The Atlantic Ocean is one of Earth’s best natural laboratories and has been extensively explored by scientific ocean drilling. Studying the Atlantic archives has led to a wealth of knowledge, including the refinement of the theory of plate tectonics through an understanding of the opening of the mid-ocean ridge, the study of Oceanic Core Complex formation at slow-spreading ridges and the influence that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has on the Iceland mantle plume. The Atlantic sedimentary record contains key information on the evolution of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and Northern and Southern Hemisphere glacial initiation and dynamics.
Combined recovery of magmatic and sedimentary sequences enables the study of the interaction of mantle dynamics and crustal accretion, hydrothermal exchanges between the cooling ocean crust and overlying water masses, ocean circulation patterns influenced by gateway changes connected to the Pacific, Southern, and Arctic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Recent drilling efforts have also aimed to shed light on deep-biosphere ecosystems and their interaction with sedimentary and magmatic processes.
This session aims to bring together interdisciplinary studies and to foster discussions on recent advances from scientific ocean drilling expeditions throughout the Atlantic Ocean. We welcome experimental, theoretical, modelling, and observational studies using data (e.g., geophysical, geochemical, sedimentological, and paleontological) from recent and past International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) expeditions and their predecessors.