Scientists Amazed to Find New Type of Hydrothermal Field
- Editor OGN Daily
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Researchers exploring the waters off the coast of Papua New Guinea find something that has never been seen before.
The scientists had an inkling there might be some hydrothermal activity in this region and they spotted the field when they sent an underwater robot down to 1,300 metres (4,265 feet).
To their surprise, the type of hydrothermal field they discovered has never been documented before: hot plumes of fluids gushing up from the seafloor while methane and other hydrocarbons flow out from the sediments. “We essentially have a hot vent bubbling right next to a cool gas seep - a combination that has never been described before,” says Dr. Philipp Brandl, chief scientist on the expedition. “No one really expected to find a hydrothermal field here, let alone one that is so exceptional.”
Hydrothermal vents and methane seeps are usually found in different parts of the seabed. The researchers believe that these distinct types of hydrothermal activity occur so close together because of the volcanic seamount they are found on. Their discovery has been published in Scientific Reports.
The research team and local observer Stanis Konabe from the University of Papua New Guinea named the site 'Karambusel' after the many mussels that can be found here ('Karambusel' means mussel in Tok Pisin - one of the many languages spoken in Papua New Guinea - the most linguistically diverse country on the planet).
The thriving ecosystem was full of life. As well as the many mussels, there were tube worms, shrimp and sea cucumbers all over the rocks. “In places, you couldn't see a single patch of rock because everything is so densely populated,” says Brandl who wants to return to the site again to study these species in more detail. He suspects some of them are new to science.
The expedition was mounted by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel - an institute in Germany. It is one of the world's leading institutions in marine research, and investigates the global ocean from the seafloor to the atmosphere, covering a unique spectrum of physical, chemical, biological and geological processes in the ocean.