The scientists aboard the research vessel Thompson are trying to answer complicated questions about what makes volcanos, specifically the Axial Seamount, tick. But sometimes the most serious scientific inquiry can face "crabotage."
The unique ecosystems and biodiversity associated with mid-ocean ridge (MOR) hydrothermal vent systems contrast sharply with surrounding deep-sea habitats, however both may be increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activity (e.g., mining activities at massive sulphide deposits). Climate change can alter the deep-sea through increased bottom temperatures, loss of oxygen, and modifications to deep water circulation. Despite the potential of these profound impacts, the mechanisms enabling these systems and their ecosystems to persist, function and respond to oceanic, crustal, and anthropogenic forces remain poorly understood. This is due primarily to technological challenges and difficulties in accessing, observing and monitoring the deep-sea. In this context, the development of deep-sea observatories in the 2000s focused on understanding the coupling between sub-surface flow and oceanic and crustal conditions, and how they influence biological processes. Deep-sea observatories provide
SFU volcanologist Glyn Williams-Jones says the underwater volcano off B.C. s coast is too deep for an explosion the size of the one in the Pacific Islands Saturday.