OSCAR - Oceanographic and Seismic Characterisation of heat dissipation and alteration by hydrothermal fluids at an Axial Ridge
Lead Research Organisation:
NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE
Department Name: Science and Technology
Abstract
Please see the Objectives section on the JeS application by Dr. R. Hobbs, from the University of Durham, under the same title.
Planned Impact
Please see the Objectives section on the JeS application by Dr. R. Hobbs, from the University of Durham, under the same title.
Publications
Banyte D
(2018)
Geothermal Heating in the Panama Basin. Part II: Abyssal Water Mass Transformation
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Banyte D
(2018)
The Weakly Stratified Bottom Boundary Layer of the Global Ocean
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Banyte D
(2018)
Geothermal Heating in the Panama Basin: 1. Hydrography of the Basin
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Barnes J
(2018)
Idealised modelling of ocean circulation driven by conductive and hydrothermal fluxes at the seabed
in Ocean Modelling
Davies R
(2017)
Millennial-scale shifts in the methane hydrate stability zone due to Quaternary climate change
in Geology
Funnell M
(2021)
Evolution and properties of young oceanic crust: constraints from Poisson's ratio
in Geophysical Journal International
Lowell R
(2020)
Magma-hydrothermal interactions at the Costa Rica Rift from data collected in 1994 and 2015
in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Silvester J
(2014)
Observations of a diapycnal shortcut to adiabatic upwelling of Antarctic Circumpolar Deep Water
in Geophysical Research Letters
Tang Q
(2019)
Detecting changes at the leading edge of an interface between oceanic water layers.
in Nature communications
Tong V
(2020)
Magmatic and tectonic segmentation of the intermediate-spreading Costa Rica Rift-a fine balance between magma supply rate, faulting and hydrothermal circulation
in Geophysical Journal International
| Description | We have completed the fieldwork component of the project with two very successful cruises (on RRS James Cook and FS Sonne) between November 2014 and March 2015. The outcome of these two campaigns is an invaluable collection of datasets on temperature, salinity, currents, bottom pressure and turbulence across the Panama Basin. Armed with this wealth of data, we have constructed a preliminary chart of water properties in the Panama Basin and evaluated the contribution of hydrothermal flows to the heat budget of the basin. We have found that up to 65% of the heat fluxes into the basin may be of hydrothermal/geothermal origin, which means that the basin would be mostly heated from below rather than from above, as occurs in most other parts of the ocean. This is quite unique. Results from this research have been presented at the Ocean Sciences Conference, 2016 (see URL below) and will be shortly be submitted for publication. We have incurred some delay in the publication of our findings, but three papers are being finalised and will be submitted to international peer reviewed journals. These papers address: 1) Circulation in the Panama Basin; 2) Mixing in the Panama Basin associated with geothermal/hydrothermal fluxes; 3) Abyssal mixing in the World Ocean. |
| Exploitation Route | It is early days in the project, but the understanding gained on abyssal circulations driven by hydrothermal and geothermal flows can be of use for assessing the environmental impacts of activities such as deep sea mining and carbon sequestration. In addition, the results of our research in the Panama Basin can be extended in various ways to the wider global ocean and will be of great interest to the physical oceanographic community. |
| Sectors | Chemicals Education Environment |
| URL | https://agu.confex.com/agu/os16/preliminaryview.cgi/Paper90108.html |
| Description | The PI was interviewed by the press in Panama and Costa Rica regarding the objectives and scientific importance of the project, especially the ship-based fieldwork. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
| Sector | Education,Environment |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Title | Two ocean models specifically devoted to OSCAR investigations |
| Description | A model based on NEMO has been developed for the investigation on processes controlling the impact of hydrothermal/geothermal flows in the abyssal circulation at the basin scale (developed by Jowan Barnes) A second, more realistic model, based on HYCOM, has been developed by one of the co-Is (Alex Megann) for the Panama Basin |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Several papers on model outputs are being prepared |
| Description | Colaboration with the Departamento de Geociencias of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia |
| Organisation | National University of Colombia |
| Country | Colombia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We will share data collected during the fieldwork of the OSCAR project with these institution. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They have been instrumental in the procurement of permits to us to operate in the EEZ of Colombia |
| Impact | None yet. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel |
| Organisation | Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres |
| Department | Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are providing ocean vertical microstructure profile data for analysis. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Experts from GEOMAR are providing advice to one of the OSCAR postdocs (Donata Banyte) on the quality control and analysis of vertical microstructure profiler data, which is key for the determination of ocean vertical mixing in the Panama Basin, one of the most important objectives of our project. |
| Impact | The collaboration has just started. Outputs will materialise in 2017-2018. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with National University of Colombia |
| Organisation | National University of Colombia |
