Month: February 2019

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Call for Participation in Emperor Seamount Chain Seismic Experiment aboard the R/V Langseth 

We invite applications from graduate students, postdocs and early-career scientists to participate in an NSF-funded seismic research experiment aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth focused on the Emperor seamount chain. This project will involve the collection of 2D multi-channel seismic reflection data and wide-angle reflection/refraction data along two main transects across and along the Emperor seamount chain to constrain the composition, volume and distribution of magmatic addition beneath the chain and to understand the response of the oceanic plate to magmatic addition. More information about the objectives and design of the project can be found online (https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~djs/hawaii-emperor_seismic_project/main.html). 

The research cruise is scheduled from April 19 – June 1, 2019, and it will depart from Honolulu, Hawaii and return to Kodiak, Alaska. Participants will contribute to collection and onboard processing of seismic data and other underway geophysical data. Applicants do not need to have previous experience with collecting or analyzing active-source seismic data; we hope that this field campaign will provide opportunities for scientists to gain familiarity with these types of data and analyses. Funds are available to cover travel and subsistence costs for US-based scientists. 

To apply to participate, please send a CV and ~1-page statement of interest and experience to Donna Shillington (djs@ldeo.columbia.edu). Applicants will be selected based on the broad relevance of this project and/or type of data to their current research and career objectives.

Application Deadline: March 1, 2018 

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SUBITOP TOPO-EUROPE CONFERENCE

5–10 May 2019, Granada, Spain

Early-bird registration and abstract deadline: March 1, 2018

For information and registration: http://topoeurope2019.eu/

Theme: Understanding subduction zone topography through modelling of coupled shallow and deep processes

Tectonic activity and topographic evolution are intimately linked.  This is most powerfully expressed in subduction systems, where geodynamic and geomorphic processes are connected across depths and time scales from individual earthquakes to climate-driven erosion, plate deformation and slab-mantle interactions.  The imprint of all these processes and their links is not only found in the surface topography of subduction systems, but also in their exposed geology and patterns of deformation with attendant hazards. Understanding of the dynamics of subduction systems is advanced by the combined reading of these geophysical, geologic and geomorphic imprints, complemented by physical and numerical modelling.

Key questions include:

• What is the topographic expression of the subduction cycle?
• What are the measurable effects of slab bending and tear at the Earth’s surface? 
• How have these topographic expressions of subduction processes affected surface process systems, from sediment production and routing to atmospheric and oceanic circulation? 
• How strong are the effects of erosion and sedimentation on subduction processes at depth?
• What are the spatial and temporal scales on which the subduction system responds to perturbations and changes of boundary conditions?

This conference brings together researchers from across the spectrum of Geosciences to discuss these questions with insights from models and field and instrumental observations, integrating across time scales and process domains.

TOPO-EUROPE promotes, coordinates and integrates national research programs on geological surface processes and their implications for continental topography and natural hazards in a coherent European network. SUBITOP is an ITN for training and career development of 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESR) in Geodynamics, Geophysics, Geology and Geomorphology.  It has a scientific focus on the dynamics of continental margins where tectonic plates are recycled through subduction.

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Call for Participation – PacificArray OBS Recovery Cruise (May-June 2019)

Application Deadline: Feb 11, 2019

Cruise dates: May 6 – June 7, 2019 (flexibility of ±5 days required)

PIs: Jim Gaherty, Zach Eilon, Don Forsyth, Göran Ekström

Science Party: up to 6

We are soliciting apply-to-sail participants for the RV Kilo Moana ocean-bottom seismograph (OBS) recovery cruise, part of the international PacificArray initiative to install OBS arrays across the Pacific plate. We will recover 30 broadband OBS deployed in spring 2018 in a region approximately 500 km NE of the Marquesas Islands in the central Pacific, notable for unexplained gravity lineations that hint at small-scale sub-lithospheric convection. More information about this project can be found online: (https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1658491&HistoricalAwards=false).

