EPS PGR Postponed Christmas Lecture - Beyond the Abyss: Life in Extreme environments and the 5-Deeps Expedition
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EPS PGR Postponed Christmas Lecture - Beyond the Abyss: Life in Extreme environments and the 5-Deeps Expedition
Wed, 09/01/2019 - 14:45
Location:
Speaker:
Dr Alan Jamieson
Affiliation:
Newcastle University
Synopsis:
**This is the new date & time for the postponed Christmas lecture**
The deepest parts of the world’s oceans – the hadal zone – is named after Hades, the Kingdom of the Underworld. Despite the deterrent and ‘unseen’ connotations of its name, recent years has seen a renaissance in the exploration of the hadal ecosystems (6000 to 11,000 metres deep) which represents one of the last great frontiers in marine science. This biozone accounts for 45% of the total ocean depth range and comprises a disjunct array of trenches formed by subduction at convergence zones. From a biological perspective, recent developments have in large been prompted by technological advances that have made this otherwise largely inaccessible frontier a viable subject for research.
Since 2007, the ‘Hadal-landers’ have now been deployed in the hadal trenches over 250 times in 18 research cruises in seven trenches of the Pacific Ocean (the Japan, Izu-Bonin, Mariana, New Hebrides, Kermadec, Tonga and Peru-Chile trenches), plus adjoining areas, abyssal trenches, and hadal fracture zones (e.g. South Fiji Basin, South Shetland Trough, Wallaby-Zenith Fracture Zone). This presentation will explore some interesting recent discoveries and discuss some hypotheses that are emerging regarding habitat heterogeneity, biodiversity, ecology and phylogenetics over large bathymetric and geographic ranges.
Also, this is an opportunity to hear first-hand about the recently announced ‘5-Deeps Expedition’: an unprecedented year-long full ocean depth rated manned submersible expedition to not only the deepest point in every ocean but various other extreme environments as well.
Please RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/eps-pgr-postponed-christmas-lecture-ticke... before midday on 3rd January 2019 if you wish to attend this event.
Biography:
Dr Alan Jamieson is a senior lecturer in deep-sea biology at Newcastle University, UK. His research focuses on the biological exploration of the hadal zone (depths >6000 metres). He has designed multiple Hadal-Landers and has deployed them nearly 250 times in the subduction trenches of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding areas. He has participated in, and often led, 50 deep-sea expeditions. He has published over 80 scientific papers and sole authored the book The Hadal Zone, life in the deepest oceans (2015). He is a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and is currently the Chief Scientist on the ‘5-Deeps’ round-the-world deep-sea expedition.