FALKOR FK160320

There are still many mysteries surrounding seafloor hydrothermal vent complexes. These hot (or at least warm) springs on the bottom of the ocean form when a body of magma rises towards the seabed, such as on mid-oceanic ridges or volcanic arcs, the boundaries of oceanic plates. The biological, chemical and geological relationships in these areas are complicated and intricate, intertwined in ways that are not completely understood. Moreover, we still do not know how neighboring vents influence each other, as new chimneys form while others shut down, and the ways in which life has to adapt. The big picture, a glance at the system as a whole, evades even most scientists as we are unable to experience this hostile deep sea environment in ways we would look at a landscape on land.

To get as close to walking on the seafloor as possible is the very goal of the Virtual Vents cruise – only, we will bring the seafloor up to us instead of going down ourselves. Using cutting edge underwater survey technology, a digital model of an entire hydrothermal vent field will be created that can be explored using virtual reality simulators. Chief Scientist is Tom Kwasnitschka of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The team also includes scientists from Harvard University, Memorial University, the German Center for Artificial Intelligence and the University of Victoria, B.C.