| Title: |
Life on the ridge: microbes, mining, management and more |
| Date and Location: |
18.07.2006, 14:30 bis 18.07.2006, 17:00
Forum am Deutschen Museum, Kino 2 |
| Type of activity: |
Seminar
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| Target audience: |
Scientific Community, Industry, Policy Makers, Media, Teachers, Students, General Public |
| Name of Organiser: |
Kristen Kusek |
| Institution of Organiser: |
InterRidge, Kiel, Germany |
| Abstract: |
Everyone's life depends upon the ocean. Understanding how the earth works starts with its largest seafloor feature: 40,000 miles of ocean ridge that wind through the ocean basins giving rise to the earth's crust. Arguably the earth's last great frontier, it is a challenging place to reach and study consistently: the water emitted from deep ocean volcanoes - 'black smokers' - is often hot enough to melt lead; the pressure is equivalent to some 50 jumbo jets sitting atop a human being; and the sulphur-rich chemicals would be toxic to life on earth, though they suit a surprising number of microbes and animals. What can we learn from these communities and the enzymes that enable them to function at such high temperatures? Are the black smokers a source of future mineral resources? How is deep sea technology evolving? Ridge science is now in the political limelight as certain areas are named marine protected areas (MPAs), and scientists are now writing a code of conduct. How will ridge scientists react to this? |
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