Discovering the deepest deep sea vents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week a major ocean discovery hit the science news headlines with details published of the deepest, and quite possibly the hottest undersea volcanic vent on the planet.

Named the Beebe Vent field (after the chap who first went down into the deep ocean), and located 5km beneath the waves in the Caribbean Sea, indications are that the water gushing out of these black smokers is at least 450 degrees C. Perhaps more. And despite all the pressure, weird chemistry and high temperatures, life down there is flourishing.

For a special edition of the Naked Scientists podcast, I chatted with the deep sea duo, Jon Copley & Douglas Connelly from NOC in Southampton, who led the team that made these awesome discoveries. I asked them about the implications of their findings and what it was like on that fateful day when they finally found the vents. Who said scientists can’t be emotional… Kleenex at the ready!

So don’t go anywhere – just click below and listen.

Discovering the deepest deep sea vents – Naked Scientists


Posted

in

by

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *