The duration of ridge flank hydrothermal exchange and its role in global biogeochemical cycles

About the project

Ocean chemistry reflects a dynamic balance between riverine inputs, biological processing, sediment burial, and hydrothermal exchanges with ocean crust. Current models of seawater geochemical evolution primarily consider high temperature hydrothermal venting along ridge axes, ignoring lower temperature reactions across the vast ridge flanks. Investigating ridge flank exchange requires scientific ocean drilling through thick sediments into the oceanic crust. To date, most investigations have taken place on only young and very old crust. Consequently, although there is a measurable conductive heat flow anomaly in young ocean crust for on average ~65 million years, whether this thermal exchange also results in continual chemical exchange is not known.

This project, jointly funded by the Royal Society and University of Southampton, aims to quantify hydrothermal exchange, providing a baseline to investigate vital Earth processes from records of past ocean chemistry. The student will work on the very first samples of 7-63 Ma ocean crust from the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge flank that were collected in spring/summer 2022 by the International Ocean Discovery Program. These samples will allow the timing and duration of ridge flank hydrothermal exchange to be determined, and consequently its role in setting the chemical composition of the oceans, for the first time.

For full project details visit the Inspire project page .

Supervisors

• Doctor Rosalind Coggon (University of Southampton)
• Professor Damon Teagle (University of Southampton)
• Professor Anthony Koppers (Oregon State University)

Professor Rosalind Coggon

• The role of hydrothermal fluids in the formation and evolution of the ocean crust
• Reconstructing records of past seawater chemistry
• Global biogeochemical cycles

Professor Damon Teagle

• formation and evolution of the ocean crust
• fluid-rock interactions and Ore mineralisation
• geochemical analysis

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent , in one of these subjects:

• any Earth or environmental science discipline
• chemistry
• geophysics

Fees and funding

INSPIRE studentships are funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, part of UK Research and Innovation, UKRI). The stipend is in line with UKRI standard levels, including the recent cost of living increase.

All studentships are fully funded for 3.5 years.

How to apply

To make an application, visit the how to apply section of the INSPIRE website .

Contact us

For questions about the project, Doctor Rosalind Coggon:

Email: R.M.Coggon@soton.ac.uk

For questions about the application process, contact the graduate school office.

Email: gsnocs@soton.ac.uk

Research areas