U.S. GEOTRACES Pacific Workshop
12 - 14 September 2011 / La Jolla, California
Plenary Overview Talks are now available to view/download.
Statements of Interest are now available to view/download.
COPIES OF PREVIOUSLY EMAILED CORRESPONDENCE AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD
- Meeting/Travel Logistics (2 August 2011)
- Travel Reimbursement Information (12 August 2011)
- Conference Materials (2 September 2011 / Participants List Updated: 12 September)
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Past meeting announcements are available to view below:
Final Announcement (Date: 27 June 2011)
Second Announcement (Date: 23 May 2011)
First Announcement (Date: 11 March 2011)
FROM: Bob Anderson
Dear Colleagues
As a reminder to those interested in participating in planning for a US GEOTRACES section between Peru and Tahiti, the Project Office would appreciate receiving your 1-page statement of interest by Friday 1 July (see details in the previous messages, appended below).
MOST IMPORTANT, we need a head count for participants at the planning workshop (12-14 September, Scripps Institution of Oceanography) for the Peru-Tahiti section.
On 5 July we will commit to a specific meeting room for the plenary sessions. At the moment, the room we have selected will just accommodate the number of people who have expressed an interest in attending. If several additional people sign up after 5 July, then they may be obliged to stand during the conference.
We are able to rent a larger meeting room, but the cost of going to a larger room is substantial (~$15k), and we would prefer to use the funds to provide travel subsidies for participants if a larger room is not necessary.
So, if you have not already done so, PLEASE inform the project office <geotraces at ldeo.columbia.edu> by 1 July if you wish to attend.
Thanks,
Bob Anderson
US GEOTRACES Project Office
FROM: Bob Anderson
Dear Colleagues,
The US GEOTRACES Project Office is currently preparing logistics for the Pacific planning workshop to be held at Scripps (12-14 September). It would be helpful to have a head count of those who wish to attend this workshop.
Although statements of interest are not due until 1 July (see original announcement below and add a reminder to your calender), please let us know ASAP, and at least by 10 June, if you:
a) definitely wish to attend, or
b) may wish to attend but are unsure if you will be able to.
Please send your response to: <geotraces at ldeo.columbia.edu>
Thank you.
(Download PDF)FROM: Bob Anderson
US GEOTRACES Community,
US GEOTRACES will hold a workshop to refine the scientific objectives of a section between Peru and Tahiti (see map in attached file), tentatively planned for Fall 2013. Investigators interested in conducting research as part of this section are invited to attend the workshop, which will take place 12-14 September 2011 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. No prior involvement in GEOTRACES is necessary to participate in this workshop.
The principal scientific objectives underpinning the Peru-Tahiti section include:
1) Compare and contrast the distributions of trace elements and their isotopes (TEIs) within the high productivity regime of the Peru upwelling system (processes such as micronutrient supply and boundary scavenging) with those characteristic of oligotrophic regimes offshore;
2) Evaluate the mobilization (or sequestration) of TEIs by processes associated with the intense oxygen minimum zone;
3) Characterize the distribution and speciation of trace elements surrounding zones of intense denitrification; and
4) Quantify sources and sinks of TEIs in hydrothermal plumes derived from the East Pacific Rise.
Additional rationale and motivation for this section are described in an Implementation Plan posted online.
The purpose of this workshop is to refine the research objectives for the section and to devise a strategy to meet those objectives. Members of the US GEOTRACES Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) will participate in the workshop. They will synthesize results from the deliberations and prepare a set of priorities to guide the submission (tentatively 15 February 2012) and evaluation of proposals. The overriding criterion for establishing priorities is the degree to which an activity will enable US scientists to achieve the goals of GEOTRACES as defined in the Science Plan.
The Science Plan defines a number of key TEIs that must be measured on every section. It also identifies a number of complementary parameters that would be desirable. These include other TEIs that are of interest in their own right, for example in illuminating specific processes of interest, or parameters that may be critical for interpreting the distributions of key TEIs (e.g., circulation tracers). The SSC will consider these factors when establishing priorities for the section.
In preparation for the workshop, the SSC requests that those interested in participating submit a brief (one page maximum) statement of interest by 1 July 2011. Statements should (a) define the nature of the work to be done on the section, and (b) justify the work in terms of GEOTRACES objectives. Statements can be emailed (preferably as Word documents) to <geotraces at ldeo.columbia.edu>. Statements will be posted on the US GEOTRACES web site unless the author requests that they be held in confidence.
Although no prior involvement in GEOTRACES is necessary to participate in the Pacific section, new investigators who have not participated in the GEOTRACES intercalibration exercise are obliged to follow the GEOTRACES policy for new investigators. This involves analysis of GEOTRACES reference standards, where applicable, or collection of duplicate samples for analysis by labs that have already demonstrated acceptable performance in the GEOTRACES intercalibration. This policy will be explained at the workshop.
Workshop travel expenses will be subsidized by the US GEOTRACES project office. The project office budget will cover full travel expenses for approximately 35 to 40 participants. However, the SSC prefers to limit the level of travel reimbursement rather than limit the number of participants. Therefore, the level of reimbursement may have to be limited if the number of participants exceeds approximately 40.
Figure: Tentative track of the US GEOTRACES zonal Pacific section with locations of deep stations shown as diamonds.