Coupled surface to deep Earth processes: Perspectives from TOPO-EUROPE with an emphasis on climate- and energy-related societal challenges
Cloetingh S.[1]; Sternai P.[2]; Koptev A.[3]; Ehlers T.A.[4; 5]; Gerya T.[6]; Kovacs I.[7]; Oerlemans J.[8]; Beekman F.[1]; Lavallée Y.[9; 10]; Dingwell D.[10]; Békési E.[11; 1]; Porkoláb K.[11; 1]; Tesauro M.[12; 1]; Lavecchia A.[13]; Botsyun S.[14]; Veleda M.[2]; Roure F.[15]; Serpelloni E.[16]; Matenco L.[1]; Castelltort S.[17]; Giovannelli D.[18; 19; 20; 21; 22]; Vitale Brovarone A.[23; 24; 25]; Malaspina N.[2]; Coletti G.[2]; Valla P.[26]; Limberger J.[27; 1];
Understanding the interactions between surface and deep Earth processes is important for research in many diverse scientific areas including climate, environment, energy, georesources and biosphere. The TOPO-EUROPE initiative of the International Lithosphere Program serves as a pan-European platform for integrated surface and deep Earth sciences, synergizing observational studies of the Earth structure and fluxes on all spatial and tem-poral scales with modelling of Earth processes. This review provides a survey of scientific developments in our quantitative understanding of coupled surface-deep Earth processes achieved through TOPO-EUROPE. The most notable innovations include (1) a process-based understanding of the connection of upper mantle dynamics and absolute plate motion frames; (2) integrated models for sediment source-to-sink dynamics, demonstrating the importance of mass transfer from mountains to basins and from basin to basin; (3) demonstration of the key role of polyphase evolution of sedimentary basins, the impact of pre-rift and pre-orogenic structures, and the evo-lution of subsequent lithosphere and landscape dynamics; (4) improved conceptual understanding of the tem-poral evolution from back-arc extension to tectonic inversion and onset of subduction; (5) models to explain the integrated strength of Europe’s lithosphere; (6) concepts governing the interplay between thermal upper mantle processes and stress-induced intraplate deformation; (7) constraints on the record of vertical motions from high -resolution data sets obtained from geo-thermochronology for Europe’s topographic evolution; (8) recognition and quantifications of the forcing by erosional and/or glacial-interglacial surface mass transfer on the regional magmatism, with major implications for our understanding of the carbon cycle on geological timescales and the emerging field of biogeodynamics; and (9) the transfer of insights obtained on the coupling of deep Earth and surface processes to the domain of geothermal energy exploration.Concerning the future research agenda of TOPO-EUROPE, we also discuss the rich potential for further ad-vances, multidisciplinary research and community building across many scientific frontiers, including research on the biosphere, climate and energy. These will focus on obtaining a better insight into the initiation and evolution of subduction systems, the role of mantle plumes in continental rifting and (super)continent break-up, and the deformation and tectonic reactivation of cratons; the interaction between geodynamic, surface and climate processes, such as interactions between glaciation, sea level change and deep Earth processes; the sensitivity, tipping points, and spatio-temporal evolution of the interactions between climate and tectonics as well as the role of rock melting and outgassing in affecting such interactions; the emerging field of bio-geodynamics, that is the impact of coupled deep Earth – surface processes on the evolution of life on Earth; and tightening the connection between societal challenges regarding renewable georesources, climate change, nat-ural geohazards, and novel process-understanding of the Earth system.
2023 - Articolo in rivista
Global and planetary change (Print) 226 (2023). doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104140
Keywords: coupled surface-deep; earth interactions; earth system science; geo-energy; climate changes across timescales