Events

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

UTIG Seminar Series: Peter James, Baylor University

Speaker: Peter James, Assistant Professor, Baylor University

Host: Duncan Young

Title: How to make an Earth: Lessons from Venus

Abstract: In many ways, Venus is the most Earth-like planet we have found in our galaxy so far. Nevertheless, its atmosphere, surface, and interior have diverged dramatically from those of Earth. This talk will explore the ways geophysics can probe the structure and history of Earth’s “sister planet”.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Bayani Cardenas

Ridge to Reef Volcanic Hydrogeology: Submarine groundwater in the World’s Most Biodiverse Coasts by Dr. Bayani Cardenas, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: Water flows from land to the ocean not only through rivers and estuaries but also below-ground through coastal and submarine aquifers. While the global fresh submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is less than 1% of river discharge, it is quite relevant chemically as groundwater nutrient inputs are 25% of riverine inputs. This land-ocean connectivity is important for sensitive ecosystems such as coral reefs if the groundwater delivers solutes that are either critical for or harmful to reef life. Here, we present the interesting but potentially common situation of dramatic SGD in a volcanically active area in the Philippines which has been identified as the world’s most biodiverse coastal area and whose coral reefs provide for local communities.

We studied coastal and submarine thermal springs associated with high fluxes of acidic waters and carbon dioxide, some of which are within or close to thriving coral reefs. The SGD fluxes are amongst the largest in the world and the SGD carbon dioxide fluxes overwhelm coastal carbon budgets. The presentation delivers explanations for the high SGD, discussing the mechanics and different sources and pathways of water, by bringing together multiple lines of evidence from different methods including deep diving, drones, novel sensors, geochemical tracers, thermal remote sensing, and modeling.

UTIG Seminar Series: Spencer Jones, Texas A&M

Speaker: Spencer Jones, Texas A&M University

Host: Patrick Heimbach

Title: Adventures in Atlantic Ocean Heat Transport: AMOC, gyres, and tropical upwelling

Abstract: Heat transport in the Atlantic is everywhere northward, and exhibits strong multidecadal variability at some latitudes. This variability is thought to drive Atlantic Multidecadal Variability, which impacts many climate variables including sea-ice concentration and tropical precipitation patterns. Scientists often try to partition this heat transport into two components: the heat transport by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the heat transport by the gyres. I will discuss some different methods for doing this: none of these methods is perfect, but overall these methods indicate that most heat transport is performed by the AMOC. I will show that none of these methods works well in the tropics, and I will talk about some new work that explores how tropical winds impact ocean heat transport in the Atlantic between 40S and 40N.