Hydrothermal Vents and Oil Plumes

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Hydrothermal Vents and Oil Plumes

• Derica Peters
• Owen Wilson-Chavez
• Cody Baczewski

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What are Hydrothermal Vents?

• A hydrothermal vent is essentially a geyser on
  the seafloor.
• It continuously spews super-hot (about 400C),
  mineral-rich water.
• A vast and diverse community of organisms thrive
  in this area.
• Oceanic hydrothermal vents are usually found
  along mid-ocean ridges, such as the Mid-Atlantic
  Ridge

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How are Hydrothermal Vents Created?

• Shifting tectonic plates create cracks and
  crevices in the ocean floor.
• As water seeps in through these openings it is
  heated by magma under the Earths crust. As its
  temperature rises, it searches the seafloor for
  an outlet back into the ocean.
• Once found the extremely hot (400C) water then
  bursts through the vents.

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What are Oil Plumes?

• Oil plumes, or petroleum seeps, are also home to
  communities that receive their energy from
  sources other than the sun.
• Theyre basically the same thing as hydrothermal
  plumes, except that petroleum seeps out instead
  of water and minerals.

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The First Hydrothermal Vent

• Hydrothermal vents were only recently discovered.
  
• A group of marine geologists first discovered
  them at the Galapagos Ridge in the Pacific Ocean
  in 1976.
• In 1977 geologists returned with ALVIN, a
  research submersible, to see hydrothermal vent
  communities for the first time.

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Chemosynthesis Basis of a Community

• Almost all plants and animals depend upon
  Photosynthesis for energy.
• Ecosystems based off of hydrothermal vents,
  however, are not.
• Bacteria near hydrothermal vents use sulfur
  compounds instead of sunlight to produce energy
  in a process known as chemosynthesis.

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What Lives in a Hydrothermal Vent Community?

• The bacteria grows into a thick mat which
  attracts other organisms.
• Snails, shrimp, crabs, fish, and octopuses form a
  food chain.
• It is even hypothesized by some that life on
  Earth began around hydrothermal vents

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Tube Worms

• One of the main inhabitants of the area around a
  hydrothermal vent is the tube worm.
• Down in the depths where not even sunlight
  penetrates, these tube worms can grow to lengths
  of up to 8 feet.

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Continuing Research and Conservation

• Most are located very deep undersea, making
  research efforts difficult.
• Scientists hope to obtain more information
  because though they are small, they may play a
  large role in the oceans chemistry, temperature
  and circulation patterns
• Conservation is a possibility but until more is
  known about the vents, it is hard to say what
  should be done.

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Sources Cited

• http//www.ocean.udel.edu/deepsea/level-2/geology/
  vents.html
• www.wikipedia.com
• www.washington.edu
• www.nsf.gov
• http//www.onr.navy.mil/Focus/ocean/habitats/vents
  2.htm