Carbon: the deep geological cycle and its effect on the air we breathe

Join us for a day of invited review talks, poster presentations and discussion highlighting the role of the geological sciences in understanding the Earth’s deep carbon cycle

This one day meeting will highlight the role of the geological sciences in understanding the Earth’s deep carbon cycle.  It is becoming increasingly clear that the carbon cycle with which we are familiar should perhaps not be treated as a closed system, as discussed during the first Deep Carbon Workshop at the Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington.  Carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere through degassing of volcanoes and carbon is retrenched into the mantle through subduction, yet the fluxes are poorly known and barely monitored.  Advances in remote sensing will facilitate future global mapping of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and allow unprecedented geological correlations.  The vertical connection between studies of the Earths interior and the immediate concerns of society regarding climate change are intimately related in a way which requires understanding of the global framework for carbon, starting with distinct organic and inorganic carbon from the earliest history of the Earth.  The geological sciences therefore have a pivotal role to play in assessing the deep carbon cycle, in a planetary context, in identifying geodynamic processes and carbon reservoirs, in evaluating the role of life in the deep carbon cycle, and in recognising steady-state and catastrophic evolutionary processes throughout the Earth’s history leading up to the current day to perhaps predicting what lies ahead.

This meeting will bring together experts whose combined talents will present new perspectives on the deep carbon cycle.  It is anticipated that this meeting will provide important opportunities to develop new strategies for both mainstream and cross-disciplinary research, to define new key questions in order to assess the contribution of the deep carbon cycle to atmosphere and climate.  

In recognition of the importance of diamond as a fundamental carbon reservoir spanning the greatest depths and ages of carbon sampled on Earth, this event is generously being sponsored by De Beers.   

Please see below for a draft programme and to download a registration form. 


Steve Sparks and Graham Pearson discuss Deep Carbon on BBC Radio 4 – have a listen!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00f86jz