GEOTRACES Online Seminar Series – #5 Particle dynamics, scavenging & aggregation
August 25 All day
The GEOTRACES Online Seminar Series is an initiative led by the Early Career Scientist (ECS) committee, held on a monthly basis. It aims to foster scientific exchange across the GEOTRACES community and beyond by bringing together senior scientists and early-career researchers around shared themes in trace element and isotope biogeochemistry.
Seminar format:
Each seminar will focus on one coherent topic and feature two connected talks:
– A senior scientist providing synthesis, context, and big-picture framing
– An early-career scientist presenting new data, methods, or emerging perspectives
Schedule:
The series will run monthly from April to November 2026 (with a break in July), with seminars planned for the last Tuesday of each month. Plus, an end-year special seminar around mid-December.
Seminars will be held at either 09:00 CET/CEST or 15:00 CET/CEST, depending on the speakers’ locations, to facilitate participation across different regions. Each seminar will last about one hour.
Platform: Zoom
A single recurring link will be used for all seminars: click here to access the seminar.
If needed, you can also join manually using: Meeting ID: 636 5773 3493 / Passcode: 651026
Upcoming seminar:
Date/Time: August 25, 2026 @ 15:00 CEST
Topic: Particle dynamics, scavenging & aggregation
Moderator: Nolwenn Lemaitre
Speakers: Christopher Hayes (University of Southern Mississippi, USA) & Yang Xiang (Louisiana State University, USA).
Seminar detailed information:
Topic: Particle dynamics, scavenging & aggregation
Talk 1: From adsorption to regional boundary scavenging: bridging scales of trace element removal from the ocean
Speaker: Prof. Christopher Hayes (University of Southern Mississippi)
Abstract: Particulate matter in seawater acting as a removal term for trace elements, or chemical scavenging, has been recognized since the 1950’s. In this talk, I review the history of the role of scavenging in chemical oceanography and results from our group showing how productive gyres, upwelling zones, hydrothermal plumes and nepheloid layers can all be seen as regional centers of scavenging removal.
Talk 2: Particle composition effect on trace metal scavenging in the global ocean
Speaker: Asst. Prof. Yang Xiang (Louisiana State University)
Abstract: Different particle phases vary in their ability to scavenge trace elements and their isotopes (TEIs). In this talk, I will highlight the disproportionate importance of manganese oxides in scavenging multiple TEIs in the global ocean, despite their relatively low abundance. I will also discuss recent advancements in particle scavenging models that incorporate surface area into parameterisations.
For more information and updates, check the seminar web page.
