Award Abstract # 1043403
Collaborative Research: Data Synthesis for Examination of Magmatic, Tectonic, and Hydrothermal Acitivity at the Endeavour Segment ISS

NSF Org: OCE
Division Of Ocean Sciences
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Initial Amendment Date: July 13, 2010
Latest Amendment Date: July 13, 2010
Award Number: 1043403
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Barbara Ransom
bransom@nsf.gov
 (703)292-7792
OCE
 Division Of Ocean Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: July 15, 2010
End Date: June 30, 2014 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $193,096.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $193,096.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2010 = $193,096.00
History of Investigator:
  • Deborah Kelley (Principal Investigator)
    kelley@ocean.washington.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Washington
4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE
SEATTLE
WA  US  98195-1016
(206)543-4043
Sponsor Congressional District: 07
Primary Place of Performance: University of Washington
4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE
SEATTLE
WA  US  98195-1016
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): HD1WMN6945W6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Marine Geology and Geophysics
Primary Program Source: 01001011DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 0000, OTHR
Program Element Code(s): 162000
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

One of the best studied sites on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a mid-ocean ridge spreading center off the northwestern coast of the US, is the Endeavor Ridge Segment. This area has been extensively mapped and sampled over the last 10 years by the NSF-funded Ridge 2000 Program whose objective is to dramatically advance our understanding of mid-ocean ridge magmatic, seismic, hydrothermal, and biological systems, how they behave, and how they are linked together. The funded project focuses on correcting navigation errors in sample/feature locations and compiling data from NSF and non-NSF funded cruises and studies to create a high resolution, integrated map of geological and geochemical features/attributes. The juxtaposition of these disparate datasets will enable big-picture, integrated thinking about how these important volcanic systems operate, will allow comparison of this area with other parts of the globe-encircling mid-ocean ridge system, and will illuminate the processes that control volcanism and hydrothermal venting at mid-ocean ridges. Broader impacts of the work include support of graduate and undergraduate students, a postdoc, and a PI whose gender is under-represented in the sciences.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Kelley, D.S., S. M. Carbotte, D. Clague, D. Caress, J. Delaney, J. Gill, H. Hadaway, E.E.E. Hooft, J.H. Holden J.P. Kellogg, M.D. Lilley M. Stoermer, D. Toomey, R. Weekly, and W.S. D. Wilcock "The Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge: One of the Most Remarkable Places on Earth" Oceanography , v.25 , 2012 , p.44 http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2012.03#sthash.v6tnnauE.dpuf

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

The Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge is one of the most well-studied submarine hydrothermal systems on Earth - it is also one of the most active, hosting five foot-ball field-sized hydrothermal fields over a distance of 15 km and >800 individual active and extinct chimneys. Here the submarine hot springs made from metal sulfides rise >100 ft above the seafloor. For nearly three decades, this area has been the focus of numerous NSF- and foundation-funded research expeditions using the three person submersible Alvin, tethered remotely operated vehicles (ROV's e,g, Jason, ROPOS and Tiburon) and untethered autonomous underwater vehicles (e.g. ABE, Sentry, D. Allan B.).

A major goal of this NSF-funded project was to compile rich and diverse bathymetric data sets collected with multibeam bathymetry systems on the research ship the R/V Thompson, and the AUV's ABE and D. Allan over a several year period and compile them into a 1-5 m resolution map of this dynamic mid-ocean ridge system. The second major goal, was to compile and renavigate ROV and Alvin dive data (a difficult undertaking that had not been done before), reprocessess these data, and provide the highest possible re-navigated dive tracks. These were then "placed" on the high resolution bathymetry - providing geo-referenced track lines to key features (e.g. active black smokers) of interest.

This bathymetric work was completed in collaboration with researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (D. Clague and D. Caress), and the vehicle re-navigation work was completed by a University of Washington (UW), School of Oceanography master's student A. Denny. The result is a stunning bathymetric (topographic) map of all of the major vent fields that are hosted within this linear, rifted mid-ocean ridge volcano. Zooming in on the bathymetry allows identification of individual black smokers that have been pumping out >700•F fluids since the fields were first found in early 1980 (see figure produced by D. Kelley, J. Delaney and the Center for Environmental Visualization at the UW.

All vehicle survey lines are now available in high resolution images showing the path of the vehicles above the seafloor during the dives and with respect to know black smoker edifices. All data are available through the Marine Geoscience Data System hosted at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University (http://www.marine-geo.org/index.php).


Last Modified: 10/01/2014
Modified by: Deborah Kelley