Geochemistry & Environmental Sciences
Earth's surface and the ground beneath it are shaped by chemical processes that take place within sediments, rocks, groundwater, and surface water. These processes govern how nutrients and elements cycle through the environment, control the chemistry of water, and link geological materials to ecosystems, oceans, and climate. Geochemistry and Environmental Sciences aim to elucidate the fundamentals of these processes, exploring how matter moves and changes form as it passes through connected geological and hydrological systems. Such understanding is critical to coping with pressing environmental challenges, such as climate change, ocean acidification, groundwater salinization, contaminant migration, and the need for a sustainable freshwater supply.
At BGU, we focus on how different elements cycle through and interact with rocks, sediments, groundwater, and aquatic systems. For instance, we study how water interacts with rock, including aspects of salinity, contamination, and water quality; what the shells of marine organisms can teach us about past geochemical events; and how the Earth's mantle and crust—the layers of rock that make up and lie beneath the Earth's surface—are built and evolve through geologic time. To address these questions, we conduct laboratory experiments, measure the chemical properties of water and rock, apply the principles of thermodynamics to reconstruct environments and evolutionary pathways, and use the acquired data to simulate the processes governing reactions.
