Multiple geologic hazards, such as landslides and earthquakes, arise when solids and fluids coexist and deform together. We designed an experimental apparatus that allows us to observe such deformation in 3D. The first results show how fluids and solids deform and break at the same time, allowing us to study the impact of both materials on deformation distribution and speed. Making these processes visible has the potential to improve risk assessments associated with geological hazards.

We describe a new drill for glaciers and ice sheets. Instead of drilling down into the ice, via mechanical action, our drill melts into the ice. Our goal is simply to pull a cable of temperature sensors on a one-way trip down to the ice–bed interface. Here, we describe the design and testing of our drill. Under laboratory conditions, our melt-tip drill has an efficiency of ∼ 35 % with a theoretical maximum penetration rate of ∼ 12 m h⁻¹. Under field conditions, our efficiency is just ∼ 15 %.

Better monitoring of soil carbon sequestration is needed to understand the best carbon farming practices in different soils and climate conditions. We, the Field Observatory Network (FiON), have therefore established a methodology for monitoring and forecasting agricultural carbon sequestration by combining offline and near-real-time field measurements, weather data, satellite imagery, and modeling. To disseminate our work, we built a website called the Field Observatory (fieldobservatory.org).

The CUGB-CS48DAS data acquisition system was primarily designed for seismic purposes. However, we tried to integrate the acquisition circuit for electrical purposes and implemented hardware improvements as well as software updates. Moreover, technology including narrow-band internet of things QC monitoring was also introduced. After a few field tests, the system was proven to be stable and easy to use and has a good application effect in engineering geology, mineral geology, and energy geology.

We present the development of the RIPLE platform that is designed for the monitoring at high temporal frequency (~ 10 min) of water discharge, solid fluxes (bedload and suspended load) and properties of fine particles (settling velocity) in mesoscale rivers. Many instruments are integrated into this single centralized device, which is autonomous in energy and connected to the 2G/3G network. A user-friendly interface has been developed enabling us to visualize the data collected by the platform.