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Workshops and Conferences
were at a larger conference” (Fig.2). This was especially true for nonnative
English speaking students to be involved in international
activity. In addition, the opening introduction to OIST by R.
Baughman, Provost, showed that our workshop played a role in
building marine science capacity in Okinawa.
The workshop consisted of 8 sessions, with each geared towards
linking disciplinary components of Earth systems (e.g. lithospherebiosphere
linkage). Goals for Day 1 included introductions,
reviewing previous interdisciplinary studies of larval dispersal
between hydrothermal vents, and starting to develop research
questions to be addressed in the Mariana region. Goals for Day 2
included continuing review of previous studies, specifying research
questions to be addressed in the Mariana region, considering
Mariana vents in the context of a network of marine protected areas
and planning fieldwork. To fulfil the objective of sharing state-ofthe-art
research, most sessions included two “keynote” presentations
and brief “spotlight” talks with a balance of U.S. and Japanese
speakers. Chart paper with a general question was posted at the end
of each session for participants to respond to during the breaks.
Many of the participants also displayed posters. Additional sharing
Figure 1: Group photo (co-conveners at centre, lower)
occurred during informal exchanges including excursions to
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium and Manzamo Cliff.
In the final session we discussed multiple funding opportunities
within the U.S. (NSF, NOAA, private), Japan, France and Canada,
and compiled a list of planned, proposed and potential cruise
opportunities in the Mariana region. We discussed potential multidisciplinary
studies of connectivity between Mariana vents to include
benthic and larval biology, geology and geochemistry, and
oceanography. Much of this discussion involved differences among
seamounts on the arc and vent sites along the back-arc. Discussion
also included the larger spatial scale context of connectivity with
Okinawa Trough and Izu-Bonin Arc vents. Our discussions
generated momentum towards plans for research proposals that
would involve international collaborations. Since the workshop,
participants have submitted two Japanese cruise proposals that
include larval collections near Mariana vents in 2013 and preproposals
to the NSF Frontiers in Earth Systems Dynamics program
and Schmidt Ocean Institute targeting shiptime in 2014/2015.
As a member of the InterRidge arc/back-arc Working Group,
Watanabe will continue to engage other international colleagues in
important discussions on connectivity between vents in these
tectonic settings. The relationships between geological features of
arc-backarc sequence and connectivity will provide useful knowledge
to understand larval dispersal in the western Pacific vent fields.
Additional outreach activities for the workshop included a news
article at OIST (21 May 2012, “MarVeL Workshop Takes Aim at
Cross-Ocean Connections,” http://www.oist.jp/news-center/news)
and an interview by NHK (Japanese public television).
Figure 2: Co-convener Hiromi Watanabe chats with Frederic Sinniger (specialist in high-throughput sequencing) and Eric Breuer (Science
Coordinator for the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument).
INTERRIDGE NEWS 58 VOL.21, 2012