The Workshop Geophysics for Civil Protection & Sustaining Humanitarian Aid Operations, the closing event of the RO-GEO4HUMANITY project

The Geophysics for Civil Protection & Sustaining Humanitarian Aid Operations workshop, held on November 15, 2024, as part of the Geoscience 2024 International Symposium in Bucharest, marked the closing of the RO-GEO4HUMANITY project. As such, its primary aim was to disseminate to a large public the results achieved during the project, highlighting the applicability of geophysical methods in addressing security and civil protection challenges and the important role of geophysicists in certain types of humanitarian operations.

The project RO-GEO4HUMANITY, initiated by the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics of the University of Bucharest and the Society of Applied Geophysics of Romania, focused on developing and implementing an applied educational program incorporating various geophysical techniques to locate unexploded ordnance and other military-related objectives. The activities also included the analysis of seismic-acoustic signals originating from nuclear tests and explosions generated by recent military actions in Ukraine. The project thus contributed to enhancing security risk response capacity while promoting interdisciplinary education.

The workshop included the presentation of the geophysical results obtained during the field campaign, organized in collaboration with the National Institute for Marine Geology and Geoecology – GeoEcoMar, Romania, and the “Henry Coandă” Air Force Academy in Brașov, Romania. The presentations were delivered by both researchers part of the trainers group of the project and students participating in the field activities and provided an applied perspective on geophysics and emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing the complex challenges of the 21st century.

The workshop, which demonstrated the relevance of geophysical research in civil protection, included the following presentations:

• Bridging Geophysics and Global Security: An Educational Approach to Enriching Learning – Florina Chitea (Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest).
• Geophysics in the Service of Civil Protection. Case Study: Complex Investigations of the Risk Posed by the German War Flotilla Scuttled at Prahovo, Performed Prior and During Its Removal – Radu George Dimitriu¹, Mikhail Tchernychev², Zoran Lukic³, Tihomir Stosic⁴, Mihai Dragomir⁵, Andrei Eugen Stănișteanu⁵ (¹National Institute for Marine Geology and Geoecology – GeoEcoMar, Romania, ²freelancer, formerly affiliated with Geometrics Inc., San Jose, California, USA, ³Kentron Technologies S.R.L.,Bucharest, Romania, ⁴iC Consulenten d.o.o. Belgrade, Serbia, ⁵Marine Research S.R.L., Bucharest, Romania).
• Infrasound Monitoring of the Military Explosive Sources from Russia–Ukraine Conflict – Daniela Ghica¹ (¹National Institute for Earth Physics, Măgurele, Romania).
• Complex Geophysical Investigation of an Intriguing Near-Surface Anthropic Feature Detected South of Ghiaurchioi Promontory – Radu George Dimitriu¹, Florina Tuluca^2,3, Irina-Marilena Stanciu¹, Ioan Munteanu^2,3, Florin Sebastian Pitea¹ (¹National Institute for Marine Geology and Geoecology – GeoEcoMar, Romania, ²Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest, ³Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy, Romania).
• Integrating Drone-Borne and Ground Magnetics for Enhanced UXO Detection – Ana-Elena Suditu¹, Vlad Catarig-Iancu¹, Robert Birta-Alexandru¹, Timeea-Maria Manolache¹, Mario-Mihăiță Lazu¹, Andreea Florea¹, Andreea-Mihaela Răducanu¹, Florin Sebastian Pitea^1,2, Irina-Marilena Stanciu², Sebastian Pop³, Cătălin Cioacă³, Radu George Dimitriu² (¹Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest, ²National Institute for Marine Geology and Geoecology  – GeoEcoMar, Romania, ³“Henry Coandă” Air Force Academy, Braşov, Romania).
• Advancing UXO Detection with Drone-Borne Photogrammetry and Thermal Scanning – Florin Sebastian Pitea^1,2, Gheorghe Turturea¹, Diana Ciurbe³, Liliana Vereş³, Alexandra Enache¹, Bogdan Cerbu⁴, Florina Chitea^1,5, Irina-Marilena Stanciu², Radu George Dimitriu², Cătălin Cioacă³, Sebastian Pop³ (¹Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest, ²National Institute of Marine Geology and Geo-ecology – GeoEcoMar, Romania, ³“Henry Coandă” Air Force Academy, ⁴Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, ⁵Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy, Romania).

The workshop concluded with a session dedicated to recognizing the contributions of participants, project experts with role of trainers, Institutions and AECOM who sustained the project.

For more details about the event and the presentations, please consult the book of abstracts, available here.