What Is the Deep Carbon Observatory?

The origin and mission of the Deep Carbon Observatory.

Transcript

1. What is the Deep Carbon Observatory? deepcarbon.net    
2. Deep Carbon Observatory History • Century Club talk, December 2007
3. Thomas  Gold’s  Hypothesis:   Organic  Synthesis  in  the  Mantle   Thomas  Gold  (1999)     NY:Springer-­‐Verlag.  
4. Deep Carbon Observatory History • Century Club talk, December 2007 • Phone call, early 2008
5. Deep Carbon Observatory History • Century Club talk, December 2007 • Phone call, early 2008 • Deep Carbon Workshop, 15-16 May 2008
6. Deep Carbon Observatory History • Century Club talk, December 2007 • Phone call, early 2008 • Deep Carbon Workshop, 15-16 May 2008 • First big proposal, April 2009 • DCO launched, September 2009
7. Mission Promote a transformational understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological roles of carbon in Earth’s interior through an international, interdisciplinary, decade-long initiative.
8. Why Deep Carbon? •  Carbon is the element of life •  Carbon-based fuels supply most of our energy •  Carbon-bearing molecules in the atmosphere play a major role in climate change •  Previous work has focused on oceans, atmosphere, and shallow crustal environments •  The interior may contain >90% of Earth’s carbon but our knowledge of the deep interior is limited •  We do not know the nature of deep carbon reservoirs. We do not know how carbon moves from one deep repository to another. •  We are largely ignorant of the nature and extent of deep microbial ecosystems, which by some estimates rival the total surface biomass
9. Deep Carbon Observatory Overview •  A 10-year project launched in September 2009 •  Major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation •  Engage >1,000 researchers from 50 countries
10. DCO Organizational Structure Executive Committee Four Scientific Steering Committees: • Extreme Physics and Chemistry • Reservoirs and Fluxes • Deep Life • Deep Energy
11. deepcarbon.net FOUR SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES Extreme Physics and Chemistry Reservoirs and Fluxes Deep Energy Deep Life
12. • What are physical and chemical characteristics of carbon at extreme pressures and temperatures? Deep Carbon: Unanswered Questions
13. • What are physical and chemical characteristics of carbon at extreme pressures and temperatures? • Where is the deep carbon, how much is there, and how does it move among reservoirs? Deep Carbon: Unanswered Questions
14. • What are the physical and chemical characteristics of carbon at extreme pressures and temperatures? • Where is the deep carbon, how much is there, and how does it move among reservoirs? • Is there a deep source of organics? Deep Carbon: Unanswered Questions
15. • What are the physical and chemical characteristics of carbon at extreme pressures and temperatures? • Where is the deep carbon, how much is there, and how does it move among reservoirs? • Is there a deep source of organics? • What is the nature and extent of deep microbial life? Deep Carbon: Unanswered Questions
16. DCO Organizational Structure Secretariat Data Science Team Engagement Team Modeling and Visualization (est. 2015) Task Force 2020 (est. 2015) Synthesis Group 2019 (est. 2016)
17. DCO Legacy Initiatives •  Global volcano monitoring array. •  Global census of deep microbial life. •  International collection of diamond inclusions. •  New instruments •  Earth Materials Data Infrastructure •  Programmatic model
18. DCO  Website:     deepcarbon.net   • News and events • Opportunities • Science highlights • Organization • Register for monthly newsletter
19. Reviews in Mineralogy & Geochemistry, Volume 75 “Carbon in Earth” •  Released 5 March 2013 •  Open Access •  20 chapters •  700 pages •  51 co-authors •  11 countries
20. 2nd DCO Early Career Scientist Workshop •  45 early career scientists from 18 countries and 37 institutions •  University of the Azores on the island of São Miguel, Azores •  31 August - 5 September 2015 •  Classroom sessions and field trips to geologically active locations •  Built on success of 1st DCO Early Career Scientist Workshop in Costa Rica ü  Early  Career  ScienEsts   ü  Field  studies   ü  InstrumentaEon  
21. 2nd DCO Summer School •  35 graduate students and early career researchers •  Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming •  23 - 28 July 2016 •  Classroom instruction and field trips into Yellowstone National Park •  Builds on success of 1st DCO Summer School in 2014, which had 36 participants from 14 countries DEEP CARBON OBSERVATORY SUMMER SCHOOL 2016 Saturday, 23 July 2016 - Thursday, 28 July 2016 The Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) Summer School will introduce students and early career researchers to the interdisciplinary concepts which are the cornerstone of DCO’s approach to understanding Earth. DCO will cover participants’ lodging, meals, and field trips, as well as a portion of their transportation costs. To be eligible, applicants must be pursuing research related to a DCO theme as a current graduate student or early postdoc within three years of completing his/her PhD. To apply, visit deepcarbon.net Why is Yellowstone hot, how long has it been active, and will it erupt? How do hydrothermal fluids circulate through Earth’s crust? What is the connection to the deeper crust and mantle? How does Yellowstone connect deep carbon to the surface of Earth? What systems are involved? How do we measure them? How does life operate below the ground? How deep and how hot can life survive? How, where and when did life evolve on Earth? How does carbon degassing contribute to global CO2 ? Where is it coming from, and will it change with time? What is the source of deep energy? The summer school will explore: Rick Colwell, Oregon State University Donato Giovannelli, Rutgers University Lisa Morgan, U.S. Geological Survey Katie Pratt, University of Rhode Island Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Portland State University Pat Shanks, U.S. Geological Survey Application deadline: 1 March 2016 Organizers ü  Early  Career  ScienEsts   ü  Field  studies   ü  InstrumentaEon  
