On August 30th, we were lucky enough to have time to take a tour of some of the animal and microbial covered vents and proximal diffusely venting seafloor sites in the ASHES Hydrothermal Field near the western caldera wall of Axial Seamount. Here, animals live in perpetual darkness, bathed in warm nutrient-rich waters issuing from the porous chimney walls and from cracks in the lava flows, yet surrounded by near freezing seawater. Below are the Leg 3 VISIONS students reflections on witnessing this amazing seascape for the first time. What an honor it is to be able to share this astounding environment with them.
Kyle Brooks (Peninsula College): On Axial Seamount the hydrothermal vents rise meters from the ocean floor. Commonly, at the top of these vents, Jason’s lights only barely reach the seafloor. In such cases, the vent appears to loom against a perfectly black backdrop. Heat and chemicals visibly seep from its pores and the vent’s crooked climb upward is punctuated by the bright-red, hemoglobin-rich, gills of tubeworms. It is easy to imagine these geologic structures as homes for wizards, like a dark tower from a fantasy novel. The abundance of life around the vents is sustained beyond the reach of sunlight. The lowest trophic levels in this case consist mostly of chemoautotrophs and detritivores. Expansive white bacterial mats coat everything that surrounds the vents, organic and inorganic alike, acquiring life sustaining energy from the vent. The bacterial mats are grazed upon by a plethora of creature – from mollusks, to echinoderms, to fish, many of which become food themselves. The vents almost seem to be worlds of their own, apparently able to exist independent of other ecosystems and with little obvious outside inputs other than a perpetual downfall of marine snow. It is a landscape that evokes a similar sort of wonder and excitement that a younger version of myself might have felt upon opening a new book about dinosaurs. It is a place alien enough to truly make me feel like an explorer as I watch Jason navigate the depths from the control van.
Victoria deJong (University of Washington): The Jason screen is thick, greenish-black with flecks of whitish biological bits whizzing by like an underwater hyperdrive. We traverse over a forest-green carpet atop the ropey basalt seafloor, searching for a hydrothermal vent. We approach an outline in the distance. At first, it is a nebulous dark grey, now a fuzzy dark brown, now crisp burnt tan. As it grows larger, it transforms into a mecca awash in life and color. Red feathery lipstick animals cover the base of the hydrothermal vent and colonies of purple protists provide a royal pop of color atop the sepia sulfide structure.1500 m below where the sky and sea meet, a vibrant ecosystem flourishes. Spindly spider crabs and adorable rattail fish with giant anime eyes pass by, blinded by our light. They move slowly because they are so very cold and must conserve their limited energy. So many types of worms! Tubeworms, scale worms, palm worms. Little limpets and cottony, filamentous bacteria envelop the rock between worm communities. Occasional brittlestars, seastars, and sea cucumbers scatter the ground nearby. We travel slowly up the chimney until we see clear, black, glassy spirals of water surging out the tip of metal-rich spigots. Chemicals and dissolved gases in this hot water, warmed by Earth’s mantle, feed the microbes that feed the worms that feed the crabs and fish and all other elusive creatures in this eerie and wonderous deep-sea ecosystem. I am in awe.
Morrigan Haveley (University of Washington): It was hard to remember that vents are even on the same planet as I am, and much more that they’re real. I kept wondering what it’s like to walk along the smokers, to see those huge, towering masses of sulfide- and copper-rich minerals hosting species in colors I thought I’d never see at the bottom of the ocean. It also made me wonder about our impact on the environment, especially when Deb pointed out that we wouldn’t be seeing some of these creatures if Jason wasn’t there. I mean, what would you, if something bigger than anything you could comprehend and shaped like nothing you’ve seen before, shined a light you’ve never known on your home? Seeing the hydrothermal vents for the first time was a perspective shift.
