Schmidt Ocean Institue: Nazca Ridge High Seas

 

The Composition and Distribution of Ocean Sediments (II)

Biogenous Sediments

Biogenous sediments are composed of the shells and debris of organisms that live in the surface waters of the ocean and settle to the seafloor when those organisms die. The most important contributors to biogenous sediment are the single-celled autotrophic and heterotrophic plankton, such as diatoms, coccolithophores, radiolaria, and foraminifera. These organisms produce shells made of either silica (siliceous oozes) or calcium carbonate (calcareous oozes).

Hydrogenous Sediments

Hydrogenous sediments are minerals that are precipitated directly from the ions dissolved in seawater. This can occur in shallow, evaporative environments, such as inland seas, where minerals like halite (table salt), gypsum, and calcite can precipitate. Hydrogenous sediments can also form in deep ocean environments, where dissolved phosphates and manganese become supersaturated and precipitate as nodules.

Cosmogenous Sediments

Cosmogenous sediments are the rarest type of ocean sediment, consisting of meteorites and tektites (glass nodules formed from the melting of Earth's crust after a meteorite impact). These extraterrestrial materials are found in greater abundance in the ocean than on land due to the slow sedimentation rates in the deep ocean, which allow them to accumulate more easily.

The Dominance of Lithogenous Sediments

While biogenous sediments cover the majority of the seafloor surface, lithogenous sediments make up the largest percentage by volume of marine sediments. This is because lithogenous sediments, particularly the fine-grained muds, are able to be transported long distances by rivers and winds and accumulate in the deep ocean basins.

However, the thickest accumulations of sediment are found in the continental margin environments, where lithogenous sediments can pile up to depths of up to 9 kilometers. This is due to the much higher sedimentation rates in these areas, which can range from 0.5 to 800 meters per 1,000 years, compared to the slow sedimentation rates of 1 centimeter per 1,000 years in the deep ocean basins.

Upcoming events: 7th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity

The 7th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity will be organized in Bruges between November 17th and 20th 2026.

The World Conference on Marine Biodiversity series (WCMB) is conducted tri-annually. The WCMB is a high-level international meeting that focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity. The conference provides a platform for policymakers, scientists, conservationists, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to discuss current and emerging marine biodiversity issues and identify ways to protect and sustainably manage marine ecosystems and their resources.

Previous editions were held in:

• Valencia, Spain (2008) - Outcome: Valencia Declaration - A Plea for the Protection of Marine Biodiversity
• Aberdeen, Scotland (2011) - "Our Oceans, Our Future"
• Qingdao, China (2014) - "Life in the Changing Ocean"
• Montreal, Canada (2018) - "Connecting with the Living Ocean"
• Auckland, New Zealand (2020) - "Understanding the current scale and importance of biodiversity in the marine environment"
• Penang, Malaysia (2023) - "Marine Biodiversity Challenges in the Anthropocene"

 Further information

Lecture: Marine Sediments

 

Open Science Conference on Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUS): Past, Present and Future & Second International Conference on the Humboldt Current System September 19 - 23, 2022

The Open Science Conference on Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUS): Past, Present and Future and the Second International Conference on the Humboldt Current System are planned for September 19 - 23 in Lima, Peru. Although the conference aims to be in-person, options for virtual participation will be provided.

The meeting will bring together PhD students, early career scientists and world experts to understand, review, and synthesize what is known about dynamics, sensitivity, vulnerability and resilience of Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems and their living resources to climate variability, change and extreme events.

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Assesing the impacts of Deep Seabed Mining in the Water Column - Webinar

 

Historical perspectives on marine ecosystems, fisheries, and futures - Belgium 2020

Rationale: Life in the oceans is changing more rapidly in the current century than ever before. As these changes occur it is more imperative than ever to understand what came before to better frame management of those systems. Oceans Past brings together scholars and practitioners interested in documenting and understanding changes in marine systems and human maritime interactions in past centuries and millennia. The 8th Oceans Past Conference, Historical Perspectives on Marine Ecosystems, Fisheries, and Futures, will enable continued scholarly communication and international exchange towards a fuller understanding of the past, the present status, and potential trajectories of our living marine resources.

