Time Series Responses to a Mid-Ocean Ridge Volcanic Event: Juan de Fuca and Gorda Ridges

海脊轴脉/喷发事件是一系列与洋壳形成有关的相互关联和快速演变的物理、化学和生物过程的幕式扰动。火山活动产生具有明显地球化学特征的热液排放，并在邻近地壳和上覆水柱中触发特定的地球化学和微生物反应。观察和量化相关过程之间的协变为目前不成熟的海底火山-热液系统模型提供了新的基本约束。热液羽流中的化学和生物参数变化迅速，最大的变化速度发生在其排放和随后在深海混合后的几秒钟到几天内。在这里，我们建议对一次远程探测到的莫尔火山事件进行全面、快速和后续的实地反应。我们的项目强调对演化中的热液事件羽流的关键动态物理、地球化学和地质微生物特性的时间序列观测和实验。对这些事件的快速反应将使我们能够：(1)获得初始通量--不受老化影响的初始通量；(2)研究热液事件羽流的化学和生物演化，这是用于监测热液流出物内部变化的一个自然的、临时受限的实验；(3)利用事件羽流作为进入地下生物圈的一个宝贵窗口。

Ridge axis diking/eruptive events are episodic perturbations that trigger a sequence of interrelated and rapidly evolving physical, chemical, and biological processes associated with the formation of ocean crust. Volcanic activity produces hydrothermal discharge with a distinct geochemical signature, and triggers specific geochemical and microbial responses in the adjacent crust and overlying water-column. Observing and quantifying co-variation among related processes provides basic new constraints on presently immature models of submarine volcano-hydrothermal systems. Chemical and biological parameters within hydrothermal plumes change rapidly, with the steepest rate of change occurring over seconds to days following their discharge and subsequent mixing in the deep sea. Here we propose to mount comprehensive rapid and follow-up field responses to a remotely detected MOR volcanic event. Our project emphasizes time-series observations and experiments on key dynamic physical, geochemical, and geomicrobial properties of an evolving hydrothermal event plume. A rapid response to these events will allow us: (1) to obtain the initial flux--that unaffected by aging; (2) to study the chemical and biological evolution of hydrothermal event plumes, representing a natural, temporarily constrained experiment for monitoring transformations within hydrothermal effluents; (3) to exploit event plumes as an invaluable window to the subsurface biosphere.