Many thanks to everyone who tuned in during the first leg of our Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas expedition! Was anyone watching when we encountered this incredible active hydrothermal vent? It was imaged for the first time ever during the expedition. The vent was 30 meters high and gushing high-temperature fluid full of metal particulates. It was home to many different species, including Chorocaris shrimp, Munidopsis squat lobsters, Austinograea crabs, limpets, mussels, and snails. Remind

Hydrothermal vents, driven by volcanism along tectonic plate boundaries, are short-lived openings in the seafloor that spew super-heated, chemical-rich fluids into the ocean. Often composed of dramatic chimney spires, hydrothermal vents are important habitat in the deep ocean, supporting chemosynthetic communities that can include shrimp, tubeworms, crabs, fish, and more. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/news/exploration-extras/24-national-ocean-month/welcome.html#chemosynthetic | NOAA Ocean Explo

One of the... - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)