Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents

-a geyser on the seafloor that spews out hot water from the lava from within the earths crust.  The water is mineral rich, mineral-rich water can aid the support a diverse community of organisms.  The vents create chimneys that are able to grow up to 35ft tall.  The water in the chimneys has been measured to reach as high as 750 degrees fahrenheit. Fish, tube worms  eyeless shrimp, crabs, and clams are some of the organisms that harvest off the bacteria from the vents.  Plants can live in the dark at the bottom of the seafloor because of chemosynthesis. The vents are located where the earths crust is separating.

Alvin

- the machine that is highly adaptable to do the research at extreme depths and pressure.  It was used to discover the hydrothermal vents.

Holger Jannasch and Woods Hole Marine Biological Lab

- Holger Jannasch was a marine microbiologist that contributed a great deal to the study of microbial life in the extreme environment of the deep-sea. His main interests were the growth of microorganisms in the sea, and their existence of at the low temperature and high pressure of the ocean depths, and the microbial processes taking place at hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Jannasch discovered hydrothermal vents.