There is a greater variety of hydrothermal systems in the deep sea than previously assumed. This is the result of a recent study lead by MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences and the Faculty of Geosciences at the University of Bremen. On an expedition with the research icebreaker POLARSTERN, researchers discovered the northernmost hydrothermal field on Earth here – only around 300 kilometers from the North Pole. This discovery suggests that research into hydrothermal activity in the deep sea needs to be rethought. The results were published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
Hydrothermal vents in the deep sea are considered hotspots of life. However, the search for them is comparable to the proverbial search for a needle in a haystack. It is known that such systems are formed on permeable structures, such as the spreading ridges of the Earth's plates. The Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean is the slowest-spreading mid-ocean ridge worldwide. Here researchers discovered a new hydrothermal field – only around 300 kilometers from the North Pole. The new Polaris field surprised its finders: Whereas black smokers, the best-known type of hydrothermal system, discharge metal-rich fluids, the researchers detected metal-poor fluids and increased hydrogen and methane contents at the newly discovered field.