MoMARSAT Sea Campaign 2019
Conducted by IFREMER and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP-Université de Paris), the MOMARSAT 2019 at-sea campaign runs from June 11 to July 4 aboard the oceanographic vessel "Pourquoi pas?", accompanied by the submersible "Nautile", for the 9th consecutive year. The aim of the mission is to carry out maintenance on the EMSO-Açores observatory located off the Azores, at the Lucky Strike hydrothermal site, at 37°N latitude of the Atlantic ridge.
Publication date: 10/07/2019
Press, Research
Related teams :
Marine Geosciences
Related themes : Origins, Earth and Planetary Interiors
The aim of this seabed observatory is to monitor the dynamics of a ridge hydrothermal system and associated ecosystems over the long term (> 10 years). It comprises a live satellite data transmission infrastructure and a set of autonomous geophysical, chemical, physical, oceanographic and biological sensors.
The role of the IPGP team, led by Mathilde Cannat, is to maintain all the observatory’s geophysical equipment and take geological samples of the site. The IPGP-CNRS engineers are in charge of recovering and deploying the seabed seismometers (also known as OBS) in place around the Lucky Strike volcano. A second team of IPGP scientists is recovering and installing temperature probes, current meters and pressure probes at fluid outlets to better understand the dynamics and geology of these hydrothermal sites.
At the same time, IFREMER teams are maintaining all the communications systems on the observatory’s various instruments, as well as sampling the fauna and hydrothermal vents to study bacterial populations.
Scientists from GET (Toulouse Geosciences and Environment Laboratory), who are also on board, are analysing the chemistry of the hydrothermal fluids by taking spot samples and deploying an autonomous system called ‘DEAFS’, which takes monthly samples of the hot fluids. A team from MIO (Institut Méditerranéen d’Océanologie) is studying ferroxidising bacteria by sampling iron-rich microbial mats and deploying an in situ coloniser in the fluid gradient. Finally this year, an additional team from UBO (Université de Bretagne Occidentale) and IFREMER joined the project to observe tidal turbulence in the water column and the dynamics of currents associated with plumes from the hydrothermal field.
To find out more, click here:
- Follow the mission day by day on Facebook
- More information on the EMSO France website (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory)
