Role of geophysical exploration technology for environmental conservation in the geosphere

Abstract

　We report on the overview of the environmental session at the 75th anniversary symposium of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists of Japan (SEGJ) which was held in 2023. In this session, we discussed the social importance of recent environmental issues in the geosphere, and discussed soil contamination, groundwater conservation, geological disposal projects for high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and geological storage projects for carbon dioxide in Japan. In the session, we had reports on related laws and governmental plans, the roles of geophysical exploration technology, and application examples. As examples of specific applications for soil contamination and groundwater conservation in the session, there were reports on investigating the integrity of tailings dams installed for mine developments and the impact evaluation of civil engineering work on nearby well water (hot spring water). Regarding the geological disposal of HLW projects, there was the report on the status of each related organization's efforts for the research and development of geophysical exploration techniques and an example of investigations of freshwater groundwater beneath the seabed in coastal shallow waters. In terms of geological storage projects for carbon dioxide, there was a report on the status of efforts of each related organization and the application of monitoring using a seismic method of subsurface carbon dioxide migration.