Full version, lower resolution, 3.25MB - InterRidge

Working Group Updates
namics of mid-ocean ridges, with a focus on drilling results
(and projects) in the Atlantic. We will take advantage of the
Atlantic cores being stored in Bremen to conduct practical
courses using IODP cores and samples. The summer school
is primarily sponsored by GLOMAR and MARUM in Bremen,
and by ECORD, and partially funded by InterRidge
to open the participation to students/instructors from non-
ECORD countries.
- IODP New Ventures in Exploring Scientific Targets (IN-
VEST) Workshop, Sept. 23-25, 2009, University of Bremen,
Germany, http://www.marum.de/iodp-invest.html. The
purpose of this workshop is to define the scientific research
goals of the second phase of the IODP, expected to begin
late in 2013.
Long-Range Ridge Exploration
Chair - C. Devey (IFM-GEOMAR, Germany)
The WG for Long-Range Ridge Exploration was formed in
2008 and currently includes members from 8 countries (Brazil,
China, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, UK, and
USA). The plan for this WG is to identify vehicles with the
necessary reliability, depth and endurance capability for longrange
exploration of the mid-ocean ridge, define standard sensor
packages and standardise calibration and data processing,
develop a cruise plan, and identify the most urgent targets
for such exploration work. Although we have not yet had our
first meeting, several WG members attended the IEEE/OES
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) workshop on 13-
14 October 2008 at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Mantle Imaging
Chair - N. Seama (Kobe Univ., Japan)
The WG for Mantle Imaging was formed in 2008 and currently
includes members from 4 countries (China, France,
Japan, and USA). Our WG membership is still being developed.
The key scientific questions to be addressed by imaging
the mantle beneath spreading centers are: 1) clarifying
mantle dynamics associated with different ridge systems, and
2) identifying the parameters controlling various lithospheric
features at different types of ridge systems. High quality images
of the mantle structure beneath spreading centers can
only be achieved through international collaboration, because
large-scale seismic and electromagnetic experiments
in the same area are required. Several members of our WG
will meet in association with a symposium on “Deep Slab
and Mantle Dynamics” in February 2009 in Kyoto, Japan.
Monitoring and Observatories
Chairs - J. Escartin (IPGP, France) & R. Santos (Univ. Azores, Portugal)
Revised mandate for the WG
Our WG started in 2001 as part of the Event Detection and
Response and Observatories WG, and the combined WG was
renamed the Monitoring and Observatories WG in 2002. The
original mandate for our WG was “to encourage multidisciplinary
studies at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, with the ultimate
goal of developing observatory-type efforts on the Azores area,
encompassing the Lucky Strike, Menez Gwen and Rainbow
hydrothermal vents, to characterize this portion of the ridge
and understand the integration of tectonic, volcanic, biological
and hydrothermal systems in space and time.” Following the
second MoMAR (Monitoring the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) planning
workshop in 2002, additional community meetings that
this WG has organized or participated in include:
- 2003: ESF Exploratory Workshop “Long-term monitoring of
deep-ocean hydrothermal systems”
- 2004: USA Ridge 2000 Mid-Atlantic Ridge Workshop
- 2005: International MoMAR Implementation Workshop
- 2008: USA Ridge 2000 Mid-Atlantic Ridge 35-37.5°N
Workshop.
InterRidge News 46 Vol. 17, 2008