Seafloor Hot Springs at 2008 International ROV Competition

07/11/2007

Hot fluids spew from a fissure, known as a vent, in the seafloor, along a mid-ocean ridge in the deep sea. Thriving in the area near the plume of hot fluids are six-foot long tubeworms found only in this specific habitat. A research institution sends down an underwater robot, or remotely operated vehicle (ROV), to sample the tubeworms in their natural environment. Is the ROV up to the task of operating in such an extreme location?

The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center and the Marine Technology Society's ROV Committee will put a similar challenge to students participating in its 2008 International Student ROV Competition, to be held from 26 to 28^th June, 2008 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography - University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The competition will focus on hydrothermal vents like hot springs in the seafloor, hydrothermal vents discharge continuous streams of hot fluids from deep beneath the Earth's crust into the surrounding cold ocean water. Rich in minerals and chemical compounds, these fluids support unique ecosystems of animal life found no where else on Earth.