The island splitting eruption of the Tonga Volcano
in January caught the world’s attention with its explosive plume of ash and subsequent
tsunami. Large volcanic eruptions like this can have impacts on the climate and
carbon budget of earth’s atmosphere and oceans.
But some may not realize that many, if not most,
volcanic eruptions on earth don’t happen on volcanic islands, rather they occur
deep under water along oceanic rift zones. These rift zones are volcanic fissures
that occur along tectonic boundaries where rising plumes of magma come to the
surface and slowly push oceanic plates apart. The constant underwater eruptions
along rift zones can also impact the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in
the atmosphere and ocean.
For scientists to understand and model the impacts
of human caused climate change, they need to know all the sources and sinks for
CO2 - including the amount of CO2 naturally produced by
these oceanic rift zones. Better quantifying this amount can yield improved
understanding of the impacts of anthropogenic climate change.
South Dakota Mines Assistant Professor and principal
investigator Gokce Ustunisik Ph.D., ...