Trapped Water
The fact that life as we understand it could not exist without water means that there is great interest in discovering water beyond Earth.
On 24 September 2009, an Indian space probe confirmed that the moon's surface contains significant amounts of water. This discovery coincided with an IAS-sponsored workshop in Durham on Water on Earth and Beyond that launched the Water year. This forum brought together astronomers and Earth scientists to discuss ‘Open Questions’ about the role of water in the geology of Earth, and the potential presence of water across the universe.
One such question concerns the presence of water deep within the Earth's crust. Only around 3% of the Earth's water is freshwater; the remainder is either in the oceans, or locked within rocks. Why is water found in these proportions? Could it be different on other worlds, or if the Earth’s climate was different? Helping to answer these questions, geologist and IAS Fellow Richard Arculus gave public lectures about his research and worked with Durham’s Department of Earth Sciences to seek funding for a study of the flow of the Earth’s mantle.
Richard Arculus’ lecture on Water and Volcanism can be heard at:
www.durham.ac.uk/ias/events/fellowslectures200910/arculus
Reflections
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