> What Does a Vent Look Like?
> What are Hydrothermal Vents?
> Where are Vents Located?
> How Are Vents Formed?
> Why are Vents Important?
> Interesting Facts
> Permission to Descend!
Introduction
Hydrothermal vents are mysterious geysers
deep on the ocean floor that support bizarre oases. They are so strange, in fact, that they occasionally
make front-page news. Sometimes the headlines sound as if they belong in those tabloids on display at
supermarket checkout stands.
- Oases Under the Sea!
- Alien Life Forms!
- Gutless Wonders!
- Living Fossils!
- Gold and Oil for the Taking!
- Life Found on Other Planets!
We'll take a journey of discovery to find out the facts behind these headlines. We'll go down about 2222 meters (7290 feet) to the ocean floor in the DSV Alvin, a submersible maintained and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
The Alvin underwater.
Note the scientific research equipment attached to the front
of the submersible, such as cameras and baskets.
This is a special ship, battery-powered, that can withstand the tremendous pressure of these depths. It is part of a larger research vessel, called the mother ship, which transports the submersible and an important team of scientists-- marine biologists, microbiologists, chemical oceanographers, physical oceanographers, and marine geologists--to oceans around the world. We'll meet the scientists on our cruise soon!
Before entering, remove your shoes and belt buckles. They could damage the watertight seal. Bring along warm clothes, but no nylon that could pose a fire hazard. Ready? Then let's climb down the ladder.
Image © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The interior of the Alvin is filled with so many monitors, switches, gauges, and other equipment that little room is left for the pilot and two passengers.
It's really crowded in here. There is room for three of us--you, me and the pilot--in a space about the size of a bathtub. The Alvin itself is about the size of a minivan. If all goes well, we'll be down for about 8 hours. We'll be cold and wet, because the ambient seawater temperature is about 2°C, or just above freezing, and our titanium sphere has no heater.
We're about to be lowered into the water. It's a good time to go over the basics of vents while the divers check the outside of the submersible.
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