Invitation: The conference welcomes researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and students of all disciplines under the unifying view of our oceans as networks of social-ecological or coupled human-nature systems. Presentations are encouraged that explore large-scale and long-term case studies highlighting dynamic changes and interactions in past marine ecosystems, the impacts and legacy effects of human activities on them, the sustainability of iterative or co-evolutionary relationships and, where possible, likely future directions and management implications. If you have an interest in the history of human interactions with life in the ocean and implications for policy and management, sign up now to attend OP VIII in 2020!

Deadline for paper submission: 15 JANUARY 2020

Early Bird registration deadline: 15 FEBRUARY 2020


Abstract Submission

Further information

International Summer School Geotraces, Spain 2019

La ‘International Summer School Geotraces Spain’ ofrece desde Cádiz una formación única en el mundo dirigida a 36 estudiantes de postgrado para una formación práctica y teórica de 50 horas de capacitación a bordo el Buque Escuela ‘Intermares’. Esta escuela de verano está organizada por el Campus de Excelencia Internacional Global del Mar (CEI·Mar), la Universidad de Cádiz (UCA), el Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias Marinas del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICMAN-CSIC) y el programa internacional Geotraces; con fondos del Comité Científico sobre Investigación Oceánica (SCOR), Geotraces, la Fundación General CSIC, la Escuela Internacional de Doctorado en Estudios Marinos (EIDEMAR) y del propio CEI·Mar y la participación del Ministerio de Defensa y del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación.

Further information

Contamined Sediments: a guide for risk assesment and management

Event: 10 April - Can industry improve dealing with contaminated sediments? Join us to find out https://t.co/2ou2QB0LOl Get a copy of the guide for some practical guidance https://t.co/jB6GLGWhNg #sediments #Coastal #marine #remediation #dredging #goodpractice #environment pic.twitter.com/f4zk21IAhF

— CIRIA (@CIRIAupdates) March 20, 2019

Seafloor Features & Landforms

Source: Earth Rocks! channel

Exploration of Time in the Tropical Atlantic: Deep Ocean Drilling - Perspectives on Ocean Science

Introduction To Marine Life Course: Sub-tidal Marine Organisms

The 72nd Annual Northeast Fish & Wildlife Conference, USA

The 72nd Annual Northeast Fish & Wildlife Conference, "Thinking Outside: Taking Risks for Better Conservation," will be held April 3-5, 2016 in Annapolis, Maryland at the Westin. The event is co-hosted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife.

Furhter information

North American Congress for Conservation Biology, USA

The 3rd Biennial Congress will highlight the importance of integrating successful communication strategies into our work. In order to move from research to action, we must communicate across boundaries to encourage and empower diverse communities working to sustain the Earth's biological and cultural diversity, and to implement the policy changes that make this possible. The Congress will play an important role in advancing science and stimulating conservation action through effective dialogue and far-reaching engagement. This Congress in North America is critical to our success as conservation professionals. Please stay tuned as we update web content to reflect the upcoming conference.

Further information

15th International Echinoderm Conference, Playa del Carmen Mexico - May 25th to 29th, 2015.

More information here

Upcoming events: International Conference on Remediation and Management of Contamined Sediments, January 2015, New Orleans, Louisiana

Call for Abstracts

Click here for more information

XV Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencias del Mar - COLACMAR 2013, Uruguay

Más información aquí

Visiting Fellowships - Australian Museum

We offer a number of different fellowships to visiting researchers for the porpouse of incresing knowledge of our collections.

Applications for funding between July 2013 and June 2014 now open. Application forms are available at the links below. All applications close at 5 pm on Friday 17 may 2013

Further information

XV Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencias del Mar - COLACMAR 2013 del 27 al 31 de Octubre, Uruguay

Inscripciones
Temario
Programación
Más información en la página oficial del evento

ISLANDS 2012, 2nd International Conference on Islands Sustainability, Croatia

 

Further information