Diversity of novel hydrothermal vent styles on the Arctic ocean floor

A new study about Earth’s northernmost seafloor hydrothermal system shows even more variety in vent styles than previously thought. The study has important implications for understanding the origin of these vents and assessing their global-scale impact on the Earth-Ocean system. The study also has implications for understanding and searching for habitable environments, and potentially even life on other ocean worlds in our outer solar system, according to the study’s authors. The surprising results found from detailed deep-ocean studies at Polaris call into question how much we really know about the nature of seafloor venting along all ultra-slow spreading ridges on Earth which remain largely unexplored but make up 25% of the global ridge crest.
Read more: Diversity of novel hydrothermal vent styles on the Arctic ocean floor