Vision for the Commission on Submarine Volcanism:
The submarine realm is Earth’s final frontier.
Representing over three quarters of global volcanic activity, and as one of the most cross-disciplinary areas of volcanology, the Commission on Submarine Volcanism (CoSV) remains a vital part of IAVCEI infrastructure. As the world slowly recovers from a far-reaching pandemic, and research vessels fully return to the water, we enter an era of exploration where new technology, methods and digital capabilities, and long-needed diversity and inclusivity discussions, are at the forefront of marine geoscience.
Within marine geoscience, CoSV reaches across many disciplines including physical volcanology, igneous petrology, isotope geochemistry, seismology, acoustics, seismic surveying, bathymetry and geomorphology, structural geology, and sedimentology. Beyond the geosciences, CoSV crosses into disciplines of marine biology and ecology, physical and chemical oceanography, remote sensing, and natural hazards. Even though the current submarine volcanology community is relatively small within broader volcanology, we only expect our discipline to grow as more of our seafloor is mapped and global exploration efforts become more financially and technology feasible. Increasing collaborative research efforts with marine sciences also provide further opportunities to expand our commission and network. The uptake in digital teaching and outreach resources harnessed over the past year presents the opportunity to bring volcanism and marine geoscience to more people through online seminars, workshops and outreach initiatives. For these reasons, CoSV will rapidly transform in the coming years, and we will commit to facilitating this transformation.
By establishing a new committee, commission framework, and goals for the future, CoSV will champion efforts in leadership development for early career researchers (ECRs), improving access to equitable and inclusive opportunities for CoSV members in underrepresented groups, and enhancing our impact and outreach on the global scale in collaboration with the marine sciences. The new committee will be comprised of mostly ECR members at the forefronts of different disciplines/aspects across submarine volcanism. New committee selection will also be based with a conscious effort for international coverage and diversity amongst nationality, ethnicity, gender and educational background.