranspiration. The issue will be addressed through analysis of hydroclimatic data time series, and an example of palaeohydrological reconstruction based on lake level variations (C. Vallet-Coulomb).
River deltas - River deltas served as environmental incubators for some of the oldest cities and state-level societies on Earth, provide tremendous ecosystem services and resources, and currently host about 350 million people globally. At the same time, deltas in the Anthropocene have become iconic of the degradation and vulnerability of the world’s coasts. Massive datasets and conceptual and numerical modelling are permeating delta studies globally, helping us probe better how geoscience can contribute to face the challenges of future delta sustainability through new principles of delta management (E. Anthony).

Hazards and risks - In addressing the critical issue of natural hazards and associated risks, our foremost challenge is to refine our understanding of natural phenomena and thus strengthen assessments of hazard parameters. Enhancing the precision and timeliness of these assessments is pivotal for effective risk management, ensuring that communities and systems are well-prepared to confront and mitigate the potential impacts of unpredictable events. This course will particularly focus on seismic hazard but will also considers other natural hazards to discuss the concept of hazard, risk, and vulnerability at a regional and global scale. We will demonstrate that disasters are not natural, but rather highlight global inequalities (L. Siame).

Global Change : sea level and temperature - For several thousand years, the equilibrium temperature of the Earth's surface has been 15°C (assuming an average albedo of 0.3 and a natural greenhouse effect), the average sea level has been stable, as have atmospheric and oceanic circulations. At present, these parameters show an increasing trend in response to anthropogenic activities. In the first part of the course, the mechanisms leading to an increase in global temperature and sea level will be presented. Secondly, the contributions of paleoclimatology to the understanding of present and future global change will be discussed in the form of training (L. Vidal).

Resources and reserves - This comprehensive course delves into the pivotal role of metals in driving the global energy transition towards a sustainable future. Participants will explore the critical significance of metals such as copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements in the development of renewable energy technologies. We will develop the concept of resource and reserves and see how they evolved and will evolve with time. Using simple models, we will try to understand the future availability of metal resources and the role of recycling in the energy transition (O. Cavalié).