Steering Committee Responses to Review Panel Recommendations
MAY 6, 2008
The Ridge 2000 (R2K) Steering Committee (StCom) appreciates the thoughtful review and clearly expressed recommendations put forward by the Program Review Panel. We are very pleased that the strength of R2K work was clear, despite challenges (both scheduling and funding) that delayed maturation of many inter-disciplinary analyses until the most recent year or two. StCom agrees with the panel recommendations overall, and here we distill our current plan for implementing the final phase of activities within the Program.
1) Integration and Synthesis
We agree with the review panel that mechanisms to aid science integration are warranted and need to be intensified. Accordingly we are pleased to be able to allocate funds for annual ISS (or other focus) workshops. Plans are already taking shape for an early Fall 2008 EPR ISS workshop, while the Lau and Endeavour ISS groups are each developing approaches for a similar time. A major goal of the workshops is to stimulate interdisciplinary and integrative publications. The R2K Office is working with NSF to arrange a supplement that will cover the initial workshops in 2008. ISS-centric workshops are a starting point, but we will solicit requests from potential conveners of future small workshops and web-teleconferences on any topic envisioned to enhance progress in understanding links between the geological, hydrothermal, chemical and biological systems. As we shift from sea-going ISS emphasis, we hope to entrain parts of the community whose main expertise is on slow-spreading systems. Existing data from the Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic oceans can be brought to bear for at least some components of the spreading system.
StCom recognizes the strengths of model-based investigation and agrees with the review panel that there will be value in raising to the forefront models that have underlain our ISS and Time Critical Studies (TCS) data acquisitions. Several such models can now be critically tested, and compared between sites where appropriate. Our expectation is that refined conceptual models will play an important role throughout the spreading and hydrothermal systems (including ecosystems), and that quantitative testing of physical, chemical, and biological processes is now poised for advancing understanding of some linkages within these systems. Examples of the latter are the interplay between crustal structure and composition and hydrothermal flux and chemistry or bio-geo-chemical exchanges near the seafloor. Delays in seismic experiments will impede new testing of quantitative ISS models of mantle flow for a few more years, but analyses of seafloor samples are already providing constraints on mantle melt chemistry and crustal fractionation effects at all 3 ISSs; these insights can push models ahead as the seismic data are being acquired and processed. Recent inter-disciplinary studies of larval dispersal and currents will provide constraints to guide models of ecosystem evolution and diversity and controls by oceanographic processes. The approach that we envision is one where data analysis and interpretation proceeds hand-in-hand with new model development and quantitative testing. To this end we are in the process of reconstituting the objectives and membership of the ISS Oversight Committees to each include someone with significant modeling experience. These committees will play an integral role in designing this year's site-centric workshops and will remain active the following year. Subsequently, it is likely that Oversight Committees may be redesigned to, for example, focus on particular interfaces within the mantle-to-microbe system.
Current StCom members with modeling expertise (~25%) also conduct observational studies; this seems sufficient at this stage. The next round of StCom rotations is this Fall and we aim to boost the pool of nominees with model-based research expertise for that selection.
2) Data Access and Dissemination
StCom agrees that improving access to all R2K data is crucial throughout the final phase of the Program. The StCom Chair will be contacting each funded PI in the coming month, to discuss all data and derived 'products' associated with their project and a timeline and format for making the various types of information available to R2K investigators. Following these initial contact sessions, the Chair will follow up with StCom to ensure that all relevant data types have been covered and that suggested formats and timelines are appropriate and satisfy the R2K Data Policy. Designation of a StCom data oversight committee that can work with the Chair, Science Coordinator, and Data Management group is a likely outcome. Organization of this committee was not finalized at the Portland StCom meeting since insights obtained during the initial contact sessions were deemed important for designing the necessary framework for such oversight.
3) R2K Leadership Activities
In addition to a more proactive R2K Office role in ensuring data availability and awareness in the community of their potential uses of these resources, StCom expects to play a greater role in helping design and run workshops that can move understanding beyond what is typically accomplished by individual projects. StCom has identified a candidate for the role of next Chair, Dan Fornari, whom we are confident we can work closely with to enhance the outcomes of R2K-sponsored activities. We have discussed venues for publication of interdisciplinary results and will work with workshop groups to stimulate such dissemination of R2K findings to the broader scientific community.
4) Limited, Key Field Programs During the Final Phase of R2K
StCom supports the Review Panel recommendation that any R2K fieldwork in the final phase of the Program must fulfill specific integration and synthesis goals. Here we clarify aspects relevant to potential, targeted MAR field proposals, in order to allow such PIs to have an equal footing with other targeted R2K field proposals.
StCom sees potential for R2K to advance in important ways by bringing to bear insights from slow-spreading systems. Ideally we would have developed an ISS on the MAR, but the review panel correctly notes that time and funding are not available. Existing data can provide some perspective, but most of these prior results address a given component of the system in isolation. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) 35–37.5° N InterRidge focus site could provide leverage for achieving a few crucial, linked observations at reasonable cost and effort.
The Portland 2008 MAR workshop provided updates on InterRidge activity in the 35°–37.5°N area and in–depth discussions of both R2K–specific and broader scientific goals during 5–15 person breakout sessions. A workshop report is being drafted now and will be available to the community within a few weeks. This, together with several InterRidge 'MoMAR' workshop proceedings from the past decade (http://www.ipgp.jussieu.fr/rech/lgm/MOMAR/) and the original Lucky Strike ISS proposal (2000) provide a level of directly-relevant information that StCom sees as appropriate for the limited scope of potential R2K work. Individual PIs will have responsibility of synthesizing work in the 35°–37.5°N area that is relevant for their proposed study. It was an oversight that the InterRidge documents were not explicitly included in the materials provided to the Program Review panel and we believe this lack led to the Panel's recommendation that a new comprehensive synthesis was required before specifically targeted R2K work could proceed in the MAR 35°–37.5°N site.
5) Time Critical Studies (TCS)
For the final phase of the Program, StCom would like to encourage new TCS proposal(s), with the intent of allowing additional interested researchers to play a role and, importantly, to include a vision of how the observatory capabilities that will come online at three ridge sites may affect planning (Endeavour- NEPTUNE Canada; Lucky Strike- a pilot ESONET buoy; and Axial Volcano- OOI). Because ongoing work at these locations provides site characterization and initial time series records, any TCS work would immediately have bearing on Integrated Studies. All sites are within a day's steam of the area being monitored. The StCom will actively engage researchers inside and outside the R2K community to continue TCS studies and, additionally, integrate those efforts and the data collected to date into the overall modeling efforts that will be a primary focus in the next 3-5 years.
6) Additional Broader Impacts
StCom views workshops as an integral part of our interdisciplinary science effort and we note persistent community indications that R2K workshops are very worthwhile. We endorse provision of sufficient funds within the R2K Office budget to enable a variety of types small-group interactions to achieve Program goals. Other Broader Impacts emphasize Education and Public Outreach (EPO) and StCom continues to see the current suite of EPO projects as important to overall NSF goals regarding broader impacts of the R2K Program. Evaluation of past and current EPO projects is underway and the new Office will balance outreach expenditures within the context of the primary program goals. The Distinguished Lecturer series of R2K has been considered a great success. If possible, we envision that aspect of our outreach to continue to the end of the Program. As a new Office proposal is being developed, the EPO team is putting together an update on impacts over the past year for the Chair-select to consider.