In-situ and Acoustic Observations of Hydrothermal Discharge at ASHES Vent Field: preliminary results from an OOI Cabled Array Case Study
Abstract
A near-bottom thermal survey was conducted at ASHES vent field in summer 2018. The survey mapped the three-dimensional temperature field within 1.5 to 8 m above bottom over a 20 by 20 m area centered at the Inferno vent. Inspection of video footage and contemporaneous in-situ temperature measurements reveals areas of hydrothermal and biological activities. Discrete temperature and flow-rate measurements were made at individual smokers on Inferno, which combined with the orifice sizes measured against a scale reference yields estimates of hydrothermal heat fluxes.
The Cabled Observatory Vent Imaging Sonar (COVIS) was installed on the OOI's Cabled Array observatory at ASHES using the thermal survey to guide placement and orientation. Preliminary sonar imaging of the hydrothermal plumes issuing from the Inferno and Mushroom vents and diffuse venting on adjacent seafloor will be compared with the thermal survey data for a more complete interpretation of hydrothermal discharge in the vicinity of Inferno and Mushroom. Additional temperature measurements collected during the installation will be used to confirm the presence and absence of discharge in key locations and provide verification for acoustic measurements.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.V43G0206B
- Keywords:
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- 0450 Hydrothermal systems;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 4825 Geochemistry;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICALDE: 8416 Mid-oceanic ridge processes;
- VOLCANOLOGYDE: 8424 Hydrothermal systems;
- VOLCANOLOGY