Phoenix vent, at ASHES vent field, is a sulfide chimney aproximately 3 meters tall. Tubeworms are visible in the foreground (white). The structure is covered with vent fauna.

NOAA Ship Ron Brown/ROV ROPOS
Science News

Science Report - Sunday, July 22, 2001
Ship's position: 45 55.7'/-129 58.7'

ROPOS returned to the surface after a full dive (#624) at the ASHES vent field which included vent fluid sampling, slurp sampling, and positioning larval traps and settling arrays on the seafloor. After the dive the interactive fluid sampler mooring was lowered from the ship and on the next dive ROPOS will position it at Cloud vent for a 24-36 hour deployment. This automated sampling system can take 48 samples over a specified time interval. After the sampler is recovered from this short-term deployment, it will be deployed again for a full year at the same vent. The interactive sampler will be linked to the NeMO Net system so scientist can communicate with it throughout the year (changing the sampling interval in response to a seismic swarm, for example). Tonight we will survey that new CASM transponder net so that it will be ready for ROPOS to dive there in a few days.