A HOBO temperature recorder has just been inserted into a vent at the Vent1 site at the south Cleft segment. The HOBO will record vent fluid temperatures every hour over the next couple of years. Historically, temperatures in excess of 430 degrees Celsius have been measured at this vent field.

NOAA Ship Ron Brown

Ship's position: 44 39.0'/-130 22.1'

ROPOS visited the hydrothermal vent sites at South Cleft named Vent1 and Plume today during dive 621. ROPOS redeployed two temperature probes at a spectacular black smoker chimney at Vent1 that is 15 m high and venting fluid at over 300 degrees C. The probes will take hourly temperature measurements over the next year or more to look for correlations with deformation events that may be recorded by the nearby extensometer array. Other temperature probes were recovered and redeployed at Plume. Tonight the RON BROWN heads north to Axial Seamount where the rest of the NeMO 2001 research expedition will be focused. Axial was the site of a volcanic eruption in 1998 which destroyed some hydrothermal vent sites, but also created new ones. We have been returning to the site each year to document the chemical evolution and biological colonization of the new vent sites. More...

NOAA Ship Ron Brown - Jeff Goodrich

Imagine living on an island 274 ft. long and 53 feet wide. You can't leave the island for weeks at a time. Everything you need (in the short term) food, shelter, work, play, etc. is supplied on that island. There's no vegetation and nothing to obstruct your view. For the crew and scientists working on the ship, this is home. More...