Expedition to the Underwater Volcanoes of the Northeast Pacific: Global Access

Join in the discovery of submarine volcanic systems, where brilliantly-colored organisms cluster around hot, volcanic vents in the earth's crust, at depths where sunlight can't penetrate. The VISIONS '05 ocean expedition, led by co-chief scientists and University of Washington Professors of Oceanography John R. Delaney and Deborah S. Kelley, involves several complex research projects being conducted by scientists and REVEL Project science teachers from institutions in the U.S. and Canada. The research includes a multidisciplinary project funded by the W. M. Keck Foundation to investigate the links between seismic deformation of the oceanic crust, venting of nutrient-rich fluids at the seafloor, and microbial productivity. The expedition leaders also describe the concept for a regional ocean observatory - linking undersea data monitoring stations via a fiber network to science labs on land. Images from the ocean floor are captured with an HD underwater camera mounted on the robotic JASON-II vehicle.

John Delaney, School of Oceanography, NEPTUNE program director, Jerome M. Paros Endowed Chair for Sensor Networks, University of Washington
Deborah Kelley, professor, School of Oceanography, University of Washington

09/27/05