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Robert A. Sohn

The expedition discovered extensive ÒmatsÓ of fluffy-looking, yellowy-orange material lining the cracks between seafloor rocks, said Reves-Sohn (above). The material appears to be comprised of microbes and/or material made by microbes, perhaps fed by a weak flow of chemical-rich fluids seeping out of the seafloor. Camper brought back samples for further analysis in labs onshore. Camper also collected samples of volcanic glass fragments that are usually formed by rare explosive underwater eruptions. These, too, will be analyzed in onshore labs. Physical oceanographers used the CTD instrument to map seawater properties from surface to seafloor in several Arctic locations and found evidence for hydrothermal vents, some creating plumes rising high off the seafloor and others that barely seeped fluids above the ocean bottom. Finally, a research team set up temporary stations on drifting ice floes to collect signals from small earthquakes and volcanic activity of the Gakkel Ridge, which cannot be detected by more distant seismic recording stations.

Discipline: Marine Geology & Geophysics, Physical Oceanography

Institution: WHOI

Research Overview:

geophysics; marine seismology


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