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Tephra Fusion 2.0 - Creating the future of FAIR tephra data

Stephen Kuehn 1,  Kristi Wallace2, Kerstin Lehnert3, Andrei Kurbatov4, Lucia Profeta3

  • Affiliations: 1Physical and Environmental Sciences, Concord University, Athens, WV, USA; 2US Geological Survey, Alaska Volcano Observatory, Anchorage, AK, USA; 3Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA; 4Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Friday 16:30 - 18:00, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 78

  • Programme No: 7.5.26

  • Theme 7 > Session 5

Abstract

In 2022, a decade of international tephra research community-building, engagement, and consensus-development led to publication of best practice recommendations. This tephra community work contributes to a broader movement toward open science and FAIR practices - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable data. Comprehensive tephra data best practice recommendations are described by Wallace et al. (2022 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01515-y), and provided as spreadsheets housed at Zenodo covering physical and geochemical information (Abbott et al. 2022 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3866266). The recommendations are implemented into the StraboSpot app for field observations, SESAR templates for samples, and EarthChem templates for analytical methods and geochemistry (https://www.earthchem.org/communities/tephra/). We encourage all tephra researchers to adopt the recommended practices and evolving toolkit to maximize the value and impact of their data. The workshops Tephra Fusion in 2022 (https://www.tephrochronology.org/cot/Tephra2022/) and Tephra Data Systems in 2023 helped envision a future built on the best practices foundation, and on that basis we have launched Tephra Fusion 2.0. A key component is the Tephra Information Portal (TIP) which received NSF funding in 2024 to prototype cyberinfrastructure, produce training materials, and increase the accessibility of tools which improve tephra data discovery and archiving (see also companion abstract). This presentation will introduce the planned functionality and services of the TIP, specifically focusing on support for user workflows and the integration of tephra data, and how the TIP will continue to meet the needs of the tephra research community.