AGU Fall Meeting 2009

AGU Fall Meeting
14–18 December 2009
San Francisco, California, USA
http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm09/

Sessions of interest to the InterRidge community:
B06: Buried Alive: The Dark, Deep Biosphere of Intraterrestrial Life
OS03: New Insights from Integrated Multidisciplinary Studies of Oceanic Spreading Center Processes-Ridge 2000 Research
S53: Marine Seismology and Bottom Interacting Ocean Acoustics
T31: Forearcs and Backarcs on the Ocean Floor and the Geologic Record
V35: Submarine Volcanic Eruptions: Studies of Geological, Chemical, and Biological Processes

Session summaries:
B06: Buried Alive: The Dark, Deep Biosphere of Intraterrestrial Life
Conveners: Katrina Edwards, Axel Schippers

The Earth’s “deep biosphere” includes a variety of subsurface habitats, such as mines and deep aquifer systems in the continental realm, and sediments and igneous rock in the marine realm. It has been estimated that nearly half of total biomass on Earth resides in the deep biosphere (Whitman et al., 1998, PNAS). However, the existing data used to produce this global census are highly skewed and in reality reflect habitat accessibility. In the decade (+) since this provocative hypothesis was put forth, dedicated and more systematic microbiological studies have been mounted and are beginning to be conducted in conjunction with geochemists, geologists, and hydrogeologists. New data concerning the deep biosphere is rapidly emerging from this community, and this session is aimed at highlighting and providing a forum for continued discussion and debate about the nature, size, activity, dispersal, function, limits and the broader consequence(s) of the existence of a massive living biosphere below the Earth’s surface.

OS03: Ridge 2000-sponsored special session at the 2009 AGU Fall Meeting
New Insights from Integrated Multidisciplinary Studies of Oceanic Spreading Center Processes - Ridge 2000 Research
Conveners: Dan Fornari (dfornari@whoi.edu), Costa Vetriani (vetriani@imcs.marine.rutgers.edu), Jeff Seewald (jseewald@whoi.edu), and Ken Rubin (krubin@hawaii.edu)

The primary goal of the Ridge 2000 Program (R2K) is to achieve an integrated, holistic understanding of global mid-ocean ridge (MOR) and oceanic spreading center processes through directed study at specific sites as well as comparison between those sites and other well-studied oceanic spreading centers. This session will provide an opportunity to explore and integrate the breadth of data available for R2K Integrated Study Sites (ISSs) by comparing across ISSs as well as to other spreading centers to find linkages between the phenomena associated with energy transfer from the mantle to the crust and into the ocean via MOR hydrothermal systems, which utilize the hydrologic regime in the crust to control the distribution of fluids, energy and biota.

S53: Marine Seismology and Bottom Interacting Ocean Acoustics

T31: Forearcs and Backarcs on the Ocean Floor and the Geologic Record
Conveners: Jonathan Snow (University of Houston, USA, jesnow@uh.edu), Yasuhiko Ohara (Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of Japan, ohara@jodc.go.jp), Robert Stern (University of Texas at Dallas, USA, rjstern@utdallas.edu)

Recent studies of forearc and backarc crust suggest dramatic differences between the two. Forearcs are built on highly depleted mantle with high-Mg andesitic lavas, and bacakarcs show more affinity to MORB both in the chemical composition of the lavas and the lower degree of depletion of the mantle section. At the same time, many or most ophiolites are thought to originate in a broadly "Supra Subduction Zone" setting. Given the new obsevations, it ought to be possible to make the distinction between forearc and backarc ophiolite setting more precisely. This session invites contributions from those studying present-day forearc and backarc regions, as well as those studying ophiolites, to bring a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the genesis of SSZ crust in the ocean basins.

V35: Submarine Volcanic Eruptions: Studies of Geological, Chemical, and Biological Processes
Conveners: William Chadwick (bill.chadwick@oregonstate.edu), Joseph Resing (resing@u.washington.edu), Julie Huber (jhuber@mbl.edu), Timothy Shank (tshank@whoi.edu)

In the last several years, submarine volcanic eruptions have been remotely detected or directly observed in a number of diverse tectonic settings – from volcanic arcs to mid-ocean ridges, from near surface to the deep ocean, from violently explosive to mildly effusive. This range of activity has attracted multidisciplinary study, including the geochemistry and petrology of erupted lavas, the chemistry and evolution of associated hydrothermal emissions on the seafloor and in the water column, the formation mechanisms and dispersal of tephra underwater, the seismic and acoustic characterization of eruptive activity, and the speed and mode of micro- and macro-biological colonization of eruption sites. We invite contributions across the broad spectrum of disciplines that relate to understanding submarine volcanic eruptions, past and present, with an emphasis on how recent direct observations of eruptive activity shed new light on active geological, chemical, and biological processes.

Short Course Announcement- IODP Primer: An Introduction to Ocean Drilling Programs
Date: Sunday, December 13, 1- 5 PM
Location: San Francisco, CA- in conjunction with the AGU Fall Meeting

New to the ocean drilling programs? Wondering how to request samples or data? Or sail on an expedition? If so, attend “IODP Primer: An Introduction to Ocean Drilling Programs.” At this short course, program specialists will discuss the history of scientific ocean drilling, what data are available in the archives, what makes a strong application to sail, how to participate in expedition planning, and more.
Attendance is free, but space is limited.

To register, please visit:
http://www.oceanleadership.org/usssp/workshops/introduction-to-iodp

IODP Town Hall meeting
Date: Tuesday Dec. 15, 5.30 - 7.30pm
Updates on expeditions, highlights of 2009 INVEST workshop