4K Highlights ~ Video Update

It sounds like something out of a fairytale: scenes of fantastical creatures - some floating, others firmly entwined within towering mineral chimneys that billow underwater "smoke." These are the very real ecosystems around the hydrothermal vents we were lucky enough to explore during Schmidt Ocean Institute's latest expedition. ROV SuBastian documented wonders including astounding geological … Continued

Beautiful Unknowns ~ Video Update Week 3

Finding what you aren't looking for isn't always a bad thing! So far, the team has not found find more vents like the Lost City hydrothermal field, but they have discovered large high-temperature, black-smoker hydrothermal systems. These fields are massive and have bustling ecosystems, raising many questions that need answers. There is currently an international … Continued

Nace la curiosidad ~ Science Stories

“Aunque vengo de una isla, Puerto Rico, nunca antes había estado en un barco”. El microbiólogo Marc Fontánez Ortiz explica cómo su camino hacia las ciencias oceánicas no fue tan directo o simple como muchos podrían suponer. Eche un vistazo a su “Historia de Ciencia”, en donde él describe las experiencias que lo trajeron hasta … Continued

When a Plan Comes Together ~ Video Update Week 2

The #LostCityVents team made a breathtaking discovery recently, and when a researcher says "We found something beyond what we could ever expect," you know it's worth paying attention. Using a combination of cutting-edge technology - including sonars on R/V Falkor (too) and autonomous underwater vehicles, CTD sampling, and ROV SuBastian - the team located black … Continued

The Strategy for Finding Hydrothermal Vents

Traducción al español disponible a continuación Written by Julie Huber and Dave Butterfield Given bad weather to the north at the Kane Fracture Zone, we decided to test our strategy for finding active hydrothermal vents at the Puy de Folles vent field. Previous work by French and Russian colleagues at this site focused on inactive … Continued

Keep On Venting – Ep. 3 – There’s a Whole Ecosystem?

“Hydrothermal vents and the dynamic ecosystems that live amid the darkness are vital to our beautiful planet and its cycles.” Explore geochemical and microbiological interactions, including chemosynthesis and symbiosis in final piece of this series. Come aboard Research Vessel Falkor and let SOI’s Science Communication intern Brittany Washington explain these wondrous and beautiful underwater features, … Continued

Keep On Venting – Ep. 2 – What is Chemosynthesis?

Hydrothermal vents are some of the most biologically active areas in the deep sea. Why? How can creatures not only survive, but *thrive* in areas with harsh chemicals, huge temperature differences, and crushing pressure? Come aboard Research Vessel Falkor and let SOI’s Science Communication intern Brittany Washington explain these wondrous and beautiful underwater features, as … Continued

Keep On Venting – Ep. 1 – A Hydrothermal What?

How do interactions between the Earth’s rocky crust, molten core, and liquid oceans create hydrothermal vents? What exactly are these vents, and why are they interesting to researchers all over the world? Come aboard Research Vessel Falkor and let SOI’s Science Communication intern Brittany Washington explain these wondrous and beautiful underwater features, as well as … Continued

The Opening of the Gulf of California

Tectonic plates are in constant motion, slowly moving along the Earth’s mantle as hot magma circulates below. These slow-moving plates are responsible for the formation of the continents we know today as well as ocean basins. While most ocean basins take around 30 to 80 million years to form, the Gulf of California (GOC) formed … Continued