Scientists explore hydrothermal vents under the Arctic ice cover
The HACON cruise may provide new insights into the biology and geochemistry of the mid-ocean ridge in ice-covered portions of the Arctic Ocean.
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Forty years after the聽discovery of hydrothermal vents, research on these unique habitats and their ecosystems is still in the聽exploratory phase. The discoveries of deep sea hydrothermal systems have changed the way we understand life on Earth, challenged our perception of the origin of life and are now fueling exploration for extra-terrestrial life in our solar system. The remote聽Arctic Gakkel Ridge, though briefly investigated聽by previous exploratory cruises, remains largely unexplored, and ecosystems in this northerly, under-ice region are still unfamiliar to us.
During September and October 2019, researchers from several Norwegian and international institutions, among them the K. G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research,聽were stationed on board the ice breaker in聽the Arctic Ocean. Their work on board lays the foundation of the -funded HACON project (Hot vents in an ice-covered ocean), which aims to聽push聽the frontiers of deep sea and Arctic research聽and test the hypothesis that the聽Gakkel Ridge聽provides a聽connecting pathway聽for gene flow between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. HACON will provide聽the first comprehensive study of deep (4000 m) hydrothermal vent ecosystems under ice in the Arctic region and聽unravel the physical, geochemical and ecological processes that shape the聽faunal communities.
For more information about the HACON project, please visit their .