Special: Hydrothermal vents map

link to information on the Carlsberg Ridge link to information on Ambitle Island link to information on Galapagos link to information on Mohns Ridge link to information on Eyjafjordur link to information on the Southern Mid-Altlantic Ridge

BOILING POINTS

Teams of researchers are finding vents in ocean floors around the globe. Christina Reed follows the hunt for these extreme ecosystems...


Read more in the Nature special on hydrothermal vents.

  • Mohns Ridge

  • Name: Gallionella Gardens, Mohns Ridge
  • Characteristics: Carpets of iron-oxidizing bacteria, including the species Gallionella ferruginea. The field is studded with short mineralized chimneys, topped with sea lilies, and includes tall high-temperature smoker chimneys. Shrimp, sea spiders, and sea anemones are among the creatures flourishing in the warm water put out by the vents. And schools of fish feeding on the nutrients drifting up from vent plumes help researchers to locate the vents using echo-sounder searches.
  • Importance: This site is the northernmost-visited site seen with active high-temperature chimneys.