Two studies chart new territory for the fledgling deep-sea mining industry through advances in the identification and analysis of seafloor hydrothermal mounds.
seafloor
Posted inNews
How Does Sand Move? New Observations Challenge Prevailing Formulas
Research in the Azores finds a discrepancy between field observations of sediment transport and predictions made with commonly used mathematical formulas.
Posted inScience Updates
Mapping a River Beneath the Sea
A recent expedition mapped one of the world’s longest submarine channels, revealing previously undiscovered physical features and raising questions about its unusual origin and shape.
Posted inOpinions
An Ambitious Vision for the Future of Scientific Ocean Drilling
Scientific ocean drilling is an enduring paragon of global research, advancing knowledge of Earth and informing scientists and educators for 55 years. A new road map plots the way to further discovery.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Hydrothermal Microbes Can Be Green Energy Producers
In ultramafic, reducing environments, forming microbial proteins can actually release energy.
Posted inFeatures
Ocean Terrain and the Engineering Challenges for Offshore Wind Farms
Deep coastal seabeds, glacial erratics, and other geophysical hurdles stand in the way of offshore wind farm proliferation. Researchers, engineers, and organizations are adapting and inventing ways to harness the breeze.
Posted inNews
Forecasting Geohazards in the Age of Gas Hydrate Exploitation
A curious breath-like pattern exhibited by gas hydrates may help forecast hazards associated with extracting them from the seafloor.
Posted inNews
Getting to the Bottom of Trawling’s Carbon Emissions
A new model shows that bottom trawling, which stirs up marine sediments as weighted nets scrape the ocean floor, may be releasing more than a billion metric tons of carbon every year.
Posted inScience Updates
Seafloor Seismometers Look for Clues to North Atlantic Volcanism
Did the mantle plume that fuels Iceland’s volcanoes today cause eruptions in Ireland and Great Britain long ago? A new project investigates, while also inspiring students and recording whale songs.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Deep Dive into Organic Carbon Distribution in Hadal Trenches
Researchers use sediment cores to study the amount and origin of sediment organic carbon in one of the least studied regions of the planet: hadal trenches.