Hydrothermal Vent Discovery in East Pacific Rise

Exciting news from the eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: this spring, researchers discovered five hydrothermal vents on the seafloor at 2500 m below the surface. The vents are located within the East Pacific Rise, an underwater volcanic mountain chain created by two diverging tectonic plates. The discovery is the result of a research expedition funded by the National Science Foundation and involved a collaboration between teams operating an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry and human-occupied vehicle (HOV) Alvin. At night, AUV Sentry, operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution‘s (WHOI) National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF), mapped the seafloor. The crew for HOV Alvin, also operated by WHOI-NDSF, used the high-resolution maps to plan the day’s dive to the vents. This enabled the scientists aboard HOV Alvin to directly observe the vents and their dynamic interactions within the unique environment.
This important discovery will allow researchers to learn more about the role hydrothermal vents play in the seafloor, and future research is being planned to revisit the vents with both Sentry and Alvin.

Watch this video to see the hydrothermal vents in action! Close-up footage in the video was captured by DeepSea’s 4k Optim SeaCam and illuminated by DeepSea lighting mounted on Alvin. We are always thrilled to see our products in use to expand our understanding of the world’s oceans.