Carbon Geodynamics

碳是生命和环境的基本元素。关于地表储层中碳的形态、通量和地球化学途径，人们已经知道很多。对于地球内部（地壳、地幔和地核）这个最大的地球储藏库中的碳，人们所知甚少。这个储层，通过化学地球动力学途径进出内部，通过深部地质时间（即Hadean到现在）对碳的表面形态和预算施加了主要控制。然而，在理解深层碳库及其与地表环境的关系方面，我们的知识存在巨大差距。在本提案中，我们将探索NERC计划资助深层碳循环与地球表面之间关系的定向研究工作的潜力-我们称之为碳地球动力学。我们还将探索开发碳研究计划的可能性，以补充深碳观测站（DCO）的研究目标。该方案由斯隆基金会私人资助，并由华盛顿卡内基研究所（美国）主持管理，是一项“致力于实现对地球深层碳循环的变革性理解的多学科国际倡议”。范围研究将集中在为期3天的研讨会上，一组英国主要利益相关者（约20人）将与DCO成员（约4人）和一组精选的国际顾问（约6人）一起讨论此类英国计划的最佳战略。

Carbon is the seminal element of life and environment. Much is known about the forms, fluxes and geochemical pathways of carbon in surface reservoirs. Much less is known about carbon in the largest Earth reservoir, the Earth's interior (crust, mantle and core). This reservoir, through chemical geodynamic pathways into and out of the interior, has exerted the major control on the surficial form and budget of carbon through deep geological time (i.e. the Hadean to the present). Yet huge gaps in our knowledge exist in understanding the deep carbon reservoir and its relationship to the surface environment. In this proposal we will explore the potential for an NERC Programme to fund a directed research effort into the relationship between the deep carbon cycle and the Earth's surface - we call this Carbon Geodynamics. We will also explore the possibility of developing a program of carbon research to compliment the research objectives of the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO). This program, funded privately by the Sloan Foundation and managed through the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington (USA) is a "multidisciplinary, international initiative dedicated to achieving a transformational understanding of Earth's deep carbon cycle". The scoping study will centre on a 3-day workshop where a group of UK primary stakeholders (~20), together with members of the DCO (~4) and a select set of international advisors (~6), will discuss the best strategy for such a UK Programme.