Christian Hansen

The annual Goldschmidt conference is the major meeting event for geochemists and biogeochemists. This years gathering took place in Prague (Czech Republic) between the 16th and 21st of August and thanks to GLOMAR funding I had the great opportunity to participate.

As this also happened to be my first larger conference attendance I was especially amazed by the huge number and the versatility of fascinating topics covered by the conference program. Throughout the entire week more than 2000 oral and poster presentations were offered in 25 simultaneous sessions unravelling the complexity of elemental cycles within and between the earths major reservoirs, looking at all kinds of mineral alteration and reaction types and providing intriguing new insight on the emergence of life and into the processes shaping the face and the interior of the planet. Moreover many leading producers of state of the art scientific analysing equipment presented their latest products and entire sessions introduced the most recent advances in data acquisition.

Considering the field of my PhD project, naturally I was especially interested in sessions dealing with fluid rock interactions related to serpentinization, ocean crust alteration and Li (Lithium) and B (Boron) tracer applications. In the session 16d ‘Petrology of the ocean crust: creation, alteration and subduction’ I had the opportunity to present my recent study on ‘Li and B isotope fractionation during serpentinization’ and later I was also able to discuss some findings with other scientists working on related topics. As a significant part of my work in Bremen focused on hydrothermal degradation of DOM (Dissolved Organic Matter) throughout the last year and this topic is likely to become increasingly important for my future work, I was also very interested in a session on the ‘Origin and fate of organic compounds in hydrothermal systems’. Exceeding these topics directly related to my work, I was able to listen to many other highly fascinating talks in other disciplines and got to know new PhD student and scientists form different universities.

Lastly, Prague once again revealed to be a great choice for hosting the Goldschmidt conference. The conference site itself offered sufficient space for all participants and a well organized catering service provided fresh beverages and snacks throughout the entire week.

At this point I especially would like to thank GLOMAR for funding my conference participation. I could greatly benefit from this conference, as I got new input for my current work, got to know new people and could moreover broaden my knowledge in interesting research areas, even beyond the scope of my PhD project, which will without a doubt help me in my future career.