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Geokjemi & Geobiologi
Masterprosjekt V19 Geokjemi og Geobiologi

Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents: Structure, Fluxes and associated Ecosystems based on Seafloor Image Mosaics and ROV Videography

MSc project of Rasmus Rikter-Svendsen

Hovedinnhold

Project description

Circulation of hydrothermal fluids through the oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridge (MOR) axes accounts for up to 10% of Earth’s internal heat loss, controls the thermo-mechanical state and degree of hydration of newly formed oceanic lithosphere, plays a major role in solute
transfer between the sub-surface and the overlying ocean, and supports complex chemosynthetic ecosystems that are likely analogues for possible life in other parts of our solar system. The impact of hydrothermal circulation on each of the above processes or
systems is directly linked to the magnitude and variability of volume, heat, and chemical fluxes exiting the seafloor, which are notoriously difficult to quantify as well as the associated ecosystems spatial distribution.

Hypothesis
- Characterize and quantify the different types of hydrothermal outflow and ecosystems from photomosaics imagery
- Integrate those defined surface areas with in-situ measurements (temperature,chemical sampling etc…)
- Constrain heat and chemicals fluxes at deep-sea hydrothermal system
- Address the spatial scales and integration issues (orifice, mound and field)

Test (arbeid):
We specifically propose to
1) map, characterize and quantify the distribution of both hydrothermal outflow and associated ecosystems and
2) measure the thermo chemical output of an entire hydrothermal vent field, from orifice to field scale leveraging on and integrating pre-existing dataset acquired by ROV.

This integration approach will provide constraints on connections between hydrothermal output, crustal structure, biological processes in the subsurface, and geological processes.

Prereqesites

Bachelor in Earth Science at starting point. 

Felt-, lab- og analyse- arbeid:
Analysis work will consist in:
- Working with imagery data: navigating and interpreting the photomosaics and mapping/digitizing the different structures of interest both hydrothermal and biological.
- Estimating fluid flow velocities using ROV videography and temperature gradient: working with video imagery and time-series data
- Integrating in-situ measurements and sampling to constrain fluxes: performing plume modeling and integration with chemical data
- Opportunity in going at sea and participating in research cruise

Proposed course plan during the master degree 

Recommended classes include (not limited to nor not mandatory):
GEOV302 Geostatistikk
GEOV231 Maringeologisk felt- og laboratoriekurs
GEOV219 Computational Methods in Solid Earth Physics
GEOV210 Geodynamikk og platetektonikk
GEOV245 Geomicrobiology
GEOV344 Principles in Geobiology
GEOV277 Data analysis and inversion in the earth sciences
Any fluid flow / heat transfer classes