| Country | Colombia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Dr Carlos Vargas of the National University of Colombia sailed on the OSCAR data acquisition cruise during which we deployed ocean bed instruments to passively record earthquakes in region of his research interest. We have also made the other OSCAR data available to him so he can further his analysis. Also Dr Vargas involvement was strategic as it showed good-will during application to work within Colombian national water. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dr Carlos Vargas has completed his initial analysis of the data provided and has presented the results at the GSA meeting in Denver. He continues to work on the data and has been awarded a Santander travel grant to visit Durham this year. |
| Impact | Paper at GSA 2016 |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Centro de Investigacion en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología of the Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Organisation | University of Costa Rica |
| Department | Centre for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (CIMAR) |
| Country | Costa Rica |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have invited two of the students in the Centre to participate in the cruise JC112 as part of the fieldwork of the OSCAR project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Centre's director, Professor Álvaro Morales, has been instrumental in procuring permits from the Costa Rican authorities for us to operate in the Costa Rican EEZ. |
| Impact | The cruise has not yet taken place. It will start on 5th December 2014 |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Instituto Nacional de Oceanografía de la Armada del Ecuador |
| Organisation | Instituto Oceanográfico de la Armada |
| Country | Ecuador |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Two representative of the institute will participate in the cruises JC112 and SO238 of the project OSCAR and receive training from us. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The laboratory have been instrumental in facilitating the obtainment of permits to operate in the EEZ of Ecuador. |
| Impact | The cruises are not yet started. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | A tlak or presentation at EGU 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A poster presented at EGU2018-18911 | Posters | OS1.1 Abyssal water transformation in the Panama Basin Donata Banyte, Miguel Angel Morales Maqueda, Richard Hobbs, David Smeed, Alexis Megann, and Sonia Recalde |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2018/EGU2018-18911.pdf |
| Description | American Geophysical Union Fall meeting (San Francisco) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation of modelled heatflow at the Costa Rica Ridge in the Panama basin, the poster session was well attended with extended discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm16/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/142138 |
| Description | American Geophysical Union Fall meeting (San Francisco) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk on geophysical evidence for the formation of new ocean crust at the Costa Rica Ridge in the Panama basin. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm16/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/156995 |
| Description | American Geophysical Union Fall meeting (San Francisco) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation on the heatflow in the Ecuador fracture zone in the Panama Basin, the poster session was well attended with extended discussions |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm16/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/182638 |
| Description | American Geophysical Union Fall meeting (San Francisco) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation on the measured heatflow on young ocean crust formed by the Costa Rica Ridge in the Panama Basin, the poster session was well attended with extended discussions |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm16/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/138979 |
| Description | Briefing with European and Trinidad and Tobago Climate Change Negotiators |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The activity will occur on 24 November 2014. None yet |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Geological Society of America annual meeting Denver |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Report outcomes of scientific research to an international audience. The presentation reported new findings on the nature of the Sandra ridge and Panama fracture zone in the Panama basin. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Paper277993.html |
| Description | InterRidge Third Theoretical Institute (Hangzhou) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation of mapping ocean structure from swath bathymetry in the Panama Basin, this was part of a 3-day focused workshop on mapping ocean crust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.interridge.org/node/17260 |
| Description | Ocean Sciences Conference 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar on developments relating to research carried out as part of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Presenation at AGU 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at major international science conference to an academic audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm17/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/276111 |
| Description | Presenation at AGU 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at major international science conference to an academic audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm17/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/239244 |
| Description | Presentation at LOCEAN (Paris) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation by Donata Banyte. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Presentation to students at Durham University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A presentation on the project to undergraduate and postgraduate students |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |