In 2022, an international research team aboard the MARIA S. MERIAN made a remarkable discovery of a hydrothermal field. They found her 3,000 meters (9,842 ft) below the surface of the ocean.
The team uncovered the first known hydrothermal field along the 500 kilometer (310 mi) long Knipovich Ridge.
This ridge is located near Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Scientists have long studied this region for its harsh climate and unique ecosystems.
This discovery revealed a hidden underwater landscape teeming with intense geological activity and unique marine life.
The discovery of such a living ecosystem in the deep and cold waters of the Arctic challenges our understanding of where life can thrive.
The Science Behind Hydrothermal Fields
Hydrothermal vents are essentially underwater vents that spew hot, mineral-rich fluids back into the ocean. These vents play a vital role in Earth’s geochemical cycles and support diverse ecosystems.
According to a key figure in the expedition, these vents occur when water seeps into the ocean floor, is heated by magma, and later resurfaces carrying its mineral prey.
The ascending fluid is enriched with minerals and other materials from the crustal rocks before exiting the tube-like chimneys known as “black smokers”.
These smokers are responsible for the precipitation of metal-rich minerals.
Jøtul field at Knipovich Ridge
The investigated field, christened “Jøtul” after the Norse mythological giant, is located in the Knipovich Ridge.
The ridge is part of a larger geological network formed by Greenland, Norway and Svalbard at the interface of the North American and European tectonic plates.
This boundary, called a “spreading ridge”, is characterized by the gradual separation of two tectonic plates.
Interestingly, the Jøtul field is located on a slowly expanding ridge, which adds significance to its discovery.
The expedition’s chief scientist from the University of Bremen, Gerhard Bohrmann, reveals the scientific significance of the Jøtul field.
Its unique location and high methane concentrations give it an invaluable role in climate studies.
Link to climate change
Intense concentrations of methane in the Jøtul field indicate intense interaction between magma and oceanic sediments.
As methane moves through the water column, it is converted to CO2, increasing the concentration of CO2 in the ocean and contributing to ocean acidification.
In addition, when it enters the atmosphere, it acts as a greenhouse gas affecting climate change. However, the exact amount of methane from the Jøtul field that has reached the atmosphere has yet to be thoroughly studied.
In the absence of light
Remarkably, the Jøtul field provides a home for special organisms that rely on chemosynthesis for survival.
In the complete absence of sunlight at such deep depths, it is the hydrothermal fluids that form the basis for a unique ecosystem that thrives in the dark.
Future exploration in the Jøtul field
In order to better understand the Jøtul field, a new expedition is set to set sail this coming summer, again under the leadership of Professor Gerhard Bohrmann.
The primary objective is to explore and sample the unknown areas of Jøtul Field. With comprehensive data from the field, the researchers are trying to compare it with other known hydrothermal fields in the Arctic province.
The results of the study are part of the Bremen cluster of excellence entitled “Ocean floor — Earth’s uncharted interface”, which aims to investigate the complex processes on the sea floor and their effects on the global climate.
Jøtul Field will certainly continue to be a focus of future research efforts within the Cluster.
Technological innovation
Exploration of the Jøtul field and similar hydrothermal realms has enabled remarkable advances in deep-sea technology.
State-of-the-art remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with high-resolution cameras, sophisticated sensors and sampling tools allow scientists to penetrate previously unreachable underwater areas.
These innovations provide real-time data collection and enable high-resolution seafloor mapping, which is key to understanding the complex interactions within hydrothermal systems.
The integration of advanced laboratory techniques aboard research vessels further facilitates the immediate analysis and interpretation of samples.
As technology advances, we discover incredible new insights into the depths of the ocean. This progress is leading us into an exciting new era of marine science.
The entire study was published in the journal Scientific reports.
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