Paige Mckay (University of Washington): Last night, we saw our first hydrothermal vent. There’s been a lot of build up to it with the trip to Newport, the night aboard the R/V Atlantis before the action started, leaving the dock, a day of transit, dives full of maintenance far away from the vents and plenty of challenges with operations. At first, the scene looked no different than all the other dives I had been on watch for, but as soon as Jason pivoted, I knew it was going to be different. There was a massive structure looming in the dark. In reality, it wasn’t that far away from Jason, but the lack of light at ~1500 m beneath the oceans’ surface made it much more dramatic. We got closer and started to see the life that was all around, a stark contrast from the barren rock meters away. I’ve known what hydrothermal vents were as a concept and a process since seventh grade, but seeing a picture and knowing it’s happening right near you while watching a live video is completely different. Vents are home to so many species and create their own ecosystem in a place where life isn’t really supposed to survive, let alone thrive. It made me think about my path to oceanography. I started out learning about the ocean out of my own interest, and slowly found my community and interest, and the next thing you know, I’m out on a research vessel in the Pacific Ocean, thriving, because I found an interest and said yes to every opportunity that came my way.
Will Puzella (Carleton College): As someone who works in hydrothermal vent research at an institution located in a land-locked state, I never thought that I would get to see one live. Rika had shown me plenty of videos of her vents sites that she sampled, but it was a completely different experience sitting in for a dive in the control van as Jason is being controlled right in front of you. It felt almost as if we were right there because we were under full control of the camera rather than a recorded video. All our previous dives had little biology, yet the second we got down to the bottom of the ocean near the vents that all changed; the vents were teeming with life. I knew that this would be the case, but seeing the vent communities for the first time was very surreal. As we were approaching the vents, we stumbled upon a massive rattail fish which was interesting to see how large their eyes were given the complete lack of light at the bottom of ocean. Being able to go on this cruise has been an amazing opportunity and I have been spending all my free time in the control van so I can make the most of all the time I can spend at the bottom of the ocean. I look forward to all the hydrothermal vents I get to see on the end of trip and hope that I will get to see then once again in the future.
John Teal (Peninsula College): Last night, we got to see hydrothermal vents as a detour from our normal dive since we were so close. It was after my shift, so I finished my blog, got ready for bed, and then headed up. It was like watching a 4K National Geographic documentary, but interactive. Since Deb and Mike were in the Van, we got some instant answers to our questions. It’s an event that sparks inspiration, creativity, and imagination—all within the span of a regular dive. I took tons of pictures, and there was plenty of 4K video taken during that hour. I plan to go through the imagery to find some really choice shots. At one point, everyone, scientists included, had their phones out taking pictures. The mind really starts to roam when you see all the teeming life at 1,500 meters and how breathtaking it is..
Juliet Wiener (University of Washington): We had the most exhilarating dive yet— we finally experienced the thrill of observing hydrothermal vents! It was all so exciting: tubeworms with bright red gills basking in the warmth of the vents, hot plumes gushing from structurally interesting smoker vents, and rich biodiversity in conditions that seem too inhospitable for life. We learned to differentiate between healthy and sick tubeworms and encountered a massive rattail fish with huge eyes equipped for the dark. Using lasers, we got to measure the fish’s size, which was so unbelievably cool.
The spider crabs we saw quickly became my favorite; it’s fascinating how an organism living 1,500 meters below the surface can resemble arachnids we see on land despite not being closely related. The landscape was stunning with purple patches of protist colonies spread across the vents. I can’t help but wonder why something would be so vibrantly purple in a place where color seems irrelevant. The black smokers were mesmerizing, their dark plumes the result of fine-grained metal sulfide minerals precipitating from the vent fluids upon contact with cold seawater. It was surreal to be watching the monitors, realizing that this otherworldly scene was unfolding right beneath our ship.
In high school, I developed a strong fascination with the deep sea after reading a book titled The Brilliant Abyss by Helen Scales. In her writing she beautifully depicted the geology, biology, and chemistry of this weird biome. Now, years after my deep-sea obsession began, I got to witness these descriptions come to life in front of me. There was so much to take in, I could have watched the screen for hours, lost in the tranquility and slow rhythm of this hidden world. I’m incredibly grateful to VISIONS for giving me the chance to glimpse into this alien realm located 1,500 meters beneath the surface of our own.