Currently visiting: Giuliana Panieri

28.11.2024

In her research, Giuliana Panieri is concentrating on micropaleontology in extreme environments of the ocean. Among other topics, the geologist at the Arctic University of Norway is investigating foraminifera to reconstruct methane emissions over time, back to the mid-Pleistocene. She is visiting the group of Petra Heinz at the Department of Palaeontology during the winter term 2024/25 to do experiments on foraminifera.

  • What is fascinating about your research area?

Giuliana Panieri: The most fascinating aspect of my research is the opportunity to explore and understand the enigmatic extreme environments of the ocean, mainly through oceanographic expeditions into the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean hosts methane cold seeps, gas hydrate sites, and hydrothermal vents, which are valuable for understanding Earth's geological and biological interactions and crucial for comprehending broader environmental and climatic changes. My passion for micropaleontology, especially investigating foraminifera from extreme environments and using them to trace and reconstruct methane emissions over time, allows me to contribute to our understanding of how these systems have evolved and how they might change in the future, also considering the growth exploitation of resources from the bottom of the oceans (oil, gas and deep sea minerals).

  • Which central message should your students remember?

Giuliana Panieri: The central message I want to convey to my students is twofold: while I wish them to be constantly curious, on the other side, I want to tell them the significance of interdisciplinary research in understanding our planet dynamics. This does not mean that one cannot be an expert in a specific topic, but it is only by integrating different types of knowledge and experience that we can understand our planet and hopefully contribute to a sustainable solution to some of the most pressing environmental issues. I hope my students also recognise our deep connection to the environment around us and discover the fun aspects of geoscience.
 

  • Why did you decide to visit our Faculty?

Giuliana Panieri: The geology and paleontology team at Vienna are renowned worldwide, so it is an honor for me to be here. I was interested in this faculty for the possibility of working in the Research Group Heinz. I have collaborated with Petra Heinz in the past, and now that I am here, I can work with her qualified team. The lab is equipped for conducting experiments with foraminifera - something I had never done before. This addition is necessary for my research, as I aim to answer questions about the survival and stable isotope geochemistry of foraminifera in the extreme environments that interest me.

  • Which three publications characterise your work?

- We recently discovered that the Arctic Ocean naturally emits not only methane, but also oil. This was suggested through satellite imagery but confirmed in an expedition in 2022. The oil originates from seafloor seeps, not algal blooms as initially thought. Our findings were detailed in a comprehensive paper published in 2023:
Panieri, G., Argentino, C., Ramalho, S.P., Vulcano, F., Savini, A., Fallati, L.,  Brekke, T., Galimberti, G., Riva, F. Balsa,J.,  Eilertsen, M.H., Stokke, R., Steen, I.H., Sahy, D., Kalenitchenko, D., Büenz, S., Mattingsdal, R., 2023: “An Arctic natural oil seep investigated from space to the seafloor”. Science of The Total Environment,  907, 167788,ISSN 0048-9697

- Geologists are very often looking for the “oldest” of everything. In this paper, we measured the oldest methane emissions recorded in the marine realm in Arctic Ocean sediments, dated back to the mid-Pleistocene, using an OPD core collected 30 years back:
Panieri, G., Knies, J. M., Vadakkepuliyambatta, S., Lee, A., Schubert, C. J., 2023: "Evidence of Arctic methane emissions across the mid-Pleistocene". Communications Earth & Environment. Volume 4 (109) pp. 1-11.

- This book is a collaborative effort by global scholars from diverse fields such as marine sciences, Indigenous law, and global health, among others. It originated from an interdisciplinary workshop held at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, in Tromsø in September 2023. It aims to offer innovative and holistic perspectives on research and education, encouraging students, academics, and policymakers to reflect on their impact on the oceans and the environment at large:
G. Panieri et al. (eds.), 2024: Emotional and Ecological Literacy for a More Sustainable Society.


Thank you & welcome to our Faculty!

 

About the Person

  • Giuliana Panieri is professor of Geology at the Department of Geosciences at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, in Tromsø and an adjunct scientist at WHOI –  Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Giuliana did her undergraduate at the University of Bologna and a PhD at the University of Modena. After a postdoc at Bologna and LSU Louisiana State University, she had several professional experiences at the ISMAR CNR (Italy) and international universities in Spain, Germany, and France. She has served at the European Geosciences Union EGU as President of the Biogeosciences Division and General Secretary.
  • Research: Her research focuses on reconstructing past paleoenvironments and on geological processes relative to sub-superficial dynamics of the lithosphere. Specifically, she is interested in using micropaleontology and geochemistry to study extreme environments, present and past greenhouse (methane) emissions, and methane hydrate dissociations, looking at possible connections to climate change in the Arctic and elsewhere.
  • Outreach & Education: Lately, she has been keen on developing new learning tools for Ocean Literacy (collaborating with artists and illustrators) and supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (together with legal scholars, philosophers and schoolteachers), implementing specific tasks and deliverables within the framework of numerous national and international projects.
    Giuliana is used to (and loves) navigating diverse cultural and professional environments.
  • Department and host: Department of Palaeontology / Univ.-Prof. Dr. Petra Heinz
  • Homepage: en.uit.no/ansatte/giuliana.panieri
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During the winter term 2024/25, Giuliana Panieri is visiting the Department of Palaeontology at the University of Vienna. She is professor of Geology at the Department of Geosciences at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, in Tromsø and an adjunct scientist at WHOII. Image: Giuliana onboard RV Kronprins Haakon during the EXTREME24 expedition in May-June 2024. Photo: Martin Hartley

In her research, she focuses on foraminifera from extreme environments, using them to trace and reconstruct methane emissions over time.

Image: Collecting gas hydrate (frozen methane) from the bottom of the ocean is always very exciting. Here, Giuliana and her students are collecting samples retrieved from 3600 m water depth during the EXTREME24 expedition. Photo: Leighton Rolley

Most of the observations done at the bottom of the ocean are made using ROV, Remotely Operated Vehicles, which are our hands and eyes. Here, Giuliana is with colleagues Alex Rogers (Ocean Census), Jon Copley (NOC, Southampton) and the REV Aurora ROV Teams exploring the Arctic Seafloor. Photo: Leighton Rolley