Hydrothermal Energy and Ocean Carbon Cycles

Objective: The importance of hydrothermal energy transfer to the biosphere through chemosynthetic primary production has long been recognized. Initially, this was only considered to occur at discrete, isolated, hydrothermally active hotspots around the global ridge crest and to have minor impact on the global ocean carbon cycles. But recent results suggest that this assumption may not be correct. We now know that hydrothermal venting can be widespread throughout all oceans, along the entire thermohaline conveyor, and that both the local fixation of carbon and the export of bio-limiting nutrients to the broader ocean may be much greater than previously recognized. For too long, fragmentation of our understanding of biogeochemical interactions in hydrothermal systems has prevented any quantitative estimation of hydrothermally driven primary production. Now, however, recent advances in molecular methods as well as in situ and in vivo experimentation provide us with new opportunities for a coordinated, integrating effort in which interdisciplinary approaches and modelling can be brought to bear. Consequently, we believe that it is very timely to plan a revised consideration of the diverse pathways of biomass generation driven by hydrothermal processes and the potential contribution that they may make to the global ocean carbon cycle.

Co-Chairs - Nadine Le Bris (IFREMER, France), Christopher R. German (WHOI, USA)

Group Members - Wolfgang Bach (Univ. Bremen, Germany); Loka Bharathi (National Institute of Oceanography, India); Nicole Dubilier (Max Planck Institute Marine Microbiology, Germany); Katrina Edwards (Univ. Southern California, USA); Françoise Gaill (CNRS, Paris, France); Toshi Gamo (Univ. Tokyo, Japan); Peter Girguis (Harvard Univ., USA); Xiqiu Han (Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, China); Julie Huber (Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, USA); Louis Legendre (LOV-UPMC, Villefranche, France); George W. Luther III (University of Delaware, USA); William E. Seyfried Jr (Univ. Minnesota, USA); Stefan Sievert (WHOI, USA); Ken Takai (JAMSTEC, Japan); Andreas Thurnherr (Columbia Univ., USA); Margaret K. Tivey (WHOI, USA).

(“Mirror” to SCOR WG 135; Working group formed in 2009; Developed from IRTI 2007 organized by Biogeochemical Interactions WG )

Translations of the mission statement: French; German; Korean Spanish