SPEAKER 1: Welcome to the Columbia University ridge
tour, where we explore some exciting deep-sea features
called hydrothermal vents.
These areas can now be explored like never
before with the publication of the Columbia Underwater Terrain
Synthesis, covering an area larger
than North America and half of all of the ocean area
that has ever been mapped.
The ocean covers 3/4 of the planet,
but only a tiny fraction of it has been explored.
Far beneath the surface of the ocean, the water is cold
and the pressure is immense.
Let's take a look at the deepest volcanic eruption ever captured
on video just Northeast of Fiji at the West Mata volcano.
Now, let's turn on a layer showing where
the plate boundaries exist.
Earthquakes shake and crack the ocean crust,
and fiery volcanoes explode.
These underwater volcanoes are found along the extensive
mid-ocean ridge system--
the world's longest mountain range.
30 years ago in an area near the Galapagos Islands,
a group of geologists hypothesized
that underwater geysers would be found along the mid-ocean ridge
system.
These geysers, they thought would
exist where cracks allow seawater
to circulate into the crust and get heated from below.
To test their theory, they targeted
a section of the ridge northeast of the Galapagos Islands.
The underwater geysers they found,
known as hydrothermal vents, were
spewing extremely hot fluids.
Laden with minerals, the hot fluid
can look like black smoke jutting out of the seafloor.
Scientists were surprised to find lush animal communities.
These creatures live in extreme environments
under conditions that would be deadly to other known
lifeforms.
Scientists later discovered that bacteria
living inside these animals produce biological energy
from chemicals in the hot vent fluid.
Now, let's visit the East Pacific Rise.
A multidisciplinary team of scientists investigating
a fresh volcanic eruption happened
upon a scene that resembled an underwater snowstorm.
They took samples and discovered that the snowlike material
was made of bacteria.
These heat-loving bacteria are the basis
of the food web for animal communities
at hydrothermal vents.
What they did not know at the time
was that they were witnessing the beginning of a new cycle.
With each eruption, fresh lava flows over the sea floor
and wipes out whole animal communities.
By returning year after year, scientists
were able to learn about the re-establishment and growth
of new vent communities.
Now, let's look at the Alvinella worms.
Off the west coast of Washington State and Canada,
along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, scientists
discovered a different kind of hydrothermal vent.
This Godzilla mineral structure was so massive
that it could not be photographed in its entirety.
Instead an artist drew the structure
based on observations made from a submersible.
Today, underwater vehicles carrying high-def cameras
take thousands of closeup pictures
that can be used to create detailed photo mosaics.
Scientists not only use imagery to learn
about hydrothermal vents, but they also rely on sound.
At a nearby vent named Sully, scientists
were able to record the sound of hot water
jetting out of the seafloor.
On the other side of the Pacific in Lau back-arc basin,
scientists tried a new approach for coordinating their research
expeditions.
Using the latest in underwater vehicle and sensor technology,
they were able to quickly learn about the characteristics
of the seafloor and overlying seawater.
Like passing a baton in a relay race,
each cruise provided important information for the next,
and new vents and seafloor communities
came into view in record time.
Hairy snails and tiny tubeworms are just
some of the animals thriving at hydrothermal vents
in this area.
After decades of research, less than 15% of the global ocean
has been explored.
Yet with each new discovery, we gain important knowledge
about the planet.
Studying organisms and earth processes
in these extreme environments holds the potential
to impact our everyday lives.
Now, you can explore on your own by using Google Earth today.