At low temperature the control of the mobility and fate of chemical elements is the result of the combined effects of precipitation/dissolution of minerals, transport (diffusion and advection), adsorption onto mineral surfaces and interactions with living organisms. Deciphering the role of each of these elemental processes in low temperature environments such as continental surfaces (e.g. soils, river catchments), the marine environment (water column and sediments), the ocean-continent interface (e.g. estuaries and salt marshes) and so on is essential for the understanding of the evolution of the biosphere and its ongoing modification within the context of global warming and human activities.
This symposium is intended to focus on the tools and methods in use or under development to investigate the interface between the inorganic realm (minerals and rocks) and the aqueous environments. Contributions addressing the question of chemical equilibrium in water rock interactions versus their steady state or kinetic description are quite welcome.