Earth Sciences, Utrecht University

04/06/2026

Hope for the PFAS problem?

Johan van Leeuwen explains in our alumni magazine Illuster.

Article about a possible solution to one of the most persistent environmental problems of the moment: PFAS. Johan van Leeuwen provides an explanation.

02/06/2026

FEST | Friday June 12th, 16:00h | COSMOS room

Next week's FEST will be given by Dr Lotta Ternieten, Marie Curie Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences. The topic of her talk is: "A nano-scale perspective on a novel pathway for the preservation of hydrothermal iron-sulfide colloids". See the flyer for details.

With the Friday Earth Science Talks, we intend to bring the departments of Earth Sciences and Physical Geography together. The aim is to present (mostly) Utrecht-based Earth Sciences in an accessible way, primarily in order to stay familiar with each other’s work across disciplines. Simultaneously, this provides an excellent platform to help (in particular MSc.) students in their orientation on possible graduation specialisations and future careers.

29/05/2026

Deep inside the vulcano (with Charlie Beard):

The Ilímaussaq complex in Greenland is a barren mountain landscape. For earth scientist Charlie Beard, it is not an empty area, but an archive of the Earth.

29/05/2026

CURRENT VACANCIES in the Departments of Physical Geography and Earth Sciences:

27/05/2026

NATURE ASTRONOMY | Missed opportunities in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Suppose there are signs of extraterrestrial life and we have not yet been able to detect them. What does that mean? In the renowned journal Nature Astronomy, researchers discuss the consequences of these so-called false-negative results. “We are currently investing a great deal of money in missions that might need to be designed differently.”

One of the main goals of astrobiology, the science that investigates the origin of life in the universe, is to test the hypothesis that extraterrestrial life exists. In practice, this means searching for evidence, a process in which ambiguous and disputable results are common. Astrobiologists are very aware of the possibility of these so-called ‘false-positive’ indications that wrongly suggest the existence of life. A false-negative result, on the other hand, means that we fail to detect life that is or was indeed present. “We should be aware of these false-negative results,” says lead author Inge Loes ten Kate, professor in astrobiology at Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam. “It means there are shortcomings in recognising the existence of life. These shortcomings are not yet high on the research agenda.”

Continue reading here:

A false-negative result means that we fail to detect life that is or was indeed present. We should be aware of that.

25/05/2026

PhD defence | May 26th | Katrin Hättig
Free access, but don't be late!

On Tuesday May 26th at 10.00h, Katrin Hättig will defend her dissertation 'Reconstruction of the Cenozoic evolution of the hydrogen isotopic composition of seawater using C37 alkenones'. Her (co-)promotores are Prof. Stefan Schouten and Dr Marcel van der Meer.

This PhD research investigates how the ocean and the global water cycle have changed in the past. To do this, a novel method is used based on the chemical composition of alkenones—organic compounds produced by microscopic algae living in the ocean.

This work improves our understanding of how the ocean responds to climate change. Since the ocean plays a key role in the Earth’s climate system, these findings help to better understand past climate variability and provide insights relevant for future climate change.

Read more here: https://www.uu.nl/en/events/phd-defence-reconstruction-of-the-cenozoic-evolution-of-the-hydrogen-isotopic-composition-of

19/05/2026

FEST | Friday May 22nd, 16:00h | COSMOS room

This week's FEST will be given by Prof. Annemarie van Wezel. The topic of her talk is: "Towards a non-toxic environment". See the flyer for details.

With the Friday Earth Science Talks, we intend to bring the departments of Earth Sciences and Physical Geography together. The aim is to present (mostly) Utrecht-based Earth Sciences in an accessible way, primarily in order to stay familiar with each other’s work across disciplines. Simultaneously, this provides an excellent platform to help (in particular MSc.) students in their orientation on possible graduation specialisations and future careers.

06/05/2026

PhD defence | May 12th | Sneha Chevuru
Free access, but don't be late!

On Tuesday May 12th at 12.00h, Sneha Chevuru will defend her dissertation 'Feedbacks between hydrology and crop growth under droughts and heatwaves: Food for thought for adaptation strategies'. Her (co-)promotores are Prof. Marc Bierkens, Prof. Michelle van Vliet, and Dr Rens van Beek.

Climate change is increasingly disrupting global food and water security through rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and more frequent and intense climate extremes. Events such as droughts, heatwaves, and compound drought-heatwaves already undermine crop productivity and strain freshwater availability, jeopardizing progress toward key sustainability targets. Irrigated agriculture plays a central role in stabilizing food production but is itself highly vulnerable to water scarcity and competing water demands. As climatic variability intensifies, understanding the interactions between crop growth and water availability becomes essential for accurately assessing risks and designing effective adaptation strategies, at regional as well as global scales.

Read more here: https://www.uu.nl/en/events/phd-defence-feedbacks-between-hydrology-and-crop-growth-under-droughts-and-heatwaves-food-for

01/05/2026

Where was your back yard millions of years ago?

An international team of earth scientists led by Utrecht professor Douwe van Hinsbergen has developed an online tool that allows you to see, for any given location on Earth, what latitude it occupied in the distant past, right back to the heyday of the supercontinent Pangaea 320 million years ago. The basis for this is the Utrecht Paleogeography Model, which enables by far the most detailed reconstruction of complex mountain ranges and vanished tectonic plates. The unprecedented accuracy of this tool offers countless possibilities, such as for reconstructions of the development and resilience of biodiversity, and lays the foundation for our understanding of climate evolution.

Continue reading here:

Paleolatitude.org offers countless possibilities, such as for reconstructions of the development and resilience of biodiversity and lays the foundation for our understanding of climate evolution