Scientific project studying carbon transfer from Earth's interior
The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) project is an initiative to unite scientists around the world to make tangible advances towards quantifying the amount of
carbon outgassed from the Earth's deep interior (core, mantle, crust) into the surface environment (e.g. biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere) through naturally occurring processes. DECADE is an initiative within the
Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO).
Volcanoes are the main pathway in which deeply sourced
volatiles, including carbon, are transferred from the Earth's interior to the surface environment.[1] An additional, though less well understood, pathway includes along faults and fractures within the Earth's crust,[2] often referred to as tectonic degassing. When the DCO was first formed in 2009 estimates of global carbon flux from volcanic regions ranged from 65 to 540 Mt/yr,[2] and constraints on global tectonic degassing were virtually unknown.[2] The order of magnitude uncertainty in current volcanic/tectonic carbon outgassing makes answering fundamental questions about the global
carbon budget virtually impossible. In particular, one fundamental unknown is if carbon transferred to the Earth's interior via
subduction is efficiently recycled back to the Earth's mantle
lithosphere, crust and surface environment through volcanic and tectonic degassing, or if significant quantities of carbon are being subducted into the deep mantle.[3] Because significant quantities of mantle carbon are also released through
mid-ocean ridge volcanism, if carbon inputs and outputs at subduction zone settings are in balance, then the net effect will be an imbalance in the global carbon budget, with carbon being preferentially removed from the Earth's deep interior and redistributed to more shallow reservoirs including the mantle
lithosphere, crust,
hydrosphere and
atmosphere. The implications of this may mean that carbon concentrations in the surface environment are increasing over Earth's history, which has significant implications for climate change.
Findings from the DECADE project will increase our understanding of the way carbon cycles through deep Earth, and patterns in volcanic emissions data could potentially alert scientists to an impending eruption.[4]
Project goals
The main goal of the DECADE project is to refine estimates of global carbon outgassing using a multipronged approach. Specifically, the DECADE initiative unites scientists with expertise in
geochemistry,
petrology and
volcanology to provide constraints on the global volcanic carbon flux by 1) establishing a database of volcanic and hydrothermal gas compositions and fluxes linked to EarthChem/PetDB and the Smithsonian
Global Volcanism Program, 2) building a global monitoring network to continuously measure the volcanic carbon flux of 20 active volcanoes, 3) measure the carbon flux of remote volcanoes, for which no or only sparse data are currently available, 4) develop new field and analytical instrumentation for carbon measurements and flux monitoring, and 5) establish formal collaborations with volcano observatories around the world to support
volcanic gas measurement and monitoring activities.[5]
History
The DECADE initiative was conceived in September 2011 by the
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior Commission on the Chemistry of Volcanic Gases during its 11th field workshop.[6] Here the charge of the initiative was broadly defined and the governance structure established. The DECADE receives financial support from Deep Carbon Observatory to meet the project goals, with support distributed to DECADE members based on project proposal submission and external review and/or consensus by the Board of Directors. All projects are significantly matched by funding sources from the individual investigators or other funding agencies. The initiative is led by a Board of Directors that has nine members including one chair and two co-vice chairs. Currently the DECADE initiative has around 80 members from 13 countries.
Achievements
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2023)
As of 2020[update], major achievements supported or partially supported by the DECADE initiative include:
Modification of the IEDA EarthChem database to include volcanic gas composition and gas flux data.
Map of the DCO DECADE project volcano installations
See also
Decade Volcanoes – Set of sixteen volcanoes noted for their eruptive history and proximity to densely populated areas
Ring of Fire – Region around the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur
References
^Dasgupta, R. (2013). "Ingassing, Storage, and Outgassing of Terrestrial Carbon through Geologic Time". Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry. 75 (1): 183–220.
Bibcode:
2013RvMG...75..183D.
doi:
10.2138/rmg.2013.75.7.