22. Interactive Map of DCO Field Study Sites http://deepcarbon.net/page/field-studies-1 ü  Field  studies   ü  ScienEfic  drilling  
23. 2nd DCO International Science Meeting •  More than 175 scientists from 18 countries •  Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany •  26-28 March 2015 •  47 plenary oral sessions and 119 poster presentations on all aspects of deep carbon science •  Recent discoveries by international experts in a variety of fields ü  IntegraEon  &  synthesis   ü  InstrumentaEon   ü  Field  studies  
24. DCO Modeling and Visualization Workshop •  Smithsonian Institution, 10–13 May 2015 •  Led to launch of small projects and DCO Modeling & Visualization Forum ü  IntegraEon  &  synthesis    
25. DCO Thematic Institute •  “Carbon from the Mantle to the Surface” •  University of California, Berkley •  1-3 July 2015 •  In conjunction with Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research (CIDER) ü  IntegraEon  &  synthesis    
26. DCO Workshop on Extreme Biophysics •  “Molecular Adaptation to Life at the Extremes” •  Roughly 50 participants from seven countries •  Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution, Washington, DC •  14-15 November 2015 •  Designed to jumpstart a DCO initiative in extreme biophysics ü  Deep  Life   ü  Extreme  Physics  &  Chemistry   ü  InstrumentaEon  
27. Deep Life Community Workshop •  Pestana Palace, Lisbon, Portugal 6-10 May 2015 •  58 participants •  Oral and poster presentations on: •  Microbiology of serpentinized settings from around the world, including those in Portugal, California, Newfoundland, New Caledonia, and the Atlantis Massif. •  Upcoming expeditions with significant microbiology tasks •  Clumped methane isotopes Photo credit: Julie Huber ü  Deep  Life   ü  Field  studies   ü  InstrumentaEon  
28. DCO Synthesis Planning Workshop •  30 participants •  University of Rhode Island, W. Alton Jones Campus, USA 29-30 October 2015 •  Two days of presentations and discussions with a view to planning DCO’s synthesis portfolio of products and activities •  Organized by Marie Edmonds (University of Cambridge, UK) and the DCO Engagement Team •  Funded by the DCO Secretariat ü  IntegraEon  &  synthesis    
29. DCO Executive Committee Meeting - Oman •  27-29 January 2015, meetings in Muscat, Oman •  25-26 January 2015, field visits to Samail Ophiolite, which is the focus of the Oman Drilling Project, sponsored by the International Continental Drilling Program, DCO, and other organizations ü  IntegraEon  &  synthesis   ü  Field  studies  
30. Panorama and the Panorama team P. A. Freedman, Designer; D. Rumble and E. D. Young, co-PI’s Nu Instruments Ltd. Factory, Wrexham, Wales 5-November-2014 Next generation instrumentation is needed to achieve DCO goals
31. Pressurized Underwater Sample Handler (PUSH50) •  DCO supported custom development of 50 mL PUSH50 to facilitate high-pressure biological/geochemical research and to promote collaboration among researchers •  High-pressure microbial sampling and experiments had been limited by expense, expertise, and lack of standardized equipment •  PUSH50 has capability to sample and transport biological samples under constant pressure and is certified for airline transport •  Will be available for community use after testing is complete
32. Instrumentation - Laser Isotope Ratio-meter •  Portable CO2 isotope analysis instrument optimized for geochemistry/volcanology •  Developed with partial DCO support by Damien Weidmann, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK •  Successful 2015 volcanic field test campaign to measure 13CO2 /12CO2 ratio from a fumarole in situ and in real time •  First product of new company: Mirico Ltd. Sampling a fumarole at Solfatara, Naples, Italy Laser Isotope Ratio-meter (LIR) installed in a car
33. Instrumentation: Clumped Isotopes DCO  is  simultaneously  pursuing   two  radically  different  approaches   for  measuring  clumped  isotopes  in   methane  and  other  gases:     •  Mass  spectrometry   •  Caltech/Thermo  Fisher   •  UCLA/Carnegie/Nu   Instruments     •  AbsorpDon  spectroscopy     •  MIT     Data  from  these  instruments  is   enabling  DCO  to  achieve  a  major   decadal  goal  regarding  methane   formaDon  temperatures,  sources,   and  provenance.   Caltech,  MIT,  UCLA  (clockwise  from  top  leU)  
34. DCO Computer Cluster •  Linux cluster with back-up system located at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute •  Management team of two US-based reps with computational expertise and interest along with DCO EPC chair and co-chair •  21 registered users, 15 projects approved •  First year (2013-14), 3 users dominated queues; average utilization estimated at 85%. During second year, utilization dropped to ~75% due to increased competition for nodes and jobs waiting for available resources •  Most software is open source and downloadable from web and/or homemade in DCO-related research groups •  Example project: EPC Community, Pan and Galli, “Electronic structure of water under high pressure” •  Method: Ab initio molecular dynamics using Qbox code (highly scalable parallel code, extensively used on DCO cluster), density functional perturbation theory •  Key findings: Traditional model should be used with caution. Change of molecular orbitals must be taken into account in case of water at high pressures. •  Next direction: Search for possible metallic water under extremely high pressure. Image credit: Giulia Galli
35. A worldwide hunt for new carbon minerals mineralchallenge.net DEEP CARBON OBSERVATORY deepcarbon.net @deepcarb #DCOChallenge
36. Welcome to the Deep Carbon Observatory! deepcarbon.net