Environmental Geosciences

The multidisciplinary work done at INRS applies to water resource management, surficial geothermal systems, contaminated aquifer rehabilitation, agri-environment, and coastal erosion, all of which must consider the effect of climate change on hydrogeosystems. Methods for integrating and processing geoscientific data based on deep learning are also studied, as is the development of multi-isotopic approaches in water geochemistry to identify contaminant sources and to assess environmental impacts.

• Develop technologies for the evaluation and exploitation of surface geothermal energy: integrating geothermal technologies into tunnelling projects, heating northern buildings, and storing thermal energy underground, while considering geochemical and microbiological factors.
• Conduct work on the deep-learning-based integration and processing of geoscience data, particularly for predicting major events and assisting infrastructure managers with decision-making.
• Improve the efficiency of numerical simulations for particle, fluid, solute, and heat transport processes and study geophysical responses in geological environments.

• Develop multi-isotopic approaches in water geochemistry to better define natural processes, identify contaminant sources, and assess environmental impacts in multiple fields, such as the agri-environment and the mining and petroleum sectors.
• Study current and past lake and marine sediments in order to recreate paleoclimates and paleoenvironments.
• Conduct work on CO₂ storage and use.