Position
1. Project Title / Job Position title: Geogenic CO2 emissions in volcanic islands – climate change impacts
2. Area of Knowledge: Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering
3. Group of disciplines: Geology, Earth Sciences, Environmental and Atmosphere Sciences, Mines, Geological Engineering, Oceanography, Hydrology
4. Research project / Research Group description:
The increase of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is an under debate theme and estimation of the geogenic CO2 emissions is particularly relevant at a large scale. Last decade studies showed that anthropogenic CO2 is quite significant comparing with the geogenic CO2. However, and in what concerns the CO2 released by volcanic areas, the recent estimations were based only on 10% of the known subaerial volcanoes. One of the key questions that was highlighted in the recent literature is the significant contribution of the diffuse degassing areas to the total CO2 budget released by volcanoes, which can even be comparable to the CO2 emitted by erupting volcanoes.
Diffuse degassing areas correspond to the silent and permanent release of gases from the soils, through permeable structures (e.g., fractures, faults) that allow the gas transport from depth. These emissions are dominated by CO2 and are not only associated to active volcanic environments, but can be also found out in non-volcanic areas. Likewise, biogenic CO2 can be produced in the soils, and it is thus fundamental to discriminate the origin of the gas. Studies carried out in the Azores volcanic islands showed that approximately 80% of the CO2 released by the soils in the studied sites is mantle-derived and that tectonic structures drive the gas to the surface. Recent studies also highlighted that these diffuse emissions are more relevant than the CO2 emitted by visible gas manifestations, such as fumaroles and springs. Most of the previous studies in the Azores were carried out in the polygenetic volcanoes, and few studies focused on the diffuse degassing in the rift zones. Understand the CO2 behaviour in distinct geological settings is the major objective of this project and pretends to contribute to the estimation of the CO2 total budget in the Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira, Canary and Cape Verde) islands, as well as to understand the mechanisms that control the gas transport from depth to the surface.
5. Job position description:
The candidate should develop research on the domain of fluids geochemistry, namely the study of CO2 in volcanic environments. The candidate will integrate the Scientific Unit of “Gas Geochemistry” of the Research Institute of Volcanology and Risk Assessment (IVAR) at the University of the Azores, and the study will be developed in different islands of the Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira, Canary and Cape Verde). The study includes a comprehensive study of the processes associated to the release of CO2 in geological environments. To better understand geogenic CO2 released in oceanic islands, integration of different datasets comprising gas and isotopic analyses, petrological and rock geochemistry data, as well as tectonics and geophysical information will be used.
Candidates must have a degree in Geology, Geophysics, Environment, Chemistry or in a similar field. Preference should be given to candidates with Master degree in Geochemistry, Volcanology, Risks, Environment or similar field.
The candidate should have the following characteristics:
- background in geology or environmental sciences;
- good skills in what concerns GIS software;
- good knowledge of English.
Group Leader
Associate Professor Fátima Viveiros