A cold seep is an area of the ocean seafloor where hydrogen sulfide, methane and other hydrocarbon-rich fluid seepage occurs. These parts of the ocean floor still remain a large mystery for scientists, in particular for the occurence of hydrothermal vents. In between these vents, microbes live that play a role in the local and global carbon budget. However their exact role …[Read More]
Ever heard about foraminifera? These tiny benthic (living at the seafloor) marine organisms are common in oceans across the globe and can be used to accurately give relative dates to sedimentary rocks. But we can also use them to identify past methane emissions from the seabed by studing their test or shell! The measurements were …[Read More]
Ever wondered how we can measure methane emssions from the seafloor ? And ever wanted to steer a mini submarine remotely operating vehicle (ROV)? Well here´s your chance! Have look at this blog post on analyzing methane emissions using ROVs and you´re ready to embark! The goal is to determine when the gas leak started and …[Read More]
Much like trees, clam shells have growth rings. The chemistry of these rings can be used as a proxy for ocean chemistry. Recently, an international team of scientists used the growth rings found in shells of Arctica islandica to produce an annual absolutely dated marine δ18O record for the last millennium which was published in …[Read More]
This bag belongs to Joshua Dean, Postdoc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Field Work location Far Eastern Siberian Arctic: Kytalyk Nature Reserve. Duration of field work 2 weeks plus 3 days travel either side. Items in the bag Detecto Pak-Infrared (DP-IR) gas analyser [borrowed from colleagues, protect at all costs] EGM4 CO2 gas analyser [borrowed from another …[Read More]
Few places in the world conjure up images of remoteness and harshness like Far Eastern Siberia. Yet, it’s places like these where our science is needed most. Arctic soils hold vast amount of carbon, protected in thick layers of permafrost, but these stores are becoming more and more vulnerable as temperatures in the Arctic …[Read More]
At the Amazon river mouth, a huge 9,300 sq km coral reef system has been found below the muddy waters off the mouth of the river Amazon. As corals mostly thrive in clear, sunlit, salt water, and the waters near the mouth of the Amazon are some of the muddiest in the world, the discovery …[Read More]
Whether you’re an experienced attendee of the EGU GA, or this is your first time there are always things to look out for, it is always worth attending your division’s division meeting, one of the great debates, and keep an eye out for short courses which may be of interest to you. Here are the …[Read More]
The Messel Pit is a worldwide famous fossil site recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site because of the exceptional preservation, as well as the diversity of its fossils from the early-middle Eocene (~48 Ma). The Messel Pit, located in an old Quarry in Germany near Frankfurt am Main , includes fossils from …[Read More]
“The outcome of this project will help us to understand the Amazonian forest system before we all destroy it completely” The Amazon Rainforest in South America represents the Earth´s largest rainforest, housing at least 10% of the world´s known biodiversity and consisting of more than 350 billion individual trees. Besides its large diversity in floral …[Read More]
