VentDB: A Global Online Synthesis Database of Seafloor Hydrothermal Spring Geochemistry

Chemical data for seafloor hydrothermal springs are fundamental to the study of mid-ocean ridge and seafloor processes, ocean water chemistry, and global geochemical cycles, as well as vent ecosystems and the sub-seafloor biosphere. So far, these data have been accessible only in the scientific literature or in online data catalogs where they are widely dispersed in individual data tables, and are often insufficiently documented for re-use. We have developed VentDB as an online data system for geochemical data for hydrothermal springs that will facilitate access and analysis of these data. VentDB uses the concept and architecture of the popular PetDB database for seafloor igneous and metamorphic rock geochemistry (www.petdb.org) to provide easy and fast access to a global synthesis of seafloor hydrothermal spring geochemical data. The VentDB database contains concentrations of major and trace species, dissolved gases, and radiogenic and isotopic ratios for hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. Further chemical or physical properties of hydrothermal springs can be included in the future if desired. The database comprises both the calculated hydrothermal end-member solution compositions as estimated by extrapolation of the concentrations of individual chemical species to a Mg concentration of zero, and the raw data for hydrothermal solution samples as collected, where available. Data quality is documented by including information for the raw analytical data about the analytical method, precision, and reference material measurements, and quality control parameters for end-member compositions including the lowest Mg measured in any sample, the number of samples and correlation coefficient of the linear regression, and the charge balance for the extrapolated zero-Mg composition. The database also includes information about the sampled locations (geospatial coordinates, vent or vent field names, names of other physiographic features), temperature, flow and vent type, sampling device, and the data source. Users can search VentDB by parameters such as location, tectonic setting, type of vent and flow, sampling device, and research cruise, select any number and combination of chemical species that they are interested in, and retrieve a customized dataset that fully integrates data from any number of publications and other sources. VentDB will be available as a prototype system with a limited dataset in Fall 2011 at http://www.ventdb.org. Data compilation of published data will continue with the goal to provide a comprehensive synthesis in 2012.