Science party responsibilities will include rotating 8-hour watches to assist in recovery of the 30 OBS, collect and archive multi-beam bathymetry and side-scan data, as well as crewing on board oceanographic instrumentation. Cruise activities will include reading and discussion of papers pertinent to the science goals of the experiment. The project blog from the deployment cruise provides a perspective on these activities: (https://pacificorca.wordpress.com/)

Selected applicants will contribute to collecting the open-access data that will be provided to the scientific community for use in addressing a wide spectrum of Earth Science research targets, from marine geophysics to global seismology. Applications from students and early-career scientists are particularly encouraged. Applicants do not need to have experience with the type of data collection they will participate in; we hope that wide community participation in these field campaigns will provide opportunities for scientists to gain familiarity with a variety of data-collection techniques. Funds for travel to/from port (Honolulu, HI) will be provided for US-based researchers.

To apply, please assemble an application package (2-page CV and 1-page statement of interest and experience) and submit it electronically to James Gaherty (gaherty@LDEO.columbia.edu) no later than February 11, 2019. Applications from graduate students and post-docs require a letter of support from the graduate advisor or supervisor.

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Dear GeoPRISMS community:

Please make note of this workshop announcement and apply to attend if at all possible.  

However, your input on the following questions is highly valued and encouraged even if you don’t intend to apply.

Looking beyond 2023, what current IODP science plan challenges need to be modified or expanded? How and why? (IODP science plan challenges can be found here – http://www.iodp.org/about-iodp/iodp-science-plan-2013-2023

What new scientific challenges should be formulated in the next IODP science plan?

What is needed in a new U.S. riserless drilling vessel (from coring to shipboard analysis) to answer these new or updated challenges?

The direct link to the workshop announcement is here: https://usoceandiscovery.org/next_workshop/

Although maybe not intuitively obvious, to provide your input, click on the “Apply to the NEXT workshop” button (even if you don’t intend to go), and follow along as if you are applying.  There will be a place to check whether or not you are planning to attend the workshop. 

Thank you for your support!

-Sue DeBari (member of the US Advisory Committee for Scientific Ocean Drilling)

———– Workshop Announcement  NEXT: Scientific Ocean Drilling Beyond 2023 To the Scientific Ocean Drilling Community,   In December, we announced the U.S. workshop for the future of scientific ocean drilling to be held in Denver, Colorado, USA on May 6-7, 2019. The workshop, entitled “NEXT: Scientific Ocean Drilling Beyond 2023,” will convene approximately 120 IODP community members to develop the U.S. plan for continued scientific ocean drilling without a hiatus at the end of the current program. Progress is being made on plans to replace the aging JOIDES Resolution with a modernized, more capable non-riser drilling vessel to help accommodate our transition to a long-term future in scientific ocean drilling.   The goals of this workshop are to: (1) update existing scientific challenges and identify new challenges to be included in a post-2023 science plan; and (2) identify and prioritize the required technologies and platform needs to enable the scientific ocean drilling research community to address those challenges in a new ocean drilling program.   Space will be limited at this meeting, but it is important to hear all voices and ideas. Therefore, pre-meeting webinars, and possibly live streaming of the workshop, will be available to those who cannot attend. In preparation for the workshop, we ask on the application for you to carefully consider and respond to three questions:

• Looking beyond 2023, what current IODP science plan challenges need to be modified or expanded? How and why?
• What new scientific challenges should be formulated in the next IODP science plan?
• What is needed in a new U.S. riserless drilling vessel (from coring to shipboard analysis) to answer these new or updated challenges?

Below you will find links to the workshop web page, application site, and current science plan. Your answers to the above questions are important and will guide us in our selection of who will be invited to the NEXT workshop. Your input is extremely valuable even if you are not invited or are unable to attend the meeting, as it will inform the discussion prior to the meeting and allow all participants to come prepared with new thoughts and ideas.    The end product of the NEXT workshop will be a document that will be shared with our international partners and the National Science Foundation. This workshop report will also serve to inform other stakeholders such as the deans or directors of our research institutions and our elected representatives in the U.S. Congress.   The application period closes on February 15. Invited participants from U.S. institutions will be supported by the USSSP Office. Interested non-U.S. scientists are encouraged to complete an application and contribute to the community dialog, but must work with their national Program Member Offices with regard to funding. We anticipate around 20-30 openings for international participants, so invitations will be limited.   Sincerely,    Anthony Koppers and Jim Wright, Co-Chairs Instituting US Scientific Ocean Drilling Beyond 2023 (IODP)   NEXT workshop webpageApply to the NEXT workshop (by Feb 15)Current IODP Science Plan