“Caspian Basin in Transition: Bridging Geosciences and Environmental Challenges 2024” Conference has concluded

The “Caspian Basin in Transition: Bridging Geosciences and Environmental Challenges 2024” conference has concluded. It took place from June 3 to 6 at UFAZ. The conference organized jointly by UFAZ, the Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry, CASPISNET, EiGroup, and ARPA IB, with BP as the main sponsor. It offers a rich platform for discussing the main challenges in geosciences in a changing world.

The conference on the Caspian Basin was aimed to present and discuss new approaches, methodologies, and data in geosciences in response to the challenges of energy transition. Special attention will be given to topics related to the Caspian Sea basin, including global issues during the transition period, exploration and sustainability of geo-resources, assessment and prevention of geo-hazards, and the resilience of natural and anthropogenic systems to global changes.

The conference, included both in-person and virtual presentations, features lectures, oral presentations, as well as the display of abstracts and posters. Out of 73 abstracts submitted for presentation, 42 were selected for oral presentations and 25 for poster displays. The four-day conference also included roundtable discussions, field trips to mud volcanoes, informal dinner discussions, and networking activities. Additionally, topics related to sustainability and climate change to be discussed within the framework of COP29 also addressed.

The conference covered four main themes, with speakers’ presentations focusing on these topics. The themes included “Exploring and Sustaining Georesources of the Caspian Basin,” “Geohazards Assessment and Prevention,” “Climate Change and Resilience in Transition Time,” and “Frontiers in Geosciences.” Participants from Azerbaijan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, France, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, South Africa, Italy, Finland, and Israel attended the conference.

The main speakers of the conference, included Professor Gunay Cifci, Turkey’s representative for COST activities in Science and Technology, and professor at the Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology at the Dokuz Eylul University; Professor Lev Appelbaum of Tel Aviv University and honorary professor at ASOIU; Matteo Tarantino, assistant professor at the Catholic University of Milan; Jean-François Cretaux, representative of the Laboratory of Space Geophysical and Oceanographic Studies (LEGOS); Sohail Elabd, Director of International Research at the US Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI); Rodrigo Labardini, researcher at the Development and Diplomacy Institute of ADA University; and Sassan Saatchi, scientific researcher at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and professor of the California Institute